Gary Goodwin had been crossing off the days like a kid eagerly awaiting summer vacation.A year had melted away since last year’s Bombers division Snowball Derby when Goodwin’s shot at glory ended when he was involved in a mid-race crash.The charter boat fishing captain wasn’t going to let another opportunity off the hook.Goodwin initially became the first champion of the 45th annual Snowball Derby on Thursday with a wire-to-wire finish in the 30 lapper.That was before the cars headed into post-race technical inspection. Once the top three cars reached that point, Goodwin's car was disqualified and Marine Michael Nelson was awarded the win.

“I’ve been waiting 365 days to do this again,� he said. “This was my shot at redemption.�

The Pensacola driver twice achieved greatness by hoisting the winner’s trophy, plus setting a new track record during qualifying. But both milestones were wiped away with the disqualification.

Goodwin’s 21.670-second mark shattered the previous record of Jay Jay Day’s 21.804.

“That was my goal,� Goodwin said. “This is probably the last time for this Bomber car.�

What a way to go out. The silver No. 23 won seven feature races during the regular season and was the unparalleled class of the field Thursday night before he met an untimely end.

David Johnson of Irvington, Ala., seemed to be the only car that had a shot to chase Goodwin down.

But poor restarts on numerous cautions relegated Johnson to second once the official results became clear.

“Our transmission was going out all night,� Johnson said. “I think we might’ve had something for Gary if it wasn’t for that and the restarts.�

The race was marred by nearly a dozen cautions, none scarier than Rick Thompson’s crash with 18 complete.

The Molino driver sustained a violent crash when his red No. 77 was shattered between turn Nos. 1 and 2.

A car cut Thompson off entering the corner and he smacked into the inside wall before careening up the track and coming to a stop at the Turn 1 barrier.

Pieces littered the top of track as emergency vehicles and track officials raced to Thompson’s aid. After a few minutes, he was able to climb out of the demolished car despite being visibly shaken.

When the wrecker finally put the hook on Thompson’s car, it appeared the front end started just above the tires.

Earlier in the race, Jerry Goff Jr., who was battling Johnson for second at the time, had his quality night ended when a lapped car blew an engine.

While Johnson was able to navigate the chaos, Goff failed to avoid it and slammed into the wall on the backstretch.

Through it all, Goodwin’s attempt to maintain his focus was meeting a dead end.

“It was nerve wracking,� he admitted. “You hear every noise, smell every smell. I just wanted to hurry up and get back to green and get that checkered.�

Unfortunately, Goodwin's dream will have to wait another year.