MARNE, Mich. — Bubba Pollard has won nearly every Super Late Model crown jewel during his prestigious career.
With victories in the Oxford 250, All American 400, Florida Governor’s Cup, Canadian Short Track Nationals and SpeedFest 200 among many others to his name, Pollard arrived at Berlin Raceway this week with the goal off checking off another big race, the Battle at Berlin 250.
A perfect strategy for Pollard allowed him to solidify excellent track position during the closing laps of Wednesday night’s Battle at Berlin. He held off a stacked field consisting of Chase Elliott, William Byron, Josh Berry and others for a special victory at what Pollard considers one of his favorite tracks.
“I enjoy this place,” Pollard said. “Everyone here is great, and we just love coming here and racing. The track is very racy, you can move around, and you need to have patience. To outrun the caliber of guys here [on Wednesday] is just awesome and feels so good.”
This one meant a lot for @bubbapollard26 @BerlinRaceway | @FloRacing pic.twitter.com/awjDT4OfVv
– NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) August 10, 2023
Since he first started racing at Berlin during the 2010s, Pollard had been eager to claim a win in the facility’s premier endurance event.
Pollard had excelled in the Battle at Berlin nearly every year he entered, but a victory eluded him every time. He finished runner-up to Erik Jones in 2016 after leading 58 laps before once again coming up short the following year after getting passed late by Brian Campbell.
The predominant issue that repeatedly hindered Pollard in the Battle at Berlin was mastering tire conservation. With everyone conserving their equipment in the first half, Pollard said winning this race always came down to who could outsmart the field by saving more tire.
Pollard felt confident with the plan he and his team devised for 2023. Their goal was to gain as much track position as possible up until Lap 180, where they would then utilize a fresh set to make a final push for the win.
By the time Pollard reached his target lap, he had worked his way to the lead, leaving him with fresh tires and clean air after the ensuing pit stop. Despite this, Pollard still had one more obstacle to overcome: defending Battle at Berlin winner Evan Shotko, who took control of the lead with fewer than 50 to go.
Pollard was not concerned about temporarily settling into second. With Shotko pushing more than him, Pollard simply waited for the last competition yellow to come out and beat him on the restart.
“I knew we were going to get another caution,” Pollard said. “The competition cautions falling every 50 consecutive laps, and with the engine package [Shotko] had, we were going to fire off better. It all worked out, and we had such a great car tonight.”
Pollard did indeed take the lead from Shotko on the restart just as he envisioned. As Pollard pulled away, Shotko was left to deal with Elliott, who made a late pass to relegate the defending Berlin track champion to third in the running order.
A dejected Shotko admitted there was more he could have done in the pits and on track to give himself a better chance against Pollard. He added that the heartbreak from Wednesday gives him plenty of material to grow as a driver at Berlin and at other tracks across the country.
“We’re pretty bummed out,” Shotko said. “These are very experienced teams we’re racing with, and you have to lose some of these before you win them. We got lucky with our win last year, but there’s a lot of learning to do still.”
Although he was disappointed to not triumph in front of the home crowd, Shotko took some solace in just how strong he was compared to the high caliber drivers in the Battle at Berlin field.
At one point in the closing stages, Shotko had Pollard, Elliott, Berry, Byron and Jones all in his rearview mirror. Such a scenario was something Shotko had long dreamed about dating back to when he used to watch weekly races at Berlin as a child.
The performance Shotko put together Wednesday highlighted the strides he has made with his family-owned program in just the past few years. For Shotko, being surrounded by so many drivers who compete in the NASCAR Cup Series comes with both a sense of pride and motivation.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Shotko said. “I’m a fortunate young man who has a great group of people behind me. It’s really amazing to just be standing in between Chase Elliott and Josh Berry.”
Shotko also stressed that Pollard was simply better when it came time to decide who would win the Battle at Berlin. He knew fending off Pollard would be a difficult challenge given the veteran’s past success at so many different tracks.
After passing Shotko, Pollard spent the final laps silently praying that no late race caution would bunch the field up and that oil pressure issues he dealt with all night would not crescendo into a blown engine. No matter the circumstances, Pollard was set on finishing the Battle at Berlin in the first position.
While Pollard has visited Victory Lane at Berlin several times before, finally doing so in the track’s longest race is something he plans to cherish for a long time.
“This one is special because we’ve been trying for so many years,” Pollard said. “All of them are special, because you never know when the last one is going to be. We’ve been coming here a lot of years and we love everything about this place.”
Pollard still has plenty of chapters left to write in his Super Late Model career after the Battle at Berlin. The main one being his quest for that elusive first victory in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, where he is set to make his 18th attempt later this year.
Another chapter Pollard wants to write is a second consecutive Battle at Berlin victory in 2024.
Elliott headlined the NASCAR Cup Series regulars in the Battle at Berlin with his second-place finish. Berry came home in the fourth position with local regular Kyle Crump completing the top five.
Byron ended up settling in the seventh position while Jones came home 11th after fading on the last run.