CLERMONT, Ind. — Georgia late model driver Bubba Pollard made the tow to Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana a memorable one as he blitzed the field when he needed to and staved off the star-studded competition to grab the $10,000 prize.
A special three-segment race for the CRA/ARCA Super Series Powered By JEGS at the famed .686-mile oval saw tight, three-wide, close quarter racing in each of the three 25-lap segments.
Outside front row starter Brian Campbell would beat Rapheal Lessard into turn one and off turn two to secure the lead on the start with the start studded cast in tow. Slowed by just one yellow flag, Pollard would maneuver from fourth starting spot to scoot past Campbell at lap 15 and go on to win the first segment.
Segment two would be a complete inversion from the finish of segment one, with Pollard on the tail. Now with Austin Nason on the pole he would blister off to the point setting pace. Eight laps into it and Harrison Burton would try his hand at the front when he sailed by Nason in turn one.
At lap 17, the one and only caution would drop with Pollard in fifth and Burton still on top. Fourth position was the key as the third and final stage would invert just the top four. Three laps from the segment’s finish Pollard breezed past Nason to secure fourth at the checkers.
Pollard would be on the front row with Casey Roderick when the green dropped for the money round. A dicey contest but Pollard was able to out duel Roderick and got on point. Unlike the first two segments, this one would see three yellow flags, the first at lap two. Another double file restart and off they went.
Pollard made it work as Roderick dropped in second with Burton third. Lap ten another yellow, another double-file restart. But this time Roderick muscled the top spot away looking to set pace. That pace lasted just one fast, quick lap as Pollard drove by like he owned the place and drove on.
A lap-15 yellow flag and restart yielded the same results as Pollard muscled away. Following Pollard and Roderick across the line was Burton third, Campbell fourth and Jack Dossey III rounded out the top five.
“We really did not know what we had all day,” said Pollard. “We just didn’t know which way the car was going to go when the race started. When I got to the front I knew I had a good race car. When I could go to the front like that, I knew I had a good car, we were really free the first run. Just a great race, a great format. The car just worked its way to us, just a lot of fun. We through a little strategy and mix into it, we had to work for it. Those guys made me work for it. I knew that second segment I had to get into the top five to set myself up for a good starting spot that last segment. It was something different, I liked it, lot of fun.”