Crew Chief Key To Jeff Pohlman Success and Idaho State Title

Daytona Beach, FL(February 21, 2012) — Jeff Pohlman test drove a Late Model at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho at the end of the 2009 season and immediately knew he wanted to compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-Ameican Series division fulltime.

Pohlman had just won the 2009 Pro Truck division championship as a rookie at the .333-mile paved oval, but he wanted to move up to the fastest cars.

Track operator Eddy McKean, who won plenty of races and championships at the track, had a Late Model for sale and suggested Pohlman try it out. Pohlman quickly traded his truck and some cash for the race car, and began making preparations for the 2010 season.

“We won a couple of races in 2010, but we weren’t as good as I thought we could be,” Pohlman said.

An observer thought Pohlman wasn’t as good as he could be either, and decided to do something about it.

“Louis Lopez had won multiple championships in different divisions at Magic Valley Speedway but stepped out of driving,” Pohlman said. “He saw the potential in me. He came to the shop that fall and wanted to help and became our crew chief. We just wanted to be competitive and have fun. What a season it turned out to be in 2011. When we won four in a row I knew we had something special happening.”

Pohlman won the 2011 track and state NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championships, along with the series’ Idaho Rookie of the Year Award presented by Jostens as a first-year NASCAR Division I license holder. All told in 2011, his racing record included eight wins and 18 top-five finishes in 18 starts.

It was a quick rise to the top for Pohlman. He started racing with his dad John in 2004 and won the Street Stock division Rookie of the Year Award at Magic Valley.

Pohlman competed with success in 2005 despite devastation over the passing of his father in February. He ended up finishing third in the Street Stock division and won Most Improved Driver honors with a heavy heart.

With the season over and the mission to honor his father with his racing complete, Pohlman took a break from driving in 2006. He returned to the track as Street Stock technical inspector in 2007, but stepped away again for the 2008 season. He returned in 2009 with his Pro Truck championship season followed by his advancement to Late Models in 2010 and Late Model championship in 2011.

“My dad had all the ability in the world. We enjoyed working on our cars together. We just didn’t have the money for better equipment,” Pohlman said.

“I was lucky to get a great car from Eddy, but Louis was critical to our success. We had the same car and the same parts in 2011 as we did in 2010. Louis put his knowledge and ability into what we had, and we were running up front immediately. Our worst finish was fifth.

“One of the first things Louis recognized in the shop was that our floor wasn’t level. We never thought about it, but we’d never get the set-up right like that. We bought some used leveling blocks and he spent a full day just getting them level. Suddenly we were getting the set up right and we were running faster every week. We completed every lap of every race in 2011 and that kind of success takes dedication from the whole team,” Pohlman added.

As a reward for their help, Pohlman fielded a fleet of race cars for his crewmembers. Robbie Hyde won the Hornet division championship while Scott Gilligan collected the Pro Hornet division championship. Another team member, Ty Garibay, placed fifth in Pro Hornet points and third in Thunderdog points. Holden Maughan won races in the Junior Stinger division, as well.  Even Pohlman’s wife, Jessica, got in on the action, by winning in a Hornet division feature in August after starting last.

“We had so many cars out there our track announcer, Terry Buell, said our cars were from the ‘Pohlman Stable,’” Pohlman said. “We worked on all the cars together in the shop and at the track. Everyone was focused on the team.”

Pohlman’s primary sponsorship in 2011 came from Wilson Bates Furniture Center in Twin Falls, where he is a delivery coordinator and warehouse supervisor.

The driver was amazed by the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series awards banquet in Charlotte last December.

“I want to thank NASCAR for that banquet,” Pohlman said. “It was an amazing experience of a lifetime. If you win a NASCAR championship, you won’t believe what NASCAR does for you at that banquet.”