Bubba Pollard to make NASCAR debut at Richmond
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Late model ace Bubba Pollard will make his NASCAR debut next month at Richmond Raceway in the Xfinity Series.
JR Motorsports tabbed Pollard to drive its No. 88 Rheem Chevrolet in the March 30 NXS race at Richmond (1:30 p.m. ET; Broadcast: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).
“I’m very excited,” Pollard said. “I really don’t know what to expect as it’s all very new to us. But I’m very thankful for the opportunity that Rheem and JR Motorsports have given me. I hope we can make the most of it. I’ve never had any laps at Richmond and I haven’t driven an Xfinity car. So it’s all going to be new.”
Pollard has won over 100 late model races in his career, including the All American 400 and the Oxford 250. He is also a past champion of the Slinger Nationals and the World Series of Asphalt (super late model division).
While Pollard has never won the Snowball Derby, he has been a perennial contender for the win.
“The core of what we do, from our championship-winning Late Model team to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is to produce championship drivers and team personnel. Bubba Pollard is a great example of that sort of progression. And we’re proud to support him alongside a great partner in Rheem Manufacturing,” said Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, the CEO of JR Motorsports.
JRM pointed out their efforts to bring new drivers from the grassroots level to NASCAR’s top divisions.
For example, Josh Berry started in late-model racing with JRM. After racing for them in Xfinity, Berry replaced Kevin Harvick in the Cup Series after he retired.
“Dale and Kelley and Rheem have a history of giving guys like me opportunities to race at the next level, opportunities that normally wouldn’t happen,” Pollard said. “I have a lot of respect for them for how much they offer to drivers like me. It’s pretty cool to be part of it. You never know what might happen in the future.”
Pollard will race in the ARCA Menards Series race at Five Flags Speedway to prepare for the NXS race. He will compete in Super Late Models and the zMAX CARS Tour in 2024.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com