PixelatedPICK: 51st Annual Snowball Derby

Bubba Pollard zooms around turn three. (PixelatedSPEED Photo)

Bubba Pollard is one of the all-time greats at Five Flags Speedway, having won just about everything you can at the famed Pensacola half-mile. Everything, except the biggest show of them all, the Snowball Derby.

"It is a unique race,” Pollard said in a recent interview. “It’s hard to describe the feeling of competing in this race.”

"You have great drivers who have won this race and have become part of history and I'm hoping one day our name can be on it. This is what we work for and live for. But I also understand this one race can't define your career."

With 68 total starts at Five Flags, Pollard has scored 19 victories, and amassed 41 top five finishes after leading 1,242 laps. In 10 Snowball Derby starts, he has a pole in 2011 and after leading 157 laps in 2017, has a best finish of third.

In last year’s Derby, Pollard was the class of the field, and the class of the week. He dominated the practice sessions, won the Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race, and led the most laps in the Snowball Derby itself.

“It’s a hard race to win and you never know how it’s going to play out,” Pollard told Short Track Scene. “We build the best car we can and take it to the race track. But that’s all we can control.

Pollard looks to achieve his first Snowball victory in a brand new Senneker chassis powered by Hamner Racing Engines.

In an interview with Speed51.com, Pollard talked about the confidence he has in his new racecar.

“I have a lot of confidence in the guys that help me put them together and the team,” Pollard told Speed51.com.

“I have a lot of confidence in the race cars,” he added. “You hear that a lot of people are scared of bringing new cars but there’s nothing better than a new piece of metal. That’s when they’re the best. That’s when they’re the fastest. We built one back in July and won the first four races with it.

Simply put, although Bubba Pollard has yet to reach victory lane, he is the odds on favorite, making him the PixelatedPICK for the 51st Annual Snowball Derby. While there is never any guarantees in this race, one sure fire bet that rans fans can make is that Bubba Pollard will be a heavy hitter, and if all goes according to plan, a factor at the end of this 300 lap contest among the very best in Super Late Model racing.