Bubba Pollard Wins Super Fest Opener at Cordele

Bubba Pollard returned to victory lane at Cordele Motor Speedway on Saturday, winning Super Fest 125 #1.

Pollard took the lead near the halfway mark of the season-opening UARA National event after a lengthy side-by-side battle with fast qualifier Jake Finch. The Senoia, Georgia native led the rest of the way, adding to his extensive list of victories at the home state track.

“We had a good race car,” said Pollard in victory lane. “It’s good when you can race around good people and run side-by-side like that. You don’t have to worry about getting pinched in the wall or tearing up race cars. I enjoy racing with Jake.”

With cooler temperatures under the lights in February, Pollard had to adjust his racing style around the Georgia bullring. However, those adjustments made the difference on Saturday night.

“We had a lot more grip tonight. We were turning good during the day today. I felt like, when it cooled down, it was going to get tighter. These American Racer tires, they tned to grease up a race track and rubber up.

“I was just really trying to move around there and just see. I wasn’t really comfortable around the top where I normally am. I got snug there, and tight. If you can race around the rubber and hit it just right, you could gain a tenth or two. It was just hard to hit those marks.”

Stephen Nasse finished second to Pollard in the 125-lap event, improving upon a fourth-place finish at SpeedFest in January at Cordele, another race won by Pollard. While Nasse was pleased with the improvement, he knows there is still more work to be done to catch Pollard’s No. 26 at Cordele.

“[Pollard] was good,” said Nasse. “We needed a little bit more turn, a little bit more drive. I felt better about the car than I did in practice and I did in the last race here. We’re definitely making gains, but he’s good around this place. We were just trying to beat him tonight, and we didn’t quite get there.”

Finch settled for a third-place finish, holding off West Coast champion Buddy Shepherd in the closing laps. It was another strong finish for the young Florida driver, but he is hungry for a big Super Late Model win.

“He knows his way around this place pretty well. I’m happy to be able to lead some laps and sit on the pole. Getting a little frustrated with second and third, you know. We’ll just try to be a little bit better next time.”

Shepherd finished fourth, with Colin Allman rounding out the top five.

Cordele's next event is scheduled for February 22. That event features the "I Can't Drive 55 Crown Vic Special" as well as the first Pro Late Model event under Cordele's Super Fest banner in 2025.

As for the UARA National Super Late Models, their next stop is South Alabama Speedway for the 49th Hardee's Rattler 250. The Rattler weekend takes place on March 13-15 at South Alabama.

-Photo credit: Will Bellamy

UARA Super Fest #1 Unofficial Results