In 2010, Mason Mingus ended a memorable Late Model season with a top-10 run at the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway (FL). The finish meant a lot to the driver who had won the Ken Ten Pro Late Model championship earlier in the season.

Now Mingus is going back with a chance to win the race. After taking part in the event’s open test day at the Pensacola, Florida track, confidence is high for the driver and team who finishd fourth in points with the CRA Super Series during the 2011 season.

The 811 Call Before You Dig, Diamond Equipment, GR Hospitality Group, Sams Sports Grill and Sperrys Restaurant Chevy is ready to go fast and turn some heads in the 44th Annual Snowball Derby.

"The Snowball Derby is huge and it's a great opportunity to get my name out there and gain exposure," said Mingus. "You want to perform well in the big races. Last year we came down here and were not even sure if we could make the race and we ended up with a top-10 finish. We are looking for more this and we’re hoping we can win the race."

Practice days can often result in questioning the setup, tire compound, engine selection and other things that might keep a particular car at the bottom of the speed charts. With Mingus' prior Derby experience and CRA Super Series Champion Chuck Barnes, Jr. as the Crew Chief, things are normally ready to go off the trailer.

"Our day was pretty good," said Mingus. "We didn't know what to expect not having been down here for a full year. We brought a couple of different setups to try and everything that we did was positive so we should be set to come back in December."

For Mingus it was a good opportunity to test for the Derby. While other drivers are still finishing up their season and championship point battles, Mingus was shaking down his number-811 machine on the track.

"It's big to have this practice," added Mingus. "We were quick with what we tried at the practice so when we come back all we'll have to do is fine tune a bit."

The only drastic change to Five Flags Speedway this season was the tire compound.

"We were able to work with this year's tire compound from Hoosier," added Mingus. "It really does not fall off as much as the tires from last year so it should make things interesting on raceday"