Bubba Pollard was the driver to beat in Saturday’s SpeedFest 2023 at Crisp Motorsports Park and simply put, nobody was able to beat him – even with fresher right-side tires.
Pollard, who has now captured three victories in SpeedFest including wins in the previous two iterations, held off an incredibly hard-charging Corey Heim throughout a series of late-race restarts, to capture the victory.
Heim, who ended the race in the runner-up position, made the decision to take his fresh right-side tires with 25 laps remaining in the event, 50 laps later than eventual race-winner Bubba Pollard took his two tires.
While it seemed liked common knowledge that Heim would be able to mount a charge, and eventually get by the No. 26 Phoenix Construction entry, Pollard was able to pull of a miraculous defense, keeping a small margin over the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series Rookie of The Year.
Jake Garcia, who will compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing this season, recorded an impressive third-place result, while Casey Roderick, and Tim Watson rounded the top five.
William Sawalich, a part-timer in the ARCA Menards Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, came home in sixth-place, with Colin Allman seventh, and NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron in eighth. Steve Dorer and Matt Craig completed the top-10.
Chase Elliott, who made a late entry into SpeedFest 2023, finished the race from 19th-place, after being involved in an accident with Michael Hindle. Elliott had been running from seventh to tenth throughout the majority of the event.
Chase Elliott Retires from SpeedFest 2023 After Climbing Over Left-Rear of Michael Hindle
Johnny Sauter, former NASCAR Truck Series champion, finished the race in 20th, after mightily struggling throughout the entire event, making several pit stops.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series full-timer, Carson Hocevar, finished the race deep in the field, after being involved in an accident on the sixth lap of Saturday’s 150-lap contest, forcing the No. 14 to spend numerous laps behind the wall.
