Pollard wins Slinger Nationals in second try
SLINGER – The real Bubba Pollard showed up at the Slinger Nationals this time. Not the one who came for the first time last year unprepared and left embarrassed.
This was the Pollard who is one of the best big-money short-track racers in the country, the one who knew what to expect and who’d done 363 days’ worth of homework. This is the one who took another five-figure payday and a trophy back home to Georgia.
Pollard chased down Ty Majeski — another of the country’s best super-late model racers — and led the final 42 laps Tuesday night at Slinger Speedway to add his name to a 38-year list of winners that includes NASCAR champions Alan Kulwicki, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth and Midwest short-track greats such as Dick Trickle and Joe Shear.
“I feel like the last three months we’ve been really working hard, and I’ve been working on this race here,” Pollard said. “This is the one I wanted.
“A lot of people say I can’t win in the Midwest. I can win. Just give us time.”
Pollard, 30, a frequent competitor in such big races as the World Crown 300 in Jefferson, Ga., and the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Fla., also won the Berlin 100 in Marne, Mich., last month.
This victory was worth $10,000 plus bonus money for leading laps.
Alex Prunty of Lomira finished second and Steve Apel of West Bend third.
After getting passed for the lead, Majeski had a chance to race Pollard on a restart on the 169th of 200 laps, but they tangled on the first lap. Majeski took the blame, which gave Pollard his spot back, and Majeski went to the back of the field.
“I thought he was giving me the lane, based on how high he entered, and he came down and I was at least at his left rear tire,” Majeski said.
“It was one of those deals (where) I didn’t want to cost us both the race. He had the better car. I was trying to make something on the restart.”
Pollard was complimentary of Majeski as both a racer and a sportsman. But he admitted he had no idea what was going on when Majeski stopped on the front stretch and tapped on the roof of his car to indicate he was entirely at fault.
“We don’t have that back home,” said Pollard, who is from Senoia, Ga. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that.”