If you’re wondering where victory lane is at Kern County Raceway Park, just ask Bubba Pollard.
The Senoia, Georgia driver inked his name on the trophy for the last two Winter Showdown asphalt Super Late Model races at the Bakersfield, California speedway. He will go for his third straight victory on Saturday.
However, with big names on the entry list, including NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Erik Jones, and a hefty $30,000 payday up for grabs, the veteran driver knows netting the hat trick won’t be easy.
“Winning the Winter Showdown three years in a row will be a challenge,” Pollard said. “It’s difficult to win the big races once, let alone three straight times, but we are definitely going to try. It’s a long race with a lot of big names, but to win it again would be pretty special.”
Pollard has seen highs and lows over the past three months. He’s won three of five races, but struggled in the bigger events, including December’s Snowball Derby at Florida’s 5 Flags Speedway and a 15th-place finish earlier this month at SpeedFest at Georgia’s Watermelon Capital Speedway.
“This is the first time we are going there with our new car,” Pollard explained. “We’ve had a lot of success with that car, but also struggled with it a few times. We definitely struggled with it last weekend at SpeedFest. Hopefully we can get it dialed in fast and stay competitive all weekend.”
While Pollard has flexed his muscles the past two years in Bakersfield, a new format will challenge the 29 year-old driver as well as other competitors. The addition of controlled cautions and racing under the lights brings added excitement to an already big event.
“I’m looking forward to a few of the changes they made this year,” Pollard stated. “The controlled cautions could throw some strategy into the race and it will also be cool to race there at night, under the lights, for a big pay day.”
Willie Allen paced Thursday’s final practice session, with Jones, Greg Pursley, Pollard and Noah Gragson rounding out the top five.
Qualifying for the Winter Showdown is slated for Friday, with the $30,000 to win feature set to roll off Saturday.
For more information, visit KernRaceway.com.
