“They Won’t Return Phone Calls “-Dale Jr’s Legendary Short Track Star Reveals NASCAR’s Dark Side Amid Diminishing Interest

Nearly a month ago, one of America’s greatest Super Late Model drivers got to experience Xfinity Series racing for the first time. In all his years of racing, the 37-year-old Bubba Pollard had entered none of NASCAR’s top series until Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Jones came knocking at his door. The bosses at JR Motorsports and Rheem put together the #88 JR Chevy for Pollard’s Xfinity debut just in time for the race at Richmond, where he had a solid P6 finish following his qualifying mishap.

This drummed up hope that perhaps the driver would make his return soon. But to his fans’ dismay, Bubba Pollard might have to come to terms with a grim reality.

What is standing in Bubba Pollard’s way of making an Xfinity return?

The Xfinity Series race at Richmond was a debut for Bubba Pollard as well as Taylor Gray, and both were seen driving like veterans as they raced their way to top-10 finishes. With a P3 finish for Gray, Xfinity experienced its best debut since Ty Gibbs. However, Pollard was the star of the show because he didn’t have a smooth journey. He hit AJ Allmendinger in one corner, and that may have ticked off the latter. But despite the bigger roars from the fans on hand and being the fastest in practice, why is Pollard skeptical of his NASCAR career?

The driver, in a seemingly dejected tone, also revealed why Xfinity racing might not be for him. “I don’t know, man, it’s just not for me. I’m good. I think there is a reason for everything and I’m glad I got to experience it one time and if the opportunity came about, I would definitely do it again. But it has to be in a winning race car,” Pollard shared with Sportsnaut.

Additionally, he also gave a lack of communication as an issue. “The seat is open for that race but I haven’t heard from anybody… I’ve tried to call a couple people (about sponsorship) and they won’t return phone calls so it is what it is. But I am, above all else, very thankful for Rheem and JR Motorsports for giving me that opportunity but if it doesn’t happen again, I’m good with it.”

He even noted after the race at Richmond that “slow is fast.” And as the race wound down with a long green-flag run, Pollard was blowing by his competition. However, a slow pit stop ahead of the final stage cost Pollard a few positions, but he managed to finish in the top 10 as a first-timer. Reflecting on the next opportunity where he could perhaps make an entrance at Iowa Speedway, where JR Motorsports has yet to announce the driver of the #88, Pollard believes that opportunity isn’t coming his way anytime soon.

No matter what Pollard believes, the sentiment regarding his Xfinity Series debut was that he earned it. He’s won many of the biggest Super Late Model races in the country: the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, the Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway, the Winter Showdown at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, and the All-American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, just to name a few. He’s also the 2014 ASA Southern Super Series champion.

Though it appears that the NASCAR community might have to hold on to their horses for a tad bit longer with regards to Bubba Pollard’s Xfinity return, the veteran believes not everything is doom and gloom.

The short-track legend reveals the silver lining in his Xfinity debut

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For Bubba Pollard, the weekend at Richmond Raceway may have delivered the desired outcome, but it certainly helped that the NASCAR community fell in love with the legendary short-track racer’s skills. Keeping aside the hype surrounding Pollard’s debut, many fans from the world of Xfinity and Cup racing extended their support to him. After all, it wasn’t a usual site for a 37-year-old debutant to light up the track at Richmond and nearly bring home a top-five finish.

Naturally, the driver was also ecstatic with this aspect of his debut. The veteran shared with Matt Weaver, “I got a message from someone all the way out in California, and they said they didn’t know what short track racing was until they watched me and said they were going to follow our races. That’s what it’s all about and what is important to me.” For Pollard, his biggest hope was that NASCAR fans could look at super late model racing with an open mind and perhaps follow the series regularly.

After going over all the positive reception Pollard received from the Xfinity crowd, the veteran was delighted to give a silver lining to an otherwise tough outing. On an ending note, he shared, “That was the most gratifying part of the whole deal — that people were really excited to see me get that opportunity. They were more excited than I was and I was excited for them because so many of them have supported me for so long.”

As a result, Richmond saw some great runs. To everyone’s surprise, if third and sixth are what Gray and Pollard can do in their debut race, one can only imagine what they might do in the starts they make later this season, wherever they may be. For Gray, one can say that with Martin Truex Jr. on his way out as soon as the season ends and Denny Hamlin likely following suit not too long after, a full-time ride might be open for the 19-year-old sooner than imagined. On the other hand, Bubba Pollard has revealed the lack of communication from the side of sponsors and teams regarding a possible return. Do you think the community can help out by putting pressure on them for a one-off opportunity?