RICHMOND—Bubba Pollard had a blast behind the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond Raceway on Saturday.
The 37-year-old championship racer, who has amassed more than 100 Late Model wins from Nashville to Slinger (Wis.), used his patience and expertise to come from 37th to sixth in the ToyotaCare 250.
Pollard finished 11.133-seconds behind race winner Chandler Smith—one of just nine cars on the lead lap at the end of the race.
“It was a lot of fun,” Pollard said. “I had to be patient. Those SuperCars I’m used to, you can drive them so hard each and every lap. But you have to be really disciplined to drive these things. I have a lot of respect for the guys that drive these each and every week.
“This is a pretty technical place. You have to be smart. I had a pretty good spotter (TJ Majors) up there that kept telling me, ‘Dig that yellow line, dig that yellow line.’ I need guys like that in my ear. I was pretty down after qualifying. It kind of put us behind.”
Pollard used the opportunity with JRM to soak in as much information as he could. He was quickest in NASCAR Xfinity Happy Hour posting a speed of 118.136 mph (22.855-seconds). But the third-generation racer from Senoia, Georgia, struggled in his first attempt at Xfinity qualifying and used a champion’s provisional to make the show.
Starting from the rear of the field didn’t hold Pollard back. He finished 14th in Stage 1 after 76 laps. While entering and exiting his pit proved challenging, Pollard had no problem regaining the positions on the track.
“I just needed track position,” Pollard said. “I didn’t do to well in the pits. All those things that make the difference between running in the top three.
“I struggled with the braking in the car. I didn’t trust it. It took me about halfway through the race to trust my brake package. I didn’t know if I was using too much. Once I trusted it, I could arc it out and turn across the center. It’s tough when you’re sliding around like that, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Pollard lost five spots in the pits after the first stop. By the fourth caution on Lap 97, 12 laps later, he was 17th. He ended up 15th at the end of Stage 2 on Lap 151. But over the final 90 laps, Pollard put the car in overdrive.
“It’s great to see his racecraft pay off at the end of the day,” said Pollard’s crew chief, Andrew Overstreet. “We did an ARCA race (Five Flags Speedway) last week—and didn’t get to show it all (finished third) because we didn’t have a car that was capable of doing it. But getting to see what he could do around Pensacola (Fla.) and knowing there are a lot of similarities to this race track, we knew we were going to put him on offense at the end and he got to shine and make a difference.
“I’m so happy for him and I’m glad to see a guy that deserved an opportunity get that opportunity. I hope this opens doors for him.”
Overstreet said Pollard had to climb from his comfort zone in the closing laps—and the driver did just that. Following the sixth and final caution on Lap 173, Pollard methodically picked off the competition, coming from 16th to 11th in 25 laps. He broke into the top 10 on Lap 206 and passed Parker Kligerman for ninth on the next lap.
Kligerman, who finished seventh and had a front row seat for the No. 88 car’s performance, pulled up behind Pollard and congratulated him after the race.
“Did you enjoy it,” Kligerman asked Pollard, who was all grins. “Cool stuff. This is your kind of place.”
It was indeed Pollard’s kind of place and an opportunity he could have never dreamed of without the help Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and sponsorship from Rheem.
“I’m 37-years-old, I thought my day was done,” Pollard said. “I always just wanted the opportunity. I always wanted to say I did it once—and say I had a good run. I thought we practiced well. I learned a lot in qualifying and had a good race trim here. To say I got to do it, I’m happy with it.
“We had good speed. Andrew (Overstreet) did a great job. I enjoyed working with those guys, had a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can do it again.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
