Bubba Pollard has always been one of the best in the business but coming off a championship, his wedding and a big payday in California, the defending Southern Super Series champion has never felt more confident and at peace.
It’s a mindset that may lead to another major triumph on Sunday in the $12,500-to-win Rattler 250.
Pollard is still reeling in the excitement of the biggest victory of his career earlier this month when he traveled all the way out to Kern County Speedway in Bakersfield, California and outdueled the best of the West, earning a $25,000 check for his efforts in the Winter Showdown.
“That was definitely the biggest win of my career,” Pollard told Race22.com on Wednesday night. “A lot of people questioned why we went out there but it actually made a lot of sense because the rules package and tire rules had us spend about the same amount that we spent in the Snowball Derby.
“Then you look at the competition out there with Derek Thorn, David Mayhew and Dalton Sergeant — those were really strong teams we beat. I’m proud of our team and what we were able to do.”
Pollard has long been looked at as one of the top Late Model drivers in the country, winning races all across the South and Midwest over the past decade. If there was one noticeable weakness in his game, they presented themselves on races longer than 200 laps.
Countless times Pollard found himself in contention late in marquee events like the Snowball Derby, All-American 400 or World Crown 300 but got caught up in an incident or experienced a mechanical failure. There has never been a doubt that Pollard could win a major but everything had to come together, a dam that didn’t break through until the Winter Showdown.
“I hope we can say that this is the breakthrough we needed to win some of these other big races,” Pollard said. “We’ve always had cars capable of winning and we’ve asked ourselves why we haven’t won some of those races.
“We needed to work harder and a lot of it was me as the driver — my approach. I worked to stay calm in those longer races and as you get older, you just know how to better prepare yourself for everything you encounter.”
The victory at Kern County has only strengthened his resolve to keep the momentum rolling.
Pollard has planned his most ambitious schedule yet this season as he has contemplated running for twin championships in both the Southern Super Series and CARS Tour while also picking off marquee events like the Summer Showdown in Washington State, Octoberfest at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in Wisconsin and his annual stops at the Snowball, Winchester and Redbud 300.
But first and foremost is his start this weekend in the Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway where he previously won the rattlesnake trophy back in 2012.
“You want to win these bigger races in the Southeast more than anywhere else,” Pollard said. “These drivers and teams are the best in the country and that’s how we measure ourselves.”
Pollard is especially excited to return to South Alabama this year because the entry list is, in his opinion, one of the best he has ever competed against. With names like Chase Elliott, Ross Kenseth, Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek headlining the 36-car roster, it is hard to argue with his logic.
“This is the best Rattler that I have ever been a part of,” Pollard said. “This is one of the biggest fields I’ve ever seen and the quality of cars is simply phenomenal. There are at least 20 drivers that are going to show up with a chance to win so we’re going to have to be at the top of our game this weekend.”
Based on his victory at Kern Country, Pollard is already at the top of his game. It’s everyone else that may need to step up to reach him.
