South Alabama Speedway favorite Bubba Pollard, who was recently offered the opportunity to compete in a NASCAR Xfinity Series race later this month in Richmond, Va., has been dealing with a lot in preparing to defend his Rattler 250 title this weekend.
“There have been a lot of moving parts in the last couple of months with going to Charlotte, getting the seat fitted, doing sim (simulator) time and juggling everything with my racing as well,” Pollard said of getting set up with his Xfinity car. “They’ve been great to work with and have given me everything I needed to be prepared.”
Pollard will be among the favorites to win the 48th Annual Hardee’s Rattler 250 Super Late Model race scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at the 4/10-mile asphalt oval South Alabama Speedway track located just off Hwy. 52 between Kinston and Opp. The winner will pocket $25,000 in prize money.
People are also reading…
It will be the finale of a three-day race weekend which begins Friday at 7 p.m. with local races and continues Saturday with the Grasshopper Pro Late Model 125 race starting at 6 p.m.
For Pollard, it’s been a whirlwind couple of months after being contacted to drive the No. 88 Rheem Chevrolet in making his Xfinity Series debut on March 30 for JR Motorsports, owned by NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick, and Kelley Earnhardt Miller.
Pollard, a resident of Senoia, Ga., who turns 37 on Saturday, is a longtime Super Late Model driver on short tracks throughout the country with more than 100 victories to his credit, including two Rattler 250 wins.
“Unexpected, really,” Pollard said of getting the Xfinity chance. “I think a week or so before Christmas I got a call from Rheem (Manufacturing) – the guys there – and they kind of told me what they were wanting to put together and what their plan was and everything.
“One thing led to another and after talking with JR Motorsports, we put a deal together and kind of worked everything out. I’m really thankful for the opportunity and everything that Rheem and JR had done to step up and give me this opportunity.”
It’s meant swapping back and forth from his normal Super Late Model car to the one he will be driving in the Xfinity Series.
“The Xfinity Series and the car and race track … everything is going to be new to me,” Pollard said. “It’s going to be quite the learning experience. The odds are definitely against us when we start the race on March 30.
“We’ve also planned to run the ARCA race March 24 at Five Flags (Pensacola), the same weekend that we run the ASA race there. We’re going to do that just to get some seat time, some experience in the heavier car with the braking, steering and the radial tires and things like that.
“The tires is a big thing. We run a Bias ply tire versus a radial tire (in Xfinity). It’s going to be hard understanding the grip level from the new tire, you know? … how far to push the car and how long the tire can last, things like that. The steering is different and the braking is different. The car is a good 400-500 heavier than what we’re used to.
“It’s not just like jumping in another car. There’s a lot of things you have to study along the way to be prepared.”
For the time being, however, the priority is the Rattler 250 on a track Pollard cut his teeth on as a race car driver.
“That’s where it all started for me when I was 14-15 years old,” Pollard said. “I’ve been racing there for 20 years, you know? The relationships you’ve made over the years with fans, friends, the Dykes (track owners) family … just everyone involved.
“We don’t get to race there as much as I would like to … only once a year … but it’s a place I’ve had a lot of success and been fortunate to win at and have those friendships there.”
A year ago, Pollard dethroned Ty Majeski as the champion of the Rattler 250 in passing the record-holding, five-time champion on lap 238 and hung on the rest of the way to cross the finish line in front of him.
In came a week after Pollard’s car had been torn up during a race in Pensacola.
“Last year was so special to us because we had such a terrible week leading up to the Rattler that we had to fix the car,” Pollard said. “We were leading the race and got taken out at Five Flags the week before with about 20 (laps) to go with a shot of winning.
“My guys put in a tough week, so that win last year was special for a lot of reasons.”
Pollard also won the Grasshopper 125 the night before to sweep the two big races a year ago. He’ll only run the Rattler 250 this time.
“I have to go to Charlotte to do all the Xfinity stuff, so we’re actually just going to show up on Saturday this week,” Pollard said.
The veteran driver knows the competition will be stiff as it always is at SAS.
“The Rattler has built a name for itself over the years looking back, shoot, 30-40 years ago,” Pollard said. “Everybody wants to come to win the Rattler to put your name there in the history books with some of the greats.
“They’ve done a great job building that race up every year with the prize money and it brings a lot of the top tier teams to south Alabama.”
Pollard has won his only two starts this season.
“We won SpeedFest (January in Cordele, Ga.) and the ASA race at New Smyrna (Fla.) in February,” Pollard said. “We’re two for two and hopefully we can keep it going this weekend.”
Jon Johnson is sports editor of the Dothan Eagle and can be reached at jjohnson@dothaneagle.com or 334.712.7965. Support his work and that of other Eagle journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at dothaneagle.com. Follow Jon Johnson on Twitter @eaglesportsed