Bubba Pollard won his second title in as many nights by netting the Miller Lite title at Mobile International Speedway Saturday night. Photo by Matt Weaver.
All the hype, all the excitement surrounding the US Canadian Challenge SUPERSEAL 150 culminated in one of the wildest finishes in the history of Mobile International Speedway in Mobile, AL, when Jeff Choquette crossed the finish line first side by side with a backwards Hunter Robbins finishing second.
Meanwhile, Bubba Pollard locked up the Miller Lite Points Championship when he rolled off for the start of the feature. The night before, he had locked up the Blizzard Series title at 5 Flags Speedway, and locked himself in as the overall Gulf Coast Champion.
Pollard, who pulled double duty by also racing in the Modified feature, Chad Robinson, and Brandon Tipton also found victory lane in the Alabama Pipe and Supply Modifieds, Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsman and Island Motor II Bomber divisions respectively.
The finish of Saturday night’s main event will likely be talked about for years to come. The combination of $10,000 and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opportunity created a win-at-all-costs mentality, a mindset that Hunter Robbins nearly executed to perfection.
Nearly.
Ted Hubert, the president of SUPERSEAL, race winner Jeff Choquette, and MIS manager and promoter Rick Crawford smile in victory lane after Choquette’s victory Saturday night. Photo courtesy MIS
The final restart occurred with five laps to go and saw Bubba Pollard restart second but unable to hold a race-dominant Jeff Choquette out of the top spot. Pollard initiated contact with Choquette at the start-finish line with two laps to go but broke his own momentum rather than Choquette’s.
This allowed Robbins to overtake Pollard and make one last desperate attempt to chase down Choquette on the final lap.
Choquette extended his lead through turns one and two but couldn’t repeat on turns three and four. Robbins reached Choquette’s bumper and sent him up the groove allowing Robbins to take the lead. The accomplishment was short-lived as Robbins spun out off turn 4 coming to the checkered flag, crossing the start-finish line backwards, but scoring second behind Choquette who recovered from the bump-and-run to beat Robbins to the finish.
Robbins made hard contact with both the inside and outside retaining wall, earning a visit to Providence hospital where he was treated and released. Pollard completed the podium just a few tenths of a second after Robbins crossed.
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Choquette already has two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck and is fresh off an 8th place finish in Iowa. Choquette expressed his displeasure with the close-quartered nature of late model racing and said he didn’t like race wins coming down to a trashed race car.
“Man, I just hate this crap,” Choquette said. “We’re thrilled to have won and I still can’t believe we came out with the lead but it’s just this style of racing.”
That style was on display at several points in the night and as early as lap one when Augie Grill, Tim Martin, Dennis Schoenfield, Chris Skelton, Stephen Nasse, Dale Little and Logan Boyette all tangled in turn one. Boyette limped from his car to the infield and would not finish the race. Little’s injuries were worse, suffering a fractured L-1 vertebrae.
The race resumed and Choquette quickly displayed the speed and poise that led to a Miller Lite Super Late Model track championship in 2008.
Choquette qualified third fastest, drawing the Red Bull pole after time trials, and led the first 92 laps before pitting. He restarted ninth and methodically worked his way towards the front, retaking the lead on lap 109.
Pollard had been the leader for the 17 laps Choquette was working his way through traffic but really didn’t have the horsepower to keep up with Choquette. The 2008 Miller Lite Series track champion has a lot of momentum, something he credits to his Adrian Carriers race team.
“Team work and chemistry,” Choquette said. “Team work and chemistry has been the key for our success.”
It’s so nice that he said it twice. And who’s going to argue with a man $10,000 richer and on his way to Martinsville to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.?
Island Motor II Bombers
It was Mobile versus Pensacola in the Island Motor II Bomber division as Brandon Tipton defeated the invading Gary Goodwin in the closing laps to win Saturday night’s feature at Mobile International Speedway.
Goodwin made a rare start in Mobile and made the most of it, leading 10 laps before Tipton rooted Goodwin up the groove on lap 12 and completed the pass on lap 13.
A total of 19 cars started Friday night’s feature excluding second in championship Jayme Corry who conceded his title duel with teammate Tipton with three races remaining. Tipton’s win, coupled with Corry’s DNS (did not start), gives the driver of the Day Racing No. 98 a commanding 106 point lead with two races remaining.
Consider it a win-win scenario all around for Tipton and Day Racing who placed the team car of Jerry Goff in second. William Leytham, Gary Goodwin, David Johnson completed the top-five.
Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsman
Chad Robinson held off and pulled away from Bob Bryant on a lap 16 restart to win his seventh Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsman race of the season.
Robinson has had his way with the division since joining in the third week of the season but faced his biggest threat of the year in Bryant’s No. 53. Bryant led a season-high 15 laps and finished a season-high second place.
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The two raced side-by-side from laps 11-15 where Robinson finally completed the pass, on the outside, off the entrance of turn one. Robinson led the next lap before the caution flew for Jonathan Day’s expired engine on lap 16.
Robinson executed a picture perfect restart to beat Bryant to turn one and never looked back. With the win and Brannon Fowler’s fifth place finish, the latter’s championship lead is down to 46 points with two races remaining.
“What a tough race,” Chad Robinson said. “Everyone was really fast tonight. We got lucky on qualifying and the invert and we didn’t have to pass as many as we could have.”
Mark Barnhill, James Patrick, Fowler, Wess Gardner, David McDade, Jared Courtney, James Myres and Neil Wells completed the top-10.
Alabama Pipe and Supply Modifieds
Bubba Pollard won the Alabama Pipe and Supply Modifieds feature in what can only be described as a five-star race.
Pollard and Donald Crocker ran side-by-side for the final four laps with no contact, two of the best drivers in the country, with Pollard edging Crocker in the closest finish of the season — of any class.
It was one of the largest modified fields of the season and green flag runs came at a minimum in the first half. The carnage started on lap 4 when Jason Huffmaster made contact with Gerald Wilkerson, sending the most-decorated veteran in track history backwards into the turn 4 tire barrier.
Wilkerson is still being evaluated for injuries related to the incident. Meanwhile, the modsquad responded with two more dust-up cautions before completing the remainder of the race under green.
And what a race it was with Pollard and Crocker racing side-by-side for 13 of the final 16 laps. In the end, Pollard gained the advantage by running the bottom line once the second side-by-side duel began on lap 17 with Pollard winning by 0.055 of a second.
“That’s what the fans came to see,” Pollard said. “Good hard racing. I’m so happy it was Donald in that position. Any other driver probably wouldn’t have let us race that close and he raced me clean.”
Chris Cotto, Mike Maddox, Donnie Hamrac, Sal Hebert, Bo McCraney, Ricky Brooks, Jason Huffmaster, and Wilkerson completed the top-10.
Mobile International Speedway – Mobile, AL
Race Results (Top 5) – Sept. 22, 2012
Super Late Models
1. Jeff Choquette
2. Hunter Robbins
3. Bubba Pollard
4. Stephen Nasse
5. Steven Davis
Modifieds
1. Bubba Pollard
2. Donald Crocker
3. Chris Cotto
4. Mike Maddox
5. Donnie Hamrac
Sportsman
1. Chad Robinson
2. Bob Bryant
3. Mark Barnhill
4. James Patrick
5. Brannon Fowler
Bombers
1. Brandon Tipton
2. Jerry Goff
3. William Leytham
4. Gary Goodwin
5. David Johnson
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