Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Short Track Legend Claims NASCAR Has Forgotten Its ‘Middle-Class’ Roots to Go ‘Expensive’

Published 04/03/2024, 2:30 PM EDT

Dale Earnhardt Jr has hung up his helmet as a full-time driver in the Cup Series. Yet he continues to be a major participant in t motorsport. Besides analyzing NASCAR races on his podcasts, Dale Jr is involved in some noble work. JR Motorsports works to bring lesser-recognized drivers to the forefront, and one of their projects paid off hugely in recent events.

Late Model racing legend Bubba Pollard debuted in Xfinity last weekend and passed with flying colors. He utilized his well-renowned racing talents in battling from a 37th spot to a 6th-place finish. Unlike NASCAR’s usual glamor, his prowess stems from a humble background, as he recently emphasized.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Xfinity candidate sticks true to his roots

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Georgia native Bubba Pollard hails from a family with racing stamped deep on its legacy. His grandfather, Hence Pollard, built the Senoia Raceway, and his father Sonny competed in sportsman class racing. Bubba himself took the wheel of a Legends car at the age of 12. Since then, Pollard has carved a name for himself in dirt racing.

Although he is arguably one of the best Late Model racers, Pollard never ventured into ARCA or NASCAR due to a lack of funds. And he took pride in his middle-class stature and blue-collar campaigns. Things changed when he appeared under Dale Earnhradt Jr’s aegis at the Xfinity race last weekend. Yet he claimed that the spotlight of glamor is too blinding for him, as he called out NASCAR for its high-handed approach in racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr broached the topic on his podcast: “Asphalt racing has inadvertently distanced itself from that affordable experience for people.” Then Pollard expanded on his stance, saying, “You know, your average guy could go racing dirt. An average person can go and afford to sit in the stands. I think that’s where sometimes asphalt kinda separates itself because it is an expensive sport…I think that sometimes I get ticked off at NASCAR because sometimes I feel like they forget where they come from.”

Pollard further suggested some things for the American stock car racing series. “I feel like average middle-class people are what made racing, your blue-collar people. I feel like NASCAR could do a better job sometimes…kinda bringing that kinda your average middle-class people into the sport more. And do more forum I guess, and kinda change up.”

37-year-old Bubba Pollard may have been inducted into NASCAR under Dale Earnhardt Jr quite late. But he is not bothered. Even one of the most successful NASCAR drivers said he once envied Pollard’s situation.

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Kyle Busch longed for Pollard’s lifestyle

Bubba Pollard did not appear regularly on advertising campaigns and did not bother to. Cup driver Noah Gragson bestowed the moniker ‘Redneck Jesus’ upon him with good reason. Pollard is comfortable with his middle-class lifestyle, juggling between race tracks and construction sites. In his off-time, he enjoys while drinking beer. And one of the best Cup drivers living a life of fame and wealth set longing eyes on this life.

“Bubba Pollard is kind of living my dream right now,” said Kyle Busch during a press event for the Brickyard 400 in 2018. “He’s the biggest name in Super Late Model racing. He’s traveling all across the country, running the biggest races and winning them. That’s something that I want to do.”

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But now that Pollard has taken his first step in NASCAR, his lifestyle may drastically change because of a hectic race schedule.

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.

Edited by:

Shreya Singh

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Short Track Legend Claims NASCAR Has Forgotten Its ‘Middle-Class’ Roots to Go ‘Expensive’

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Xfinity candidate sticks true to his roots

Kyle Busch longed for Pollard’s lifestyle

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