The box score will show that Jeremy Doss swept both halves of the SRL National Larry Phillips Memorial twin 75s on Thursday night but it will also indicate that Bubba Pollard only participated in one of them.
That’s because Pollard loaded up his No. 26 and left in protest over how the first race ended.
Racing Derek Thorn for the lead with 20 laps to go, Doss suffered a loss of air pressure in his right front in Turn 1 and came to a stop with sparks coming beneath his No. 44. Doss even drifted up into Thorn in the previous corner as the car started to bottom out.
The caution came out and series co-promoter Ricky Brooks rode out on a golf cart to the No. 44 to check to see if the issue was mechanical or loss of air pressure. The SRL brain trust for the event, including race director Larry Collins, permitted Doss to take a scuffed right front and restart at the tail end of the lead lap in eighth.
A couple of cars tangled in front of Doss on the restart and he quickly moved to fourth. At the same time, Pollard was challenging Thorn for the lead. That allowed Doss to catch the leaders and he would take the lead coming to the white flag.
It was actually quite the thrilling finish between the three of them.
The point of contention from the Pollard camp was two-fold, that Doss was not subjected to a two-lap penalty for stopping on the track to bring out a caution, as per the SRL rule book, which reads:
If a driver does anything to intentionally cause a caution, it’s a minimum two-lap penalty.
A replay shows the caution came out before the No. 44 stopped, stemming from safety concerns and an abundance of concern for a potential safety hazard, and that was the rebuttal from Brooks and Collins. Andrick Dimayuga suffered a puncture earlier in the race and Brooks said that was evidence of how challenging it is for a car with a flat to navigate off the racing surface, thus the caution.
Brooks rode out to check on the No. 44 to determine the severity of the issue and to help make the call or assist the No. 44 in returning to the race.
The other point of contention was that Pollard was adamant that Doss take the right side sticker that would also be used in the second race. Brooks says their decision was in compliance with the race procedures expressed in the drivers meeting. Pollard chose to not participate as he disagreed with that determination.
Doss would win the second feature from a third-place redraw.
If you like what you read here, become a Short Track Scene Patreon and support short track journalism!
Read more Short Track Scene:
Press Releases
Stephen Nasse joins ASA STARS Platinum Program
Southern Super Series
Bubba Pollard claims fifth Speedfest, four in a row
Late Model Stock Cars
Hoosier releases new F45* tires for Late Model Stocks
