Bubba Pollard Takes SpeedFest 2016 Win In Wild Finish

Last year, a late race tangle with John Hunter Nemechek cost Bubba Pollard a chance at the win in the 200 lap SpeedFest ARCA/CRA Super Series Super Late Model race at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA.

This year, the shoe was on the other foot, as the Senoia, GA speedster got his chance to drive into victory lane as the winner after a last lap tangle involving Nemechek and William Byron set the stage for the win.

Nemechek was leading Pollard and Byron as the trio entered the final lap. As the leaders drove into turn one, Byron made contact with Pollard, sending him into Nemechek, resulting in the leader spinning in turn two.

Race officials determined that Byron’s contact triggered the accident, and sent him to the rear of the field, along with Nemechek.

That gave the lead to Pollard, and on the ensuring restart, he held off a strong final charge by Harrison Burton to take his first career SpeedFest victory, marking the third straight year that a Georgia driver has taken the home state win.

“We made the right adjustments at the break,” Pollard said afterwards. “We didn’t have the fastest race car, but I think the main difference between me and everyone else tonight is I wanted it. I’m hungry. I wanted to win. I ain’t won in a while, and what better place to do it than here.”

As for the late race fracas, Pollard said he felt the race officials made the right call.

“I got a good restart, and we both got a good restart on (Byron) and we all went down in the corner hard and (Byron) got into me from behind, and I’m in a four-wheel slide and I got into (Nemechek). That’s just part of it. There was nothing I could do.”

“I was there,” Byron said of the incident. “I think he and (Nemechek) kind of have a history from last year. I think it was unfortunate that we were all jumbled up like that, you’ve got to give room. But it’s the last lap. We were just here to win, so it’s kind of unfortunate.”

Nemechek declined to comment on the incident.

The weekend didn’t start out looking very strong for Pollard, who was 11th fastest in qualifying for Sunday’s Super Late Model feature. Zane Smith was fastest on pole day, but after drawing and five on the invert, 2015 Governor’s Cup winner Ty Majeski would lead the field to green.

Majeski would jump out to the early lead, and would lead the chase through most of the first half of the event. Meanwhile, Smith would move his way up to second, with Brandon Setzer also making a move towards the front. When the race reached the halfway break at lap 100, it was Majeski leading Smith, Setzer, Byron and Nemechek.

With the restart set by the number of tires changed during the break, Setzer took the gamble of a one-tire change to become the leader when the race resumed, followed by Scott Hantz, Majeski, Smith and Byron.

Setzer made the most of his advantage, and would hold the lead for the next 38 laps while Majeski moved to second, with Byron edging into third.

Meanwhile, defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch had been on the move through the field with four fresh tires, but saw his race go away when he ran off the track in the third turn on lap 126. Watermelon Capital Speedway has no outside retaining walls other than on the frontstretch and portions of turns one and four, and when Busch slid out of the track, his car barreled into a small creek, coming to rest in the adjacent watermelon patch.

The race ran under caution until Busch’s car could be brought back into the speedway. However, his Toyota was too badly damaged to continue. All hopes for Kyle Busch Motorsports were left to rest on teammate William Byron.

Back under green, Majeski retook the lead, with Setzer and Nemechek in tow. He would hold the top spot for the next 24 laps, when Setzer retook the lead with 38 laps to go.

But both leaders saw their days go south on lap 174, when Majeski tried an outside move on Setzer. The two made contact, with Setzer hitting the outside wall on the frontstretch, and coming to rest in turn one. Setzer’s day was over, while Majeski hit pit road with front end damage on his Ford.

That moved Byron to the lead, where he would soon come under fire from Nemechek. Nemechek would take the lead on lap 187, with Pollard in tow. A multi-car crash with two laps to go set up the final lap dash between the three that saw Nemechek spin, Byron relegated to the rear and Pollard gain the lead.

Pollard faced one last challenge from Burton, with the two almost crashing coming to the checkered flag. Both were able to regain control, with Pollard taking the win.

Burton, who had raced his way into the feature in the last chance race, finished in second, with Smith in third, Noah Gragson in fourth and Cole Anderson in fifth.

Christian Eckes, Brennan Poole, Scotty Ellis, Steve Dorer and Joey Padget rounded out the top ten. Nemechek would finish 15th, while Byron came home in 17th.

Pollard was quick to point out that the finish wasn’t exactly redemption from the 2015 SpeedFest finish.

“It wasn’t our time to win last year, and this year it was,” he said. “Last year we had the fastest race car, this year we didn’t have the fastest race car and we still won. We just put ourselves in position, and this year was our year.”

But the day wasn’t all bad for Nemechek, who earlier in the dayscored his third straight SpeedFest Pro Late Model win in the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour SpeedFest 125. After setting fast time in qualifying, an invert put Nemechek starting in the ninth position.

The second generation driver used a bold three-wide move on Chris Dilbeck and Zane Smith to take the lead on lap 64, and went largely uncontested the rest of the way to take the victory.

Dilbeck, Casey Roderick, Brett Holmes and Steve Dorer rounded out the top five.

ARCA/CRA Super Series
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SpeedFest 200 (Unofficial) – Jan. 31, 2016

1. Bubba Pollard
2. Harrison Burton
3. Zane Smith
4. Noah Gragson
5. Cole Anderson
6. Christian Eckes
7. Brennan Poole
8. Scotty Ellis
9. Steve Dorer
10. Joey Padgett
11. Ty Majeski
12. Quinton Bear
13. Derek Scott, Jr.
14. John Hunter Nemechek
15. Scott Hantz
16. William Byron
17. Kyle McCallum
18. Kyle Plott
19. Jerry Artuso
20. Kyle Bryant
21. Derek Kraus
22. Brandon Setzer
23. Casey Roderick
24. Kyle Busch
25. Brady Boswell
26. Wes Griffith, Jr.
27. Brandon Oakley
28. Bret Holmes
29. Stuart Dutton
30. Donnie Wilson

JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour
Watermelon Capital Speedway – Cordele, GA
SpeedFest 125 (Unofficial) – Jan. 31, 2016

1. John Hunter Nemechek
2. Chris Dilbeck
3. Casey Roderick
4. Brett Holmes
5. Steve Dorer
6. Chandler Smith
7. Phil Bozell
8. Andy Bozell
9. Dalton Grindle
10. Christopher Tullis
11. Justin Wakefield
12. Jordan McCallum
13. Zane Smith
14. Joe Ross
15. Derek Scott, Jr.
16. Riley Thornton
17. Hope Hornish
18. Justin South
19. Justin Ashburn
20. Josh Adkins
21. Joshua James
22. Adam Johnson
23. Connor Okrzesik
DNS: Russell Fleeman