PENSACOLA, FL :: You could say there is a lot on the line this weekend as the Southern Super Series concludes its second season with a pair of races at Pensacola Five Flags Speedway and Mobile International Speedway respectively.
At the forefront of the action is the championship battle which will once again come down to Bubba Pollard leading Daniel Hemric entering the final weekend of 2014.
Hemric defeated Pollard by just a single point to claim the inaugural championship last November, despite a 54-point deficit going into the final race of the season at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. But this time around, Pollard has an even smaller advantage at just eight points over Hemric with a maximum of 230 markers on the table.
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Due to what happened last season, Pollard isn’t allowing himself to think about a championship until after the final lap of the season has been completed.
“All we can do is go win races,” Pollard said. “I’m not worried about points because anything could happen. Just look at what happened last year. The two tracks that end the season have been good for us but all we can do is put ourselves in a position to win.”
Hemric is approaching the first of the two events with the same reservation as his championship rival, choosing to take it one race at a time. Frankly, he and his Carswell Motorsports team is more focused on acquiring data for the upcoming Snowball Derby than the championship — a tangible goal the team can work towards as the championship sorts itself out.
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“We’re going in here this weekend to do what we’ve done all year and that is to win races,” Hemric said. “If we do go into Mobile tomorrow with the championship lead, I feel like that track is one of my weaker links so I think we’re going to throw everything we have at it.
“We’re going to do that not because of points or for championships but just because we need to be better there as a team. That’s what we strive for.”
That’s not to say Hemric doesn’t care about the championship. He just understands how quickly titles can be won or lost based on last season and there’s no legitimate reason to change his approach due to the standings.
Hemric says he has a lot of pride in being the Southern Super Series champion and hopes he gets to serve in that capacity again next season.
“It’s an honor to have my name placed alongside Bubba Pollard, Augie Grill and all the guys that have raced this circuit for more years than I have. It’s just cool to be in the same conversation as those guys. As for the championship, I’m excited to be part of it again. It’s been an exciting time for the fans and I’m excited to see how it all works out.”
The Miller Lite 125 will take place on Friday night at Pensacola while the Sunoco 125 at Mobile will end the season on Saturday night. Race22.com will have live coverage from the Southern Super Series championship this weekend with reporter Matt Weaver.
Follow him on Twitter at @MattWeaverSBN.
