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A Good Reaid: T.J. Takes Advantage, Wins Rubber and Specialties 125 as Pollard’s Night Comes to Crashing Halt

By Chuck Corder

It was Bubba Pollard’s evening Friday at Five Flags Speedway.

Simple as that.

The Senoia, Ga., driver owned the famed half-mile asphalt oval as the Super Late Models made their first appearance of 2013 in Pensacola.

He set a new track record in qualifying (16.145 seconds) to claim his seventh career Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series pole to tie him all-time with Pensacola racing icon Eddie Mercer.

Pollard won the 35-lap Modifieds feature and dominated 120 laps in the Southern Super Series Rubber and Specialties 125.

It was those final five laps that flipped Pollard’s night upside down. Leading down the stretch, Pollard collided with a lapped car and his night was done.

“You don’t want to know what I think,� Pollard offered as his lone comment before marching into his hauler.

It opened the door for T.J. Reaid, who gained redemption for a heartbreaking ending to his Snowball Derby last December.

“I hated to see it for the (No.) 26,� Reaid said of Pollard. “He was strong all night. You never want to get taken out by lapped car.

“But, man, this is awesome. We’ve been waiting to win here for a long time. I’m glad I could add Five Flags Speedway to my resume. It was sort of a Romeo-Juliet story after the Derby.�

Reaid got taken out by Kyle Busch, his former car owner, late in the 45th annual Derby.

Ironically, it was how Pollard’s night ended.

In the blink of an eye, a huge turn of events left the packed house stunned.

Coming around the lapped car of Junior Niedecken, Pollard went outside. Instead of ducking to the apron and letting Pollard go by, Niedecken inexplicably veered to the right and followed him up the track. Niedecken, whose father won the inaugural Snowball, barreled Pollard into the Turn 4 wall.

The debate raged concerning Niedecken’s reasoning for igniting the crash, but talk in the tower was of a possible miscommunication with his spotter. Niedecken did not return a text, seeking comment.

Whatever led to the sequence of events, the class of the 29-car field was getting loaded on the roll-back wrecker just like that.

Pollard climbed out of his car, took a walk around and swung his helmet in disgust.

It was the final punctuation for Pollard, who watched a dream start spiral downward turn into a nightmarish ending.

Others couldn’t necessarily commiserate, though.

Chris Davidson took home runner-up honors, a career-best for him in the Blizzard Series, with an impressive performance that saw him run in the top five for most of the night.

“The car was pretty good,� the Texan said. “A little tight at the end, but I don’t think I touched anybody.�

Casey Smith, a fellow Texan, came home third to score one of his top finishes ever at Five Flags.

“We had a really good car tonight,� Smith said. “It was turning real good. I’m happy to come out of here with a third.�

It certainly could have been a lot worse. Just ask Pollard.

 

Modifieds

All Bubba Pollard needs is a car underneath him.

He certainly can do the rest, no matter what he’s driving.

Before his frustrating end in the Rubber and Specialties 125 for the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series, Pollard got his big night started in style with a win in the 35-lap Modifieds feature.

“That was a lotta fun,� Pollard said. “We hadn’t run Modifieds much this year, but I enjoy running it.�

Pollard started tail end to the seven-car field while Milton driver Chris Cotto enjoyed the pole position.

Pollard went to work, traveling an atypical groove than what most Five Flags fans are accustomed to.

The outside — no one passes on the outside in Pensacola — was better than good to him. He got to third on Lap 8, passing Brandon Howell, a two-time feature winner this season.

He was second after going high of defending track champion Donnie Hamrac.

Cotto led the first 28 laps while Pollard crept up to his bumper and began taking peaks once again on the outside.

Pollard got the run coming out of Turn 2 on Lap 29, sized Cotto up and got him.

Cotto made Pollard sweat a touch down the stretch, but never threatened to reclaim the lead and finally succumbed.

 

Sportsmen

It was quite the celebratory scene for Steve Buttrick on Friday night at Five Flags.

But not where you’d necessarily think. Buttrick took a few photos in Victory Lane for his fourth win of the young season, but the real festivities was in the grandstands.

Close to 20 boys and girls lined up along the catch fence, eagerly awaiting the winner’s hardware. Buttrick has collected so many trophies the past three years, he began a practice of giving them away.

A lucky little girl was the recipient on this Friday.

Buttrick got the win after passing Shanna Ard on Lap 12 of the 25-lap feature.

“It was a good race,� summed up Buttrick, who after a two-race absence got back on top Friday. “Shanna got a little high in (turn Nos. 1 and 2), and I was able to sneak by him.�

With Brandon Burks starting on the pole, Buttrick started sixth but quickly worked his way to third.

Ard went inside of Burks on Lap 4 in Turn 3 and eventually took the point before the two cars crossed the line.

Buttrick made a move on Burks for second a lap later and began stalking Ard, who won the last feature earlier this month.

Ard’s tires failed him late in the race and fell back off the podium as Brannon Fowler and Randy Thompson finished runner-up and third, respectively, to Buttrick. It marked Thompson’s best result of the season.

 

Bombers

Tracy Soles could’ve kicked his feet up on the dashboard Friday night.

The Tate High School senior took the lead on Lap 1 and never looked back en route to the 20-lap feature win.

It was his fourth victory of the season.

“The car was real bad off tonight,� Soles said. “I don’t know what happened. But it was good racing.�

Michael Nelson and John Kevin Merritt took home runner-up and third-place honors, respectively.

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