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Veteran short-track driver Bubba Pollard is gearing up for his NASCAR debut with JR Motorsports at Richmond Raceway this weekend. His maiden outing behind the wheel of the #88 Chevy has created a buzz in the stock car racing community.
Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch shared his excitement about seeing the veteran Super Late Model driver get his first big opportunity in NASCAR. Busch complimented Pollard's skill, having raced against him on several occasions.
In a recent interview with Sportsnaut, the #8 Richard Childress Racing driver said:
"I love it. A guy that works as hard as he does and does as much on his own as he does, I mean he’s a really smooth guy. I’ve raced against him a lot and we’ve had some really good battles. We’ve always been cordial with one another."
Busch expanded on his relationship with Pollard, commending his achievements in the Super Late Model Racing ranks. He added:
"We’ve always had a good relationship, so I respect the hell out of him for what he does. He’s honestly one of the best. Definitely one of the best from the south in the Super Late Model ranks."
JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also excited about seeing Bubba Pollard behind the wheel of his #88 Chevy in the Xfinity Series. He recalled the 37-year-old's impressive performance driving for JRM's Late Model program at Martinsville.
Catch Bubba Pollard live in action in the ToyotaCare 250 Xfinity race at Richmond Raceway, scheduled this Saturday, March 30 at 1:30 PM ET.
Bubba Pollard reflects on his first experiences in the simulator
Ahead of his maiden NASCAR Xfinity Series outing, Bubba Pollard conceded that his first simulator session didn't unfold as expected. Pollard revealed that he experienced motion sickness in the Chevrolet simulator, however, a static test helped him get comfortable with the machinery.
The #88 JR Motorsports driver opened up about his experiences in the simulator in a recent interview with Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass. He said:
"So the first simulator time, it didn't go so well. I kept kind of [getting] motion sickness and everything. But we [did] the stationary simulator today and got some laps in and very helpful tool that we can hopefully apply on Saturday."
Pollard acknowledged that he faces a steep learning curve and has yet to connect his learnings from the simulator to the on-track reality:
"It was a big learning curve for me, I was like 'Man how do you apply this simulator to real life racing.'"
