Everyone Chasing Derek Thorn in Derby Practice Again

It’s inherently challenging to look at the speed charts during Snowball Derby practice day and use it to ascertain anything about the rest of the week.

There are just too many differing agendas, tires on various cycles, and teams tinkering with their set-ups to translate the times into meaningful information. And yet, over the past four years, one team has simplified the extrapolation process — Derek Thorn, Mike Keen and the Campbell Motorsports No. 43.

This is now the fourth year in a row that Thorn has led multiple sessions on Thursday. Like clockwork, during this time period, he responds to leading practice by winning the pole and doing the same thing in the Pro Late Model as well.

It’s become routine with Thorn pacing three practice sessions in advance of qualifying day on Friday.

"The Super is really good," Thorn said. "Mike Keen has done a great job of bringing the car and making sure it felt the same as last year. We had a good test, but you don't really know where you stack up until Thursday when everyone comes out together under the same track conditions.

"The feel is there; the speed is there. With qualifying tomorrow, most of the emphasis was on speed and short run stuff. Hopefully we make the show tomorrow with ease and can roll into happy hour and fine tune some things as well."

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From there, it’s just so hard to know what is signal and what is noise when looking down the speed charts. Instead, you just have to listen to the teams and what they are saying about their cars.

Ryan Luza of Anthony Campi Racing and Austin Nason of Nason Motorsports each mocked up. Nason, also immediately followed that with a 10-lap green flag fire-off run and says the car gave him everything he wanted under those circumstances too.

"I wanted to see how it would run early in a run and I didn’t lose the drive off I expected it to and that’s where we have struggled the years before when we’ve been here before," Nason said.

Meanwhile, Matt Craig and the JCR3 Racing teams were the first ones out of the crossover gate as soon as it opened after the practice, having already accomplished what they wanted to for the day and finishing fifth overall.

"It's pretty good," Craig said. "We race trimmed the first two practices. I like the speed in our car. A little tight to start and had to adapt my line. The track has changed a little bit, we changed our setup big time from where we usually are, but it's been good."

Then there are the Donnie Wilson Motorsports cars with William Byron not turning a lap while at the NASCAR Cup Series banquet with Sammy Smith (P48) and Cole Butcher (P50) down on speed. But to wit, there are no reasons to think anything is wrong with the most dominant team in the industry right now either.

Erik Jones was fourth on the charts in a car wrenched by a crew largely made up of his Cup Series team at Petty GMS. It’s clear that they have come up with a very fast car for the two-time race winning Derby champion.

"We were in race trim all day until the end when we made our mock run the last practice session," Jones said. "I feel good, the speed has been there so its just a matter of getting it to drive a little bit better. It’s been fun. Anytime you come down here and are quick, it’s just more fun.

"We’re turning our focus to tomorrow night and think we have a chance to qualify really well."

Then there is Stephen Nasse, the All-American 400 and Winchester 400 winner going for a triple crown sweep, but struggling a little bit in practice.

"It was alright," Nasse said. "We had some decent mock up speed but didn’t really go as fast as I would like. I think we’ll be alright."

To be fair, this is kind of the same narrative from before the All-American 400 as well, with Nasse looking for a bit more and not sure if he would have the speed to win before everything broke his way on Race Day.

Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion, was 28th in the final rundown and was still very much learning these cars and getting a feel for the track by the end of the session.

Until otherwise notified, everyone is chasing Thorn, Keen and Campbell Motorsports.

PRACTICE RESULTS – 55TH ANNUAL SNOWBALL DERBY
(Merged results, three rounds of practice)

1. Derek Thorn – 16.460
2. Ryan Luza – 16.535
3. Austin Nason – 16.566
4. Erik Jones – 16.582
5. Preston Peltier – 16.593
6. Matt Craig – 16.593
7. Hunter Robbins – 16.611
8. Bubba Pollard – 16.625
9. Michael House – 16.653
10. Giovanni Ruggiero – 16.671
11. Conner Jones – 16.675
12. Josh Berry – 16.676
13. Jeremy Doss – 16.720
14. John Bolen – 16.724
15. Jake Garcia – 16.732
16. Jacob Gomes – 16.735
17. Ty Majeski – 16.736
18. Albert Francis – 17.753
19. Tyler Tanner – 16.769
20. Jesse Love – 16.797
21. Casey Roderick – 16.797
22. Daniel Dye – 16.803
23. Jace Hansen – 16.803
24. Johnny Clark – 16.803
25. Blaine Rocha – 16.804
26. Jake Finch – 16.804
27. Casey Johnson – 16.806
28. Brad Keselowski – 16.812
29. Stephen Nasse – 16.821
30. Augie Grill – 16.825
31. Derek Kraus – 16.835
32. Carson Kvapil – 16.838
33. Harold Crooms – 16.862
34. Billy Van Meter – 16.867
35. Michael Hinde – 16.869
36. Noah Gragson – 16.878
37. George Gorham, Jr. – 16.883
38. Derek Griffith – 16.894
39. Haeden Plybon – 16.914
40. Brad May – 16.916
41. Luke Fenhaus – 16.945
42. Connor Mosack – 16.946
43. Zach Telford – 16.955
44. Michael Simko – 16.959
45. Boris Jurkovic – 16.960
46. Sammy Smith – 16.961
47. Dustin Smith – 16.965
48. Cole Butcher – 16.993
49. Connor Okrzesik – 17.073
50. Eddie Van Meter – 17.094
51. Kyle Bryant – 17.157
52. Kaden Honeycutt* – 17.199

*Substituting for Corey Heim while at NASCAR banquet.

PRACTICE RESULTS – ALLEN TURNER SNOWFLAKE 100
(Merged results, three rounds of practice)

1. Casey Roderick – 16.780
2. Bryson Shaffer – 16.983
3. Mike Hopkins – 16.987
4. Derek Thorn – 17.002
5. Brent Crews – 17.052
6. Trevor Cristiani – 17.087
7. Andrew Grady – 17.087
8. Dylan Fetcho – 17.107
9. Leland Honeyman – 17.109
10. Derrick Griffin – 17.110
11. Jeremy Miller – 17.117
12. Anthony Cataldi – 17.123
13. Jake Bollman – 17.136
14. Jim Wall – 17.169
15. Kyle Steckly – 17.185
16. Chase Spradlin – 17.191
17. Conner Jones – 17.200
18. Augie Grill – 17.202
19. Boston Oliver – 17.209
20. Connor Okrzesik – 17.223
21. Johanna Long Robbins – 17.239
22. Gavin Graham – 17.253
23. Michael Hinde – 17.268
24. Jake Garcia – 17.272
25. Brittney Zamora – 17.291
26. Cale Gale – 17.298
27. Wes Griffith, Jr. – 17.302
28. Dustin Smith – 17.310
29. Alex Guenette – 17.318
30. Jackson Boone – 17.329
31. Jolynn Wilkinson – 17.330
32. Evan Shotko – 17.332
33. John Bolen – 17.346
34. Jarrett Butcher – 17.455
35. Ryan Paul – 17.459
36. Ryan Fleming – 17.527
37. Dakota Stroup – 17.549
38. Colin Allman – 17.579
39. Tandy Marlin – 17.671
40. Dylan Cappello – 17.680
41. Elliott Massey – 17.705
42. Dylan Courtney – 17.839
43. Glenn Styres – 17.849
44. Cody McCawley – 18.028
45. Brad Arms – 18.138