Snowball Derby gives David Gilliland an increasingly rare chance to take on Super Late Model racing's best

PENSACOLA, Fla. — He may only have one Snowball Derby start to his name, but David Gilliland has never felt more confident in his ability to win the prestigious event.

The No. 98 Vertical Acres Farm Toyota that Gilliland and his team unloaded Wednesday at Five Flags Speedway was built specifically for Sunday’s Snowball Derby. With his passion project now complete after months of hard work, the 48-year-old is eager to test his equipment against the best of the Super Late Model discipline.

Gilliland wants to enjoy his first Snowball Derby attempt as a driver in five years, but he is keeping expectations high given the number of resources and level of energy exerted into building his car.

“[We‘re here to] win,” Gilliland said. “We‘ve put a lot of effort into [this car]. Steve Leavitt and a lot of guys I‘ve worked with for a long time all put our heads together and went ahead and built our own car. Super Late Model racing has been part of my life for a long time, so [the Snowball Derby] is something I‘ve always dreamed of winning.

“We‘re excited to come out here, have a little fun and hopefully get the job done.”

INFO: All about Sunday’s Snowball Derby

The catalyst behind Gilliland‘s decision to compete in the Snowball Derby again was simple: He misses being behind the wheel.

Overseeing TRICON Garage‘s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program takes up most of Gilliland‘s daily life. Under Gilliland‘s leadership, TRICON Garage has burgeoned into a championship-caliber organization; Corey Heim has guided the team to the Championship 4 in each of the last two years.

Each triumph brings more notoriety for TRICON Garage, but the increased business means fewer opportunities for Gilliland to make an occasional Truck Series appearance. He last competed in 2023 at Talladega Superspeedway, where he placed 35^th after being collected in an early crash.

Not being in the seat is a net positive for Gilliland and TRICON Garage, as it means every race across all five full-time teams has some form of financial backing. The status quo will remain in place for TRICON Garage in 2025, but Gilliland admits he has been looking for an avenue to satisfy his racing urge.

A busy week at Five Flags will give Gilliland an opportunity to scratch that itch and simultaneously figure out what he needs to make his car better. Being perfect in practice, qualifying and race conditions will be imperative for Gilliland if he wants to solidify himself as a contender for Sunday’s 300-lap feature.

WATCH: Sunday’s Derby live on FloRacing

Gilliland has long been familiar with the mental strain the Snowball Derby presents, but he says the allure of overcoming so many obstacles to obtain a Tom Dawson Trophy is one reason why the event is so revered.

“This race brings out the best of the best, and that‘s what motivates the best guys in Super Late Models all around the country to come out here,” Gilliland said. “It‘s a challenge, but when you do good here, it means something. So we‘re going to see what we can do.”

One crucial step to success Gilliland has learned during his previous Snowball Derby attempts as an owner and driver is that patience is needed throughout the entire week.

Before formally unloading Wednesday, Gilliland shook down his No. 98 alongside several other teams during test sessions for the Snowball Derby. The lap times Gilliland displayed were promising, but evolving track conditions and other programs finding speed emphasizes a need to constantly adapt.

“This place is tricky,” Gilliland said. “You come and test, and it will fool you into thinking you‘re better than you are [as opposed to] when you have 50 cars on the track and so much rubber laid down. We have to keep up with the race track. This track changes as much as anywhere throughout these four days of being here.”

Gilliland is also still trying to shake off some rust from being out of the car for more than a year, but he does plan to get advice from other TRICON Garage drivers in the field. The group includes ARCA Menards Series East champion William Sawalich along with Gio Ruggiero, who was announced to a full-time TRICON Garage ride earlier this week.

Both Sawalich and Ruggiero bring plenty of accolades to the Snowball Derby despite three combined starts. Sawalich won the All-American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2023, the same year Ruggiero prevailed in the Winchester 400.

Given how much Super Late Model racing has evolved since his last Snowball Derby appearance in 2019, Gilliland wants to procure as much information as possible from Sawalich and Ruggiero before Sunday’s green flag. He expects both to be favorites alongside usual stalwarts like Bubba Pollard, Ty Majeski and Derek Thorn.

He does not have as much track time as many others on the entry list, but Gilliland considers himself more than capable of winning the Snowball Derby. Devoting so much time to constructing a car for this one race is indicative of that belief, as is his commitment toward remaining involved in racing at his age.

Gilliland doesn’t know how many more chances he’ll get to race himself with TRICON Garage continuing to grow every year, so he intends to cherish every moment of Sunday‘s drive, which he hopes culminates in his hoisting the Tom Dawson Trophy.

“This is a marquee event,” Gilliland said. “It‘s on every racer‘s bucket list. Obviously, I don‘t have that box checked yet, so if we could do that, it‘d be special, but extra special to do it in our own car.”

Gilliland is no stranger to pulling off a surprise. His upset victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Kentucky Speedway in 2006 with Clay Andrews Racing laid the foundation for the success he and his son Todd Gilliland have enjoyed in motorsports through the present day.

Now older and wiser, Gilliland looks to deliver another iconic drive and cement his own No. 98 Toyota into the Snowball Derby‘s storied lore.