4/7/2013
Five Flags Speedway
Bubba Pollard Becomes First-Ever Southern Super Series Winner
Georgia Racer Leads 105 of 125 Laps to Take Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville Checkers
NASHVILLE, TN – Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville has seen its fair share of history made on its legendary asphalt over the years. It has seen monumental victories in some of short track racing’s most prestigious events, including the All-American 400. It has also seen some of the most prominent names in racing, like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, go to victory lane.
On Saturday, April 6, more history was made at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville when Senoia, Georgia driver Bubba Pollard earned the first-ever Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco victory in the Nashville 125.
Pollard led 105 laps en route to his first career victory at Nashville and the famed guitar awarded to winners at the hallowed Tennessee track.
“It means a lot to win this first race, especially here at a place that means so much to our sport,� said Pollard in victory lane. “We have had success at Gresham, Pensacola, Mobile and Montgomery (the other four tracks that make up the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco schedule), so hopefully, if everything goes our way, we can add the first Southern Super Series champion to our list as well.
“Winning here at Nashville is a cool thing to have on your resume. We won the first CRA (Southern Series) race at Watermelon (Capital Speedway in Georgia) a few years back. That was cool then and this is awesome now. To win the first race and take that guitar trophy home will be something that I remember forever. It’s just awesome.�
Pollard took the lead from the initial green flag from pole-sitter Stephen Nasse. From there, the former Sunoco Gulf Coast Series Champion Pollard continued to lead throughout the first 75-lap segment of the 125-lap feature. An invert of six at the lap-75 competition caution period made Pollard earn his Nashville victory over the course of the final stages of the event.
Pollard took the lead from Daniel Hemric on lap 95 and never looked back to kick off the 2013 Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco season with a victory.
“You hope to have a car this good at all the races,� added Pollard. “I couldn’t have asked for a better-driving racecar tonight. We fought this thing in practice for most of the weekend, but found something that worked in the final minutes. We came here with the set up that we finished second in the All-American 400 with and the car was not that great. My guys never gave up all weekend, and made the car better and better. Their work ethic made the difference. We could have settled for what we had, but they never gave up and paid off with the trophy.�
Kannapolis, North Carolina driver Daniel Hemric, the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion, led following the invert at lap 75 and showed the way until Pollard bested him on the inside groove at lap 95. Hemric would keep up with Pollard down the stretch and had to hold off a hard-charging Donnie Wilson for the runner-up position at the checkered flag.
“We were definitely one short all night,� said Hemric. “We were about a fifth or sixth-place car in the first run. We came down pit road at the break and (crew chief) Scott Neal made some great adjustments. We were just not quite as good as Bubba. He was the class of the field and on rails tonight. I have to tip my hat to him and (Pollard’s crew chief) Ricky Turner and that whole team.�
Wilson, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, kicked off his bid for the 2013 Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco championship with a third-place finish. Wilson edged out Augie Grill for third on the final lap.
“To start this series off with a solid top-five finish means a lot,� said Wilson. “We were a good top five or six car all race long. We had some good, hard racing all night and with Augie (Grill) there coming to the line. We got the spot and I will gladly take it. Bubba was in another zip code tonight, that’s for sure.�
Grill slid across the start-finish line at the checkered flag in fourth. Nasse, the first-ever Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco pole winner, finished fifth.
Dennis Schoenfeld, Jeff Choquette, Jeff Fultz, Austin Theriault and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top 10.
The next event for the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco is the Racing Radios 125 presented by Schoenfeld Headers, April 27 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia.
For more information on the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco, visit www.SouthernSuperSeries.com. The Facebook page for the Southern Super Series is located at www.facebook.com/southernsuperseries and on Twitter it’s @SoSuperSeries. For advertising or sponsorship questions, please contact track representatives listed on SouthernSuperSeries.com. For media inquiries, please contact Matt Kentfield at 51 Sports via matt@51sports.net.
Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco
Nashville 125
April 6, 2013
Official Results
26 – Bubba Pollard
98 – Daniel Hemric
2 – Donnie Wilson
112 – Augie Grill
51 – Stephen Nasse
43 – Dennis Schoenfeld
29 – Jeff Choquette
54 – Jeff Fultz
29 – Austin Theriault
10.8 – John Hunter Nemechek
11.41 – T.J. Reaid
12.1 – Mike Garvey
13.29 – Spencer Davis
14.40 – Tyler Miles
15.09 – Daniel Bolden
16.47 – Allen Karnes
17.17 – Bobby Wingo
18.18 – Hunter Robbins
19.811 – Mason Mingus
20.11 – Willie Allen
21.19 – Lonnie Sommerville
22.71 – Kyle Benjamin
23.5 – Jerry Artuso
24.2 – DJ VanderLey
25.15 – Damon Ecoff
26.40 – Michael House
27.84 – Clay Alexander
28.30 – Bobby Knox, Jr.
29.29 – Anderson Bowen
30.1 – Keith Cahela
31.20 – Brian Campbell
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