Bubba Pollard Outduels Cole Butcher, Wins Fourth Consecutive SpeedFest

Bubba Pollard's grasp on Cordele Motor Speedway's Protect Your Melon - Buckle Up SpeedFest continues for another year.

Pollard took the lead from Cole Butcher with 12 laps to go in the January Late Model staple, scoring his fourth consecutive SpeedFest Super Late Model victory. WIth the win, Pollard is the first to win four SpeedFest features in a row, as well as the event's first five-time winner.

“It’s pretty special," said Pollard in victory lane. "I just wish my kids and my wife were here to enjoy it with us. I can’t thank all the fans for coming out, especially when it’s cold like this, and the race track."

Pollard's latest SpeedFest triumph came one day earlier than expected. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but an unfoavorable forecast encouraged Cordele Motor Speedway and series officials to move the event forward to Friday.

“Thanks to the Southern Super Series, Tim Bryant and all those guys for moving it to Friday and giving us a shot to race," said Pollard. "I know they took a hit, but it shows you good promoters and good race tracks. The Nolands and everything they’ve done to this place, it’s spectacular, Ricky [Brooks], everyone involved.”

Pollard spent several laps setting up the winning pass on Butcher, working high and low on the Cordele Motor Speedway racing surface. Finally, Pollard powered to Butcher's outside exiting turn four to gain the advantage in the closing laps.

It made for another special win at one of Pollard's favorite tracks, located in his home state of Georgia.

“I grew up racing here some 25 years ago, you know? It’s cool. I love this place for the simple fact that you can move around on this race track. You can make passes. Hell, I was out in the watermelon field out there trying to pass Cole.

“I knew I had to go to the top. If I could set him up and get him looking towards the bottom and just get him down half a car length, I could get around him on the outside. I could beat him up off the corner, I could beat everyone up off the corner all day. Just a good race car. Just ready to get going. You just carry the momentum, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Butcher fell into a side-by-side battle with Colby Howard in the final laps for the second position. At the checkered flag, Howard crossed the line just one-thousandth of a second ahead of Butcher according to timing and scoring.

Howard was frustrated by a string of cautions to start the race, but battled to the second-place finish.

"We needed long runs, and we kept getting caution after caution after caution," said Howard. "That one long run after lap 30 or something, we were pretty fast, but we knew there was going to be a comp caution.

"We worked on it, and with the adjustments it got way too tight. Just couldn't really do anything. Ran with Cole [Butcher] a little bit. Some other guys felt like taking it three wide and it hurt us a little bit. Once we got out of that realm, we were alright."

Butcher finished third, saying his car was too tight to hold off Pollard in the closing laps. Still, he's pleased with a podium finish to start the 2025 season before setting his sights on the ASA STARS National Tour season opener at New Smyrna Speedway.

"I needed to be a little bit freer. Bubba could move around a lot more than me. Colby was really good on the bottom. Just a little bit freer, but it's a good start to our season. SpeedFest always puts on a great show. I'm glad we got it in, and I'm glad we got a great turnout.

"He's hard to beat here. Hats off to them, they worked their butts off all weekend, just like the rest of us. We'll move on to New Smyrna."

Gavan Boschele finished fourth, while three-time SpeedFest winner Chase Elliott rounded out the top five. Elliott rebounded from an 18th-place effort in qualifying to secure the fifth-place finish.

NASCAR Cup Series competitor Ross Chastain made his SpeedFest Super Late Model debut one year after competing in the Pro Late Model feature at the event. Chastain started on the pole after the post-qualifying redraw and finished 12th.

Matt Craig took the lead from Chastain in the opening laps before Butcher assumed the top spot on lap 27. Craig's night ended shortly thereafter, as a three-wide battle ended with the North Carolina native squeezed into the outside wall on the frontstretch by Dwson Sutton.

RacingAmerica.TV subscribers who missed Friday's race can watch the on-demand replay of the event broadcast by clicking here.

-Photo credit: Jason Reasin Photography

Protect Your Melon - Buckle Up SpeedFest 150 Unofficial Results