Few drivers are as prolific in Super Late Model cars as Bubba Pollard. The 37-year-old racing driver has won nearly every triumph in his illustrious career, but the Tom Dawson Trophy has eluded him so far. Having competed in the Snowball Derby 18 times before, the Georgia native is hoping to break his winless streak this year, although Mother Nature isn’t helping him in his preparations. With qualifying on the horizon, the practice session was cut short because of rain, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the high-profile event.

The weather conditions have made preparations less than ideal ahead of the race while the track’s condition isn’t helping matters either. Given the circumstances, Pollard shared his thoughts about his qualifying expectations at Five Flags Speedway.

Bubba Pollard downplays expectations ahead of the Snowball Derby

Bubba Pollard is aiming for redemption. The veteran racing driver came agonizingly close to winning the Snowball Derby last year and would have succeeded if he hadn’t had an incident while passing Stephen Nasse for the lead with eight laps to go. Both drivers have plenty of history with each other,  in the 2020 SpeedFest, Nasse spun Pollard with 15 laps to go in the super late model portion of the event. Pollard later dumped Nasse, leading to an exchange of words between the two. So it should come as no surprise that the tension was high when the two cars went into Turn 1. In the blink of an eye, Pollard and Nasse were in the wall at Turn 2, propelling Ty Majeski to secure his second Tom Dawson Trophy in four years.

As they say, practice makes perfect. However, with rain cutting short preparations ahead of the Snowball Derby, Bubba Pollard isn’t feeling too optimistic ahead of qualifying. The 37-year-old said, “I thought the racetrack didn’t have a lot of grip in it and it’s going to be very similar to what qualifying will be tomorrow night. I think we can take something away… We still had good enough tires to learn something… We were kind of making some adjustments to get where we needed to be and then the rain came. It’s just unfortunate. It’s a good balance on the racecar. I don’t think we will set a fast time or anything. Hopefully, we’ll qualify inside the top 10-15.”

With little time to prepare, Pollard will be hoping to use his vast experience at Five Flags Speedway to get a result in qualifying and the Snowball Derby. The veteran will feel hungrier than ever to secure a win, especially after the events that occurred last year. Despite the controversy surrounding his incident with Nasse, the Georgia native is eager to put it behind him and focus on the result. Sharing his expectations, the 37-year-old said, “This time, we just need to be better, already be out front and have the track position and none of that other stuff will matter.”

Despite the rain, it seems like Lady Luck might be on Bubba Pollard’s side. Reigning champion Ty Majeski’s car was damaged during practice after a chunk of asphalt came out and damaged his vehicle’s nose and ductwork. While repairs are currently underway, it’s unclear whether his car will survive the rigors of the 300-lap event. The practice session being cut short is a bigger disadvantage for some of the more inexperienced drivers, which Pollard can capitalize on to finish high in qualifying and gain track positions in the race. Could this finally be the veteran driver’s year? Time will tell.

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Pollard to field second car for Xfinity Series driver

Expectations are high ahead of the 57th Annual Snowball Derby. With NASCAR currently in the middle of the off-season, motorsports enthusiasts are switching to the Super Late Model race at Five Flags Speedway to get their fix. Bubba Pollard, who will be making his 19th appearance in the event will face a new challenge this year as a car owner. Pollard Motorsports is expected to field a second car on the short track for 2022 Snowball Derby runner-up and Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith for the race on Sunday. The partnership comes with the help of Smith’s JR Motorsports crew chief and Pollard’s cousin Philip Bell.

Even though the practice session was cut short because of rain, Bubba Pollard won’t be too concerned, having used data from Smith’s testing and implementing it on his car. The veteran driver said, “It definitely helps us being able to get the tire data and bounce the information because the cars are identical. We took Sammy testing Sunday and we took a lot of what he has done and applied it to my car. I knew the racetrack would tend tight with the rubber being left down the last couple days. We did all the adjustments the same as we did to his car and it worked. It’s good when you can take that information, it speeds that process up.”

Smith spoke about testing he did with the car, saying, “Based off the test, I feel pretty good about the car. I think we still have to work on a couple of things but we have a great racecar and hopefully we can qualify good and race up front all day.” Safe to say that the duo are pretty confident about their chances despite the weather and track hazards being thrown their way.

To improve his team’s chances of victory at the Snowball Derby, Bubba Pollard has purchased two new cars for Sammy Smith and himself. Plenty of eyes will be on the 20-year-old JR Motorsports driver, who has already won the Winchester 400 and Redbud 400 in his short career. Expressing his feelings ahead of the event, Smith said, “I’m excited to come back here and race again with Bubba and his group, I’m looking forward to having some fun.” Will Pollard finally get a victory at Five Flags Speedway’s iconic 300-lap race? This year is as good as any, and with Smith as an ally, his chances are getting even better.