Bubba Pollard serves as ‘best man’ at short track wedding

Will you promise to take your wife to every Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway every year?

True love knows no bounds, so it shouldn’t be surprising that a race track is just as viable a location for a wedding service as any number of churches, vineyards, and other venues.

That’s right, a wedding was held at a short track. On Friday night at Five Flags Speedway, Kelly Jerrel and James Coffee started the next chapter of their lives as a part of the night’s opening ceremonies. Bubba Pollard was in attendance but not as one of the several drivers or fans watching. No, he was the best man.

The Nashville couple’s wedding certainly gave the crowd an experience to remember forever. Pollard, serving as the best man, might have years of experience at race tracks but the experience of this particular role was a welcome addition to his accolades.

“That was a first,” Pollard said. “It was fun. They asked us last week and I’d seen James and Kelly around a few times around the race track here and there. Whatever it takes to make people happy, it’s cool that people enjoy racing and love to do that kind of stuff at the race track.”

One man instrumental in making this ceremony happen was Five Flags Speedway General Manager Tim Bryant. Bryant shed some light on how the deal was made, and also shared that this was only the latest of many race track weddings he has known of.

“We received a call from Kelly, who asked about the possibility of getting married here,” Bryant said. “We kind of took it as an ultimate compliment at the end of the day. They’re big Bubba Pollard fans, so I reached out to him, and that’s what endears Bubba to the fans. Doing stuff like that.

“Our pace car driver, James Prisock, has been married to his wife Cindy for I think thirty plus years. They were married at the race track in Mobile. And I think maybe if you went back before the Bryant era at Five Flags, you’d find maybe even a wedding or two here.”

So, if you and your significant other just so happen to be race fans, the precedent has been set that the race track can be a welcoming venue your special day.

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