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Pokrant Proud to Honor American Hero, Enjoying Success On and Off Track

By Chuck Corder

When you track Jim Pokrant down — no small feat these days (just ask Steve Buttrick) — on the Fourth of July, he’s exactly where you’d expect the 45-year-old patriot to be.

Pokrant was heading downtown to Veterans Memorial Park to claim a spot for the fireworks spectacular over Pensacola Bay on Monday. Just like Pokrant and his party of 10 does every year.

The son of a man who served in both World War II and the Korean War, Pokrant always sets off his own pyrotechnics display each time he races at Five Flags Speedway.

This season is no exception.

He enters The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsman Spectacular this Friday at the famed half-mile asphalt oval third in points, 42 behind leader — the aforementioned Buttrick. Pokrant is only 17 points out of second place.

“We’ve got one win, been running in the top-five all year. Plus, we finally beat Steve Buttrick!� Pokrant still sounding jubilant over his win last month. “Seriously, though, to finally outrun him was big for me. He’s tough to beat. He’s just a heckuva wheelman.�

He hit all his lines against Buttrick, a four-time feature winner this season and a four-time Sportsman Snowball Derby champion.

Two podium finishes made June quite the month for Pokrant. Before holding off Buttrick for the victory on June 24, Pokrant battled Buttrick and the fierce No. 33 two weeks earlier.

Pokrant succumbed to Buttrick on June 10, but still rallied home in third.

“His car might not look pretty, but he is fast,� Pokrant said of Buttrick. “You can’t rattle him. Nothing fazes him. And, he’s a fair driver. He raced me clean the night I won. As a driver, you appreciate that.�

Pokrant hopes there’s more to appreciate as July has arrived.

Joining Pokrant, Buttrick and the rest of The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsman on Friday will be the Modifieds of Mayhem, Faith Chapel Super Stocks and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Admission prices have once again been slashed to honor our rabid fans. Adults only pay $10; seniors, active-duty military and students $7; children ages 6 to 11 $5; under 6 get in free.

Pokrant’s June resurgence all came while honoring a fallen hero.

At the first race Five Flags hosted following the tragic death of Capt. Jeff Kuss, Pokrant debut a new number on his familiar patriotic Sportsman car. Gone was the No. 07; in was No. 06, the same number that graced the Blue Angels jet Kuss piloted.

“Every since I was little kid, I’ve seen the Blue Angels and I always thought they were the most amazing pilots,� said Pokrant, who has lived in Pensacola since 1973. “I’ve always been a patriot. And when (Kuss) passed away, it got to me. Because that’s our team. The Blues are all about Pensacola.

“And he saved lives even in death. All of our military are heroes, but that guy is a special hero. (Fiancée) Pam (Miller) and I talked about changing the number to 06 as a tribute the rest of the season. It means a lot to me. That man is a hero.�

Pokrant will continue to memorialize Kuss the rest of the season by proudly representing the No. 06.

He has raced at Pensacola’s high banks almost two full decades now. Pokrant has gotten behind a Super Stock, owns a Vintage victory in his first and only appearance, and boasts five The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsman wins since 1997.

While beating Buttrick was certainly memorable, Pokrant’s win in May 2015 will live in Five Flags history. That’s when Pokrant wrestled an engagement ring box out of his firesuit pocket, dropped to a knee and proposed to stunned girlfriend Pam Miller.

“No, I had no clue at all. I really didn’t. That was a shocker,� Miller said of the breathtaking moment. “I didn’t know what he was doing. I thought he was adjusting something on the car. Then, he looked up at me. Then, I thought, ‘What the heck is going on?’ Then he said, ‘Marry me,’ and I said, ‘Uhhh, yeah. Holy cow! Are you kidding me?!’ �

Pokrant had the box stored away in the car’s glove box. But before he began the feature that night, he transferred the ring to his firesuit.

“Something was telling me, ‘Get that ring. Put it in your pocket. This is your night,’ � he self-prophesized. “When I won, it hit me that I needed to (propose) right then. The racing community has always been like a family to me. We all come together. So I wanted to do it right here.�

The two met online and Pokrant knew she was a keeper when she hand-delivered a power steering pump to him.

“She disconnected all the brackets and hoses off the engine of the car and brought all of it to my home in Pensacola,� he said. “She can turn wrenches just as well as I can. I couldn’t be any more thankful to have her in my life.

“Pam sticks beside me through all this mess. She encourages me when I’m down. She kicks my butt when I need it and she keeps my head up. I’m thankful to have a fiancée that loves the sport as much as I do.�

With grandbabies expected in October, Pokrant is given himself five years to add to his trophy case.

Specifically, Pokrant has his eyes on two goals.

“To get a (Sportsman) Snowball Derby win and the other is a track championship,� he said. “If I’d get one or both of those, I’ll be gone.�

But the patriot Pokrant will never be forgotten.

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