For Andrew “Bubba” Pollard, JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have given him his big break, a NASCAR Xfinity Series start. Pollard, one of the most successful Super Late Model drivers in the United States is ready for the big time.
This deal didn’t come together like most NASCAR deals. No, it was more random and sporadic. Except, when you have a career like the 36-year-old Pollard, it’s not random. It’s the result of more than two decades of hard work.
Soon after the Snowball Derby, Bubba Pollard received a phone call. It was Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports. They wanted him to drive their race car.
“I had to think about it for a couple of minutes when they called me a couple of months ago to make sure it was real, but yeah it’s pretty cool,” Pollard explained on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “Hopefully, we can just manage to make the short-track community happy. I think it kind of shocked a lot of people really today because no one had even the slightest idea that it would be me. So, that’s pretty cool.”
With a resume like he has, Bubba Pollard deserves this chance and more. In motorsports, due to funding and connections, there are many great drivers left out of the top level of the sport. Slowly, Dale Jr. and others are changing that, and giving grassroots drivers more chances to shine.
Pollard knew he just had to keep getting the results, and the rest would come. Eventually, he would get his big opportunity.
Bubba Pollard ‘thankful’ for JR Motorsports start
If you are going to make your first start in the Xfinity Series, you can’t get much better than JR Motorsports equipment. This is a program and organization that has won championships, a lot of races, and puts up four to five great cars a week.
Dale Jr. had a winning No. 88 car last year at Bristol until his foot caught on fire and he was forced to stop. Now, Pollard will step into that car on a short track, Richmond Raceway.
“They did [call], that’s exactly what happened,” Pollard continued on the radio. “We had gotten back from the Derby there and maybe a week or two after and they kind of told me what was going on and what they were trying to put together and everything had to fall in place to make it happen the way it did.
“Man I’ve been racing for 25 years now and you always wanted a shot, get a chance to do it and it never happens. I’ve always been the type of person where I’ve never asked for much, I’ve always said through this whole process if someone wanted me, they were gonna call me. If I could showcase my talent and I was good enough for somebody to call me, they would call me, so. I don’t know what the case is here, but hopefully, over the years they’ve watched me race. Just very thankful.”
Bubba Pollard has done almost everything there is to do in his Super Late Model career. Now, he is ready to turn his attention to NASCAR.
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