The inaugural race of the iRacing Champions League Snowball Derby Season 1 gave the new four-race mini-series an explosive start at . Sixteen Street Stock drivers took the green in a 30-lap dash that lasted just about six minutes, and by the time it was over, Braxton DeWeese had turned a front-row start into a flag-to-flag victory. DeWeese’s No. 1 finish, combined with a perfectly executed run over 30 laps, immediately puts him in the center of the championship conversation with three rounds still to come in SK Modifieds, Pro Late Models, and .

From the drop of the green, DeWeese never put a wheel wrong. Rolling off from second on the grid, he seized control of the race and led all 30 laps en route to the win, ultimately crossing the line 2.213 seconds clear of the field. His fastest lap of 18.817 seconds came early, on lap 4, and helped him maintain a comfortable advantage while keeping the rest of the lead pack at bay. The perfect opening night nets DeWeese 12 championship points for the feature and positions him as one of two co-point leaders leaving the Street Stock opener.

The other driver sharing the top of the table is pole-sitter Cole Gudmestad. Gudmestad clocked in as the quickest in qualifying to earn the 1-point bonus for fast time and then converted that pole into a strong runner-up finish in the race. His 11 points for second place plus that crucial qualifying bonus give him 12 points total, matching DeWeese after one round. Behind them, Hayden Bushey quietly pieced together a solid night, starting fourth and finishing third for 10 points, while Jacob Carter delivered one of the more impressive front-running charges of the evening. Carter climbed from ninth on the grid to fourth at the finish, posting a stout 18.800-second best lap along the way and leaving Five Flags fourth in points with 9 markers.

The mid-pack battles were defined by forward progress and recovery drives. Davis Warren completed the top five after starting exactly where he finished in fifth, banking 8 points and keeping himself well within early striking distance of the leaders. The official “hard charger” title, however, belongs to Erick Bock. Bock started deep in the field in 13th and powered his way up to sixth at the checkered flag, a net gain of seven positions—the largest improvement of anyone in the race. Paul Krumrei picked up three spots from 10th to seventh, while Lawson Williams brought his car home eighth after holding station from his eighth-place starting spot. Together, that lead-lap group of eight has set an early benchmark for consistency in the Snowball Derby standings.

Further back, several drivers showed race-winning speed but left the opener with more frustration than points. The standout in that category was Preston DeMello. Despite being officially classified 10th and eight laps down, DeMello recorded the fastest lap of the race at 18.766 seconds, underscoring the raw pace that never quite translated into a result. Erik Palmer and Dakota Bradford also ended the night eight laps in arrears in ninth and 11th, respectively, after what had the potential to be stronger finishes. On the tougher end of the spectrum, no one lost more ground than Jake Bollman; after starting sixth, Bollman was ultimately scored 16th and 28 laps down, the steepest drop in the field. Scott Mann, Brogan Roberts, Owen Wilson6, and Brayden C Drewery all saw their nights compromised as well, each ending many laps back and outside the top ten despite flashes of competitiveness in their limited running.

With only the Street Stock round in the books, the championship picture is still wide open—but the early framework is already taking shape. DeWeese and Gudmestad leave Five Flags as co-point leaders on 12 points apiece, while Bushey sits just 2 points back in third with 10. Carter is 3 points off the top spot with 9, and Davis Warren rounds out the early top five at 8 points. From there, the gaps are razor thin: Erick Bock (7 points), Paul Krumrei (6), and Lawson Williams (5) are all within a single good finish of vaulting into contention, while Palmer, DeMello, and Bradford are close behind. With three races remaining and a maximum of 13 points available per event (12 for a win and 1 for fast time), there are still 39 points on the table for anyone capable of stringing together a perfect run. That means even the drivers who struggled in the opener remain very much alive in the Snowball Derby hunt as the series transitions to SK Modifieds next time out.

Race Results – Snowball Derby Season 1, Race 1 (Five Flags Speedway – )

  1. Braxton DeWeese, 2) Cole Gudmestad, 3) Hayden Bushey, 4) Jacob Carter, 5) Davis Warren, 6) Erick Bock, 7) Paul Krumrei, 8) Lawson Williams, 9) Erik Palmer, 10) Preston DeMello, 11) Dakota Bradford, 12) Scott Mann, 13) Brogan Roberts, 14) Owen Wilson6, 15) Brayden C Drewery, 16) Jake Bollman

Top 20 Driver Standings after Race 1

  1. Braxton DeWeese – 12 pts, 1) Cole Gudmestad – 12 pts, 3) Hayden Bushey – 10 pts, 4) Jacob Carter – 9 pts, 5) Davis Warren – 8 pts, 6) Erick Bock – 7 pts, 7) Paul Krumrei – 6 pts, 8) Lawson Williams – 5 pts, 9) Erik Palmer – 4 pts, 10) Preston DeMello – 3 pts, 11) Dakota Bradford – 2 pts, 12) Jake Bollman – 1 pt, 12) Brayden C Drewery – 1 pt, 12) Scott Mann – 1 pt, 12) Brogan Roberts – 1 pt, 12) Owen Wilson6 – 1 pt

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