Ryan Lawler got back into the seat of a Super Late Model this past weekend, and the Texan picked the biggest stage of them all to return on – the 42nd Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.
The outing was a successful one, as Lawler finished ninth.
“I love running these big races, it is fun,” said Lawler. “I love racing against all the good guys out there. You have guys coming from all over the country and it puts on a pretty good show for the fans.
“It was a handful. I had to work my butt off all race long. All the guys on the team had to keep working on it to see what we could do to make it better. We just kept plugging away. We started 31st and ended up ninth here. I thought it was a pretty respecable day after what we had to overcome.”
What Lawler had to overcome included having only one lap of qualifying due to a technical/procedural infraction, having to run a wild Last Chance race and then having moderate body damage on his #49 Stanley Smith-owned Super Late Model in the Derby itself.
“Well, it (the damage) really isn’t so bad. We have a little tire mark here or there, but most of these guys out there have doors hanging off, bumpers caved in and stuff, so I was happy to just get out with a few tire marks here or there.”
Lawler isn’t sure if his outing with the #49 team is going to be a one-off deal or something more long term.
“I am not real sure yet, but if anything comes about, I will be sure to let you know.”
The Snowball Derby concludes Lawler’s 2009 racing season.
