NASHVILLE, TN (April 7, 2013)
– Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville has seen its fair share of history
made on its legendary asphalt over the years. It has seen monumental
victories in some of short track racing’s most prestigious events,
including the All-American 400. It has also seen some of the most
prominent names in racing, like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and
Darrell Waltrip, go to victory lane.
On
Saturday, April 6, more history was made at Fairgrounds Speedway
Nashville when Senoia, Georgia driver Bubba Pollard earned the
first-ever Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco victory in the
Nashville 125.
Pollard
led 105 laps en route to his first career victory at Nashville and the
famed guitar awarded to winners at the hallowed Tennessee track.
“It
means a lot to win this first race, especially here at a place that
means so much to our sport,” said Pollard in victory lane. “We have had
success at Gresham, Pensacola, Mobile and Montgomery (the other four
tracks that make up the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco
schedule), so hopefully, if everything goes our way, we can add the
first Southern Super Series champion to our list as well.
“Winning
here at Nashville is a cool thing to have on your resume. We won the
first CRA (Southern Series) race at Watermelon (Capital Speedway in
Georgia) a few years back. That was cool then and this is awesome now.
To win the first race and take that guitar trophy home will be
something that I remember forever. It’s just awesome.”
Pollard
took the lead from the initial green flag from pole-sitter Stephen
Nasse. From there, the former Sunoco Gulf Coast Series Champion Pollard
continued to lead throughout the first 75-lap segment of the 125-lap
feature. An invert of six at the lap-75 competition caution period made
Pollard earn his Nashville victory over the course of the final stages
of the event.
Pollard
took the lead from Daniel Hemric on lap 95 and never looked back to
kick off the 2013 Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco season with a
victory.
“You
hope to have a car this good at all the races,” added Pollard. “I
couldn’t have asked for a better-driving racecar tonight. We fought
this thing in practice for most of the weekend, but found something that
worked in the final minutes. We came here with the set up that we
finished second in the All-American 400 with and the car was not that
great. My guys never gave up all weekend, and made the car better and
better. Their work ethic made the difference. We could have settled
for what we had, but they never gave up and paid off with the trophy.”
Kannapolis,
North Carolina driver Daniel Hemric, the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour
Champion, led following the invert at lap 75 and showed the way until
Pollard bested him on the inside groove at lap 95. Hemric would keep up
with Pollard down the stretch and had to hold off a hard-charging
Donnie Wilson for the runner-up position at the checkered flag.
“We
were definitely one short all night,” said Hemric. “We were about a
fifth or sixth-place car in the first run. We came down pit road at the
break and (crew chief) Scott Neal made some great adjustments. We were
just not quite as good as Bubba. He was the class of the field and on
rails tonight. I have to tip my hat to him and (Pollard’s crew chief)
Ricky Turner and that whole team.”
Wilson,
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, kicked off his bid for the 2013 Southern
Super Series presented by Sunoco championship with a third-place
finish. Wilson edged out Augie Grill for third on the final lap.
“To
start this series off with a solid top-five finish means a lot,” said
Wilson. “We were a good top five or six car all race long. We had some
good, hard racing all night and with Augie (Grill) there coming to the
line. We got the spot and I will gladly take it. Bubba was in another
zip code tonight, that’s for sure.”
Grill
slid across the start-finish line at the checkered flag in fourth.
Nasse, the first-ever Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco pole
winner, finished fifth.
Dennis Schoenfeld, Jeff Choquette, Jeff Fultz, Austin Theriault and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top 10.
The
next event for the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco is the
Racing Radios 125 presented by Schoenfeld Headers, April 27 at Gresham
Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia.
For more information on the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco, visit www.SouthernSuperSeries.com. The Facebook page for the Southern Super Series is located at www.facebook.com/
Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco
Nashville 125
Nashville 125
April 6, 2013
Official Results
Official Results
1. 26 – Bubba Pollard
2. 98 – Daniel Hemric
3. 2 – Donnie Wilson
4. 112 – Augie Grill
5. 51 – Stephen Nasse
6. 43 – Dennis Schoenfeld
7. 29 – Jeff Choquette
8. 54 – Jeff Fultz
9. 29 – Austin Theriault
10. 8 – John Hunter Nemechek
11. 41 – T.J. Reaid
12. 1 – Mike Garvey
13. 29 – Spencer Davis
14. 40 – Tyler Miles
15. 09 – Daniel Bolden
16. 47 – Allen Karnes
17. 17 – Bobby Wingo
18. 18 – Hunter Robbins
19. 811 – Mason Mingus
20. 11 – Willie Allen
21. 19 – Lonnie Sommerville
22. 71 – Kyle Benjamin
23. 5 – Jerry Artuso
24. 2 – DJ VanderLey
25. 15 – Damon Ecoff
26. 40 – Michael House
27. 84 – Clay Alexander
28. 30 – Bobby Knox, Jr.
29. 29 – Anderson Bowen
30. 1 – Keith Cahela
31. 20 – Brian Campbell
