Pollard to Enter 57th Vermont Milk Bowl

One of the most accomplished Late Model and Super Late Model racers in North America will be coming to Barre’s Thunder Road Speedbowl this fall. Senoia, GA’s Andrew “Bubba” Pollard has announced plans to enter the 57th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29.

Pollard will attempt to make “The Toughest Short Track Race in North America” the latest crown jewel for his growing legend. The third-generation racer has triumphed in numerous major short track asphalt racing events throughout the United States and Canada. He expressed interest in running the Milk Bowl during an appearance on Speed51’s The Morning Bullring talk show and will now travel to Barre, VT in September to do so.

“Over the last few years I never really thought I’d have the chance to do some of the races I’ve done and race at some of the places I’ve raced,” Pollard recently told Speed51.com. “I’ve been really fortunate to have good people and good sponsors. When you surround yourself with good people, good things come and I think that’s part of it. We’ve been able to make contacts, win races and I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to be able to do this. It will be a fun trip and hopefully we can have a good time and do good.”

“I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos and I watched the race last year; it seems like a pretty cool race,” he added. “You don’t know what to expect when you get there, but it seems like it would fit my driving style of what I like to do and how I race – watching videos and things like that, seeing all the people who have won the race.  There are some all-time greats that have won that race.”

At age 31, Pollard’s short track racing résumé is already one of the most impressive on record. He has wins in nationally-recognized events such as the All-American 400, the Canadian Short Track Nationals, the Slinger Nationals, the Money in the Bank 150, and the Snowflake 100. He came to Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway last August and won the Oxford 250 in his first attempt at the historic event.

Pollard also has a track championship at Georgia’s Senoia Raceway and titles in the Southern Super Series, Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series, and Viper Pro Late Model Series. He recently was crowned the 2019 World Series of Asphalt Racing Super Late Model Champion at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway during Daytona Speedweeks.

For the 57th Vermont Milk Bowl, Pollard will drive an American Canadian Tour (ACT)-type Late Model for Joe Polewarczyk and Joey Pole Racing. Pollard and Joey Polewarczyk Jr. have raced Super Late Models against each other multiple times in recent years, striking the connection that helped lead to their Milk Bowl deal. Pollard also told Speed51.com that, if all goes well, he hopes to bring his Super Late Model to race in the Pro All Stars Series 150 the night before the Milk Bowl so he can get more experience at the track.

“I met Bubba a couple years ago when we went to Michigan to go run the Money in the Bank 150, and we chatted a little bit here and there,” Polewarczyk said. “Then at the Oxford 250 this past year, he won and we finished second, and post-race we talked for a while. Then this deal was getting put together where he wanted to come to Thunder Road. And what better way than to get him in one of our cars? We’ll give him the best that we can, and everything else he gets in, he wins. Hopefully we can have a 1-2 finish with the #97NH in front, but we’ll see what happens.”

It will be the second time Joey Pole Racing has helped a nationally-known “invader” tackle the high banks. The team also prepared the car driven by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart when he ran the Vermont Governor’s Cup in 2009, which was won by “Joey Pole”.

“It’s crazy to think that deal with Tony Stewart was 10 years ago,” Pole remarked. “But this brings back a lot of memories like that. It’s exciting. Bubba’s a big deal for short track racing. He lives and breathes it, and people know that, and he’s well-known throughout the whole country. I’m interested to see what he thinks of Thunder Road and the ACT Late Models. I just think people are going to be excited to see him there.”

The Milk Bowl was first conceived by Thunder Road co-founder Ken Squier in 1962. It is known throughout the country both for its unique 3-segment format and a victory celebration where the winner kisses a Vermont dairy cow. The most recent edition was featured on MAVTV’s “Short Track America” television series produced by Speed51.

The 57th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank caps off the 60th season of racing at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement”. The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Models will hold time trials and 50-lap qualifying races on Saturday, September 28 to help set the starting field with the three-segment Milk Bowl on Sunday, September 29. The Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors will also be in action throughout the weekend.