Wild Finish for Blizzard Series
“I always sit by myself during a race,” she said. “I tend to grab people I don’t know.”
Her son was second behind 14-year-old Chase Elliott. On the restart, Elliott drifted high and Pollard ducked low to take the lead.
Vickie Pollard grabbed the elbow of a bystander as she jumped up and down.
Her excitement continued into Victory Lane as Pollard took the checkered flag of the opening Blizzard Series race of the season.
When told of his mother’s antics, Bubba Pollard smiled. “Sometimes,” he said, “she’s even worse than that.” The win was a little solace to the driver, who entered last year’s Blizzard Series finale with the points lead. But he was knocked out of the championship in a wreck on the opening-lap.
“It happens all the time,” he said. “You win some you shouldn’t and you lose some you shouldn’t.” And until four laps left in the race Friday everybody thought Augie Grill was going to win. A race that was shaping up to be one of the quickest, turned into a never-ending scene with a bizarre event. He dominated from the start, taking the pole with a track-record time. After a couple of early cautions, the race went green for 77 laps.
Grill lapped all but seven cars and had built a nine-second lead. It appeared that no one would even have to pit for tires. But a lapped car spun with four laps left bringing out a caution. Grill and the other seven lead-lap cars pitted for fresh tires. As they were about to restart, officials noticed liquid on the track and discovered it coming from Grill’s car. He had to pit and did not return to the race. He later said a bearing came lose in his rear end.
That left Elliott, who had spun out on Lap 12, in the lead. The son of famed NASCAR star Bill Elliott, led the cars through a long caution period as officials tried to dry the liquid all around the track. On the restart, Elliott drifted high and Pollard pulled alongside him, but a caution came out before the lap was completed when Mike Garvey hit the wall. On the next restart, Elliott drifted high again. This time, Pollard made the pass. “I spun my tires. It was my fault,” Elliott said.
Ryan Lawler, driving for Stanley Smith, finished third, while Casey Smith was fourth and Jeff Fultz fifth. Defending series champion Johanna Long finished seventh.
Pollard thanked his car owner, former Snowball Derby champion Ronnie Sanders, for the opportunity to drive. It was his first Super Late Model race for Sanders, who is coming off of cancer surgery. Sanders stood in Victory Lane with Pollard as the two posed for photos with the trophy. In his storied race career, Sanders said he’s seen the unexpected happen many times. “We’ll take a win any way we can get it,” he said. The win puts Pollard back into the points lead going into the second Blizzard race on May 28.
As he continued to pose for photos in Victory Lane, Vickie Pollard had calmed down, but she was still beaming at her son.
“He could have at least shaved today,” she laughed.
Sportsman
Steve Buttrick chased down the leaders over the final laps and took the checkered flag in the caution-free 20-lap Sportsman feature. Bubba Winslow and Randy Thompson were running 1-2 and had pulled away from the rest of the field at the halfway point.
But Buttrick charged forward and caught them. He passed Thompson and pulled alongside Winslow on the outside and made the pass with two laps left. He then pulled away for the victory.
“That felt good,” Buttrick said. Thompson took second, while Winslow was third and Jim Pokrant fourth.
Stevie Mercer, who had won the first two features of the season, entered the race with some mechanical problems. He started fifth and held his ground until slowing and pitting on Lap 14. He finished 13th and gave up the points lead.
Pepsi Max 100 Blizzard Series Super Late Model
1.Bubba Pollard; 2. Chase Elliott; 3. Ryan Lawler; 4. Casey Smith; 5. Jeff Fultz; 6. Donnie Wilson; 7. Johanna Long; 8. Jeremy Rice; 9. Chris Davidson; 10. Wayne Niedecken Jr.; 11. Danny Bagwell; 12. Allen Karnes; 13. Josh Hamner; 14. Eddie Mercer; 15. Augie Grill; 16. Mike Garvey; 17. Rocky Boyd; 18. Korey Ruble; 19. Dave Mader III; 20. Ron McDonald; 21. Brandon Carlson; 22. Tyler Millwood; 23. Mike Fritts; 24. Dale Little
Sportsman feature
1.Steve Buttrick; 2. Randy Thompson; 3. Bubba Winslow; 4. Jim Pokrant; 5. Marty White; 6. Brannon Fowler; 7. Thomas Warren Jr.; 8. William Kitchen; 9. Bo Resmondo; 10. Tina Davidson; 11. David Poole; 12. Keith Foss; 13. Stevie Mercer
Super Stock feature
1.Chris Cotto; 2. Randy Thompson; 3. Greg Young; 4. Earl Polk; 5. Mike Moore; 6. Joe Mahuron; 7. Michael Ledlow; 8. Steve Britt; 9. Eric Wood
Bomber feature
1.Daryl Lynchard; 2. Tony Boyd; 3. Michael T. Nelson; 4. Eddie Hobbs; 5. Bo Hancock; 6. William Goulet; 7. Daniel Webber; 8. Brian Lane; 9. James Beal III; 10. Brandon Burks; 11. Hunter Ward; 12. Rick Thompson; 13. Mike Goraum; 14. Brandin Sidner; 15. Ricky Davidson; 16. Courtney Rodrigues; 17. Michael Kitchen
