klemmabyna
Team Owner
I highlighted something that you don't see to often. Classy move in my opinion.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/sport...bba-pollard-wins-slinger-nationals/490508001/
Bubba Pollard wins Slinger Nationals in his second try
Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 1:26 a.m. CT July 19, 2017 | Updated 12:40 p.m. CT July 19, 2017his car. Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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.
“I think we had a third-place car and finished fourth.”
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.”
Whereas Majeski and Apel didn’t do much work on their cars at the halfway break, Pollard made all the right adjustments.
His car was good when he arrived for the test day Monday, and he and his crew kept improving it until it was the best on the track when it mattered.
Potential challengers who weren’t around for the second half included four-time Nationals winner Rich Bickle, who had struggled with engine problems for days; Dennis Prunty, the 2015 Nationals winner, who had a ignition failure; and Gary Lamonte, the fastest qualifier, who pulled off before the second-half restart with electrical problems.
Any chance Alex Prunty had to challenge Pollard went away with is power steering three quarters of the way through the race.
“We had the best car on the track, and I wanted to race Bubba so hard on the outside,” Prunty said. “I just couldn’t. The steering would lock up coming into (Turn) 3 and I’d chase it up (the track) and he wasn’t giving me much room to begin with.”
No matter the outcome, Pollard was happy he came back after struggling last year, and he promised he’ll return and try to go back-to-back.
“The biggest thing is the fans,” said Pollard, who took the checkered flag for a clockwise victory lap like Kulwicki made famous. “We don’t have fans like this back home. To get introduced and the fans cheer for you, that makes you feel good.
“To come here last year and see this place packed … I want to support racetracks like that, support fans and racers.”
38TH SUPERSEAL SLINGER NATIONALS
(Starting position in parentheses)
1. (10) Bubba Pollard, Senoia, Ga.
2. (7) Alex Prunty, Lomira
3. (2) Steve Apel, West Bend
4. (8) Ty Majeski, Seymour
5. (15) Brad Keith, Slinger
6. (1) Jeff Holtz, Franksville
7. (16) Derek Kraus, Stratford
8. (19) Ryan Stefano, Colgate
9. (22) Austin Nason, Roscoe, Ill.
10. (6) Grant Griesbach, Pewaukee
11. (23) Michael Bilderback, South Beloit, Ill.
12. (21) Steve Dorer, Lakeland, Fla.
13. (9) Chris Blawat, Palmyra
14. (14) John Deangelis Jr., Hubertus
15. (12) Gary Lamonte, West Allis
16. (3) Jon Reynolds Jr., Rockford, Ill.
17. (13) Brad Mueller, Random Lake
18. (4) Dennis Purnty, Knowles
19. (17) Conrad Morgan, Waukesha
20. (5) Travis Dassow, West Bend
21. (18) Nick Wagner, Hartford
22. (20) Rich Bickle, Sun Prairie
23. (11) Andrew Morrissey, Deforest
Lap leaders: 1 Holtz, 2-10 Apel, 11-26 D. Prunty, 27-100 Apel, 101-103 Majeski, 104 Apel, 105-158 Majeski, 159-200 Pollard.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/sport...bba-pollard-wins-slinger-nationals/490508001/
Bubba Pollard wins Slinger Nationals in his second try
Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 1:26 a.m. CT July 19, 2017 | Updated 12:40 p.m. CT July 19, 2017his car. Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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.
“I think we had a third-place car and finished fourth.”
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.”
Whereas Majeski and Apel didn’t do much work on their cars at the halfway break, Pollard made all the right adjustments.
His car was good when he arrived for the test day Monday, and he and his crew kept improving it until it was the best on the track when it mattered.
Potential challengers who weren’t around for the second half included four-time Nationals winner Rich Bickle, who had struggled with engine problems for days; Dennis Prunty, the 2015 Nationals winner, who had a ignition failure; and Gary Lamonte, the fastest qualifier, who pulled off before the second-half restart with electrical problems.
Any chance Alex Prunty had to challenge Pollard went away with is power steering three quarters of the way through the race.
“We had the best car on the track, and I wanted to race Bubba so hard on the outside,” Prunty said. “I just couldn’t. The steering would lock up coming into (Turn) 3 and I’d chase it up (the track) and he wasn’t giving me much room to begin with.”
No matter the outcome, Pollard was happy he came back after struggling last year, and he promised he’ll return and try to go back-to-back.
“The biggest thing is the fans,” said Pollard, who took the checkered flag for a clockwise victory lap like Kulwicki made famous. “We don’t have fans like this back home. To get introduced and the fans cheer for you, that makes you feel good.
“To come here last year and see this place packed … I want to support racetracks like that, support fans and racers.”
38TH SUPERSEAL SLINGER NATIONALS
(Starting position in parentheses)
1. (10) Bubba Pollard, Senoia, Ga.
2. (7) Alex Prunty, Lomira
3. (2) Steve Apel, West Bend
4. (8) Ty Majeski, Seymour
5. (15) Brad Keith, Slinger
6. (1) Jeff Holtz, Franksville
7. (16) Derek Kraus, Stratford
8. (19) Ryan Stefano, Colgate
9. (22) Austin Nason, Roscoe, Ill.
10. (6) Grant Griesbach, Pewaukee
11. (23) Michael Bilderback, South Beloit, Ill.
12. (21) Steve Dorer, Lakeland, Fla.
13. (9) Chris Blawat, Palmyra
14. (14) John Deangelis Jr., Hubertus
15. (12) Gary Lamonte, West Allis
16. (3) Jon Reynolds Jr., Rockford, Ill.
17. (13) Brad Mueller, Random Lake
18. (4) Dennis Purnty, Knowles
19. (17) Conrad Morgan, Waukesha
20. (5) Travis Dassow, West Bend
21. (18) Nick Wagner, Hartford
22. (20) Rich Bickle, Sun Prairie
23. (11) Andrew Morrissey, Deforest
Lap leaders: 1 Holtz, 2-10 Apel, 11-26 D. Prunty, 27-100 Apel, 101-103 Majeski, 104 Apel, 105-158 Majeski, 159-200 Pollard.
