Very few people have accomplished what Bubba Pollard has in pavement short track racing, but that success has come predominantly in Super Late Model racing. Now, the veteran racer is ready to take on the challenge of Late Model Stock Car racing.
Fresh off a win in the prestigious Oxford 250, Pollard is now getting ready to possibly compete in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in September. The race would be Pollard’s first in a Late Model Stock Car, though he has already run laps in one at Langley Speedway.
“They’re a lot different,” Pollard said. “The chassis are a lot different but, all in all, you’ve still got the same feel that we feel in the Super. It’s a nice car. They did a good job on it and hopefully we’ll get it running here.”
Earlier in August, at Hickory Motor Speedway, Pollard told Race22.com he still had plans to run the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
“We’re working on a few things and, once we get it figured out, we’ll be fine. Our plan is to run Martinsville and hopefully have a good test and see how it goes.”
Pollard will team up with Jamie Yelton’s Fat Head Racing team. Yelton confirmed to Race22.com that Pollard would be in the car for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
“We’ve been looking at a lot of big-name drivers over the year,” Yelton stated. “I have no worries whatsoever with Bubba’s ability. We’ll be just fine. We’re going to be ready to race. If they beat us, it won’t be because of lack of preparation, it’ll be because we got beat.”
Yelton intends to kickstart his Late Model Stock Car development program once again and hopes the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, which will commence on September 29th, will catapult his team into a successful 2019 season.
“The next three weeks, that’s all we’re concentrating on, being ready to race,” Yelton stated. “We’ll probably do some Late Model Stock Car stuff next year and this is a way to start my Late Model Stock program back up and we’re looking forward to it.”
Pollard has spent most of his career in a Super Late Model but, in recent years, has been branching out – whether it involves running more up north and out west or running in a Dirt Late Model.
“We have a lot of fun,” Pollard remarked. “It takes a lot of pressure off you, running dirt. Go out there and have a good time on a Saturday night. Get home, and you don’t have to be at a racetrack all day. It’s a lot of fun.”
Pollard has become outspoken in recent years about the state of pavement short track racing, from the costs to some of the racers themselves. As he looked upon a crowd of thousands at Hickory Motor Speedway prior to the CARS Response Energy Tour’s Throwback 276 in early August, he said it was the type of crowd he would love to see on a weekly basis.
“It would be cool if you could see this each and every weekend,” Pollard explained. “They’ve done a great job promoting this deal and having people here and in place to make all this happen. It’s just awesome to see this many people and be able to race in front of this many people.”
Pollard also offered his thoughts on the differences between the half-mile tracks in the deep south and the smaller bullrings in the Carolinas and Virginia.
“It’s just another racetrack,” Pollard commented. “You tend to find a lot of racetracks up this way are real abrasive, real bumpy, a lot of character to the places, shorter places. Back home, a lot faster places, smoother, but it’s another racetrack to have fun at.”
While Martinsville is on Pollard’s radar, the one thing that has eluded him throughout his illustrious Super Late Model career is the Snowball Derby, a race he came up just short of winning again last year.
“We had a good racecar last year,” Pollard recalled. “I felt like that was our best shot we’ve had in a couple years to win. It was heartbreaking. We needed a caution and I was banking on a caution and we didn’t get it. That was pretty much my fault. We’ll get another shot at it this year and hopefully have a good racecar.”
