Completed entry forms for the 4th Annual Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway Park (CA) are being mailed in at a rapid pace this holiday season. On Thursday, event promoters released the first look at the entry list that currently includes the names of 22 drivers and two to-be-announced entries.
Taking into consideration the amount of entry forms already received for the $30,000-to-win race on February 3, SRL officials are expecting the largest field in the four-year history of the race.
The current entry list not only features some of the usual characters from the West Coast, but also a strong contingent of drivers from the East Coast.
Two-time race winner Bubba Pollard of Senoia, Georgia will return to the Winter Showdown looking to make it a trifecta in California’s biggest Super Late Model race. He’s joined by Tennessee’s Mason Mingus, Mississippi’s Chase Purdy and Indiana’s Cole Williams as drivers currently slated to make the coast-to-coast trip.
Chris Davidson of Pearland, Texas is also slated to make the trip to Bakersfield, California from the Lone Star State.
Leading the charge for the West Coast will be defending race winner and hometown favorite Derek Thorn. A stout field of drivers will join Thorn in the quest to keep the $30,000 winner’s check on the left coast. Two-time Pacific Challenge Series champion Jeremy Doss will join a pair of SRL winners in Buddy Shepherd and Blaine Rocha as favorites from the West Coast.
Challenging the short track stars once again in 2018 will be NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series driver Kyle Busch. The 2017 Snowball Derby winner will be looking to add another crown jewel Super Late Model trophy to his trophy case after finishing third in the Winter Showdown one year ago.
Overall, the current list of entries includes 10 drivers who will be making their Winter Showdown debuts in 2018.
The full list of current entries for the 4th Annual SRL Winter showdown can be seen below.
4th Annual Winter Showdown Entry List (As of 12/13/17)
| Car # | Driver |
| 05 | Eric Schmidt |
| 08 | Jace Hansen |
| 09 | Kayla Eshleman |
| 1 | Matthew Wendt |
| 2 | Craig Raudman |
| 5 | Mason Mingus |
| 6 | Dominic Ursetta |
| 14 | Chris Davidson |
| 15 | Buddy Shepherd |
| 21 | Blaine Rocha |
| 24 | TBA |
| 26 | TBA |
| 26P | Bubba Pollard |
| 29 | Cole Williams |
| 40 | Dylan Caldwell |
| 43T | Derek Thorn |
| 43K | Kody Vanderwal |
| 45 | Nick Joanides |
| 51B | Kyle Busch |
| 51V | Carlos Viera |
| 65 | Tyler Tanner |
| 66 | Jeff Bischofberger |
| 75 | Jeremy Doss |
| 81 | Chase Purdy |
-By Brandon Paul, Speed51.com Editor – Twitter: @Brandon_Paul
-Photo credit: Speed51.com / Bruce Nuttleman
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