Catchfence

“Augie Grill Wins Final Blizzard Event, While Bubba Pollard Wrecks Out of Title Contention”

PENSACOLA, FL (September 28, 2009) – Bubba Pollard, Johanna Long and Augie Grill all entered the “Miller Lite 100” Blizzard Series Super Late Model race at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, looking to add to their win record during the season as well as take the championship in the final series event of the year. All three drivers had a shot at the title, with Pollard leading Long by 23 points and having a 44-point advantage over Grill. However, after a lap-one incident took Pollard out of the mix for both the win and the title, Long and Grill went head to head to determine who would win the race and the championship. The two drivers would split the day’s top honors, as Grill dominated the event up front winning the final 2009 series event, while Long was crowned the 2009 Blizzard Series’ Champion.

Pollard’s title hopes were dashed on a lap-one incident. While Grill and Long started on the front row, Pollard’s 12th-place starting position cost him a shot at the win and the title.

“The first problem I had was qualifying back there in 12th,” said Pollard. “I shouldn’t have been back there, so that is my fault. I guess a squirrel gets a nut every once in a while. We had some cars in front of us that shouldn’t have been there, but that is my fault. It is part of it. We came into this place without nothing, and we left with nothing. It is just another race track and just another day. It is part of racing and it happens.”

Up in front, Grill dominated the race from green to checkered, only losing the lead during a yellow-flag pit stop. The victory was his second win in the five-race series.

“It was a good race,” said Grill. “The car in the race was what I was hoping it would be. We did everything we had to. On the way down here, I knew all I could do is get as many points as I could get and let things fall where they fall. This is the same car we won with the race before, then had to clip it, front and rear, between then and now. It is a good car.

“I hate that happened to Bubba,” said Grill on Pollard’s early wreck. “I was looking forward to racing with him tonight.”

Behind Grill, Long ran second most of the event, but found herself in the fourth position towards the end of the race. With the points tightening up after qualifying, Long knew that she couldn’t fall back any further than she was. Her fourth-place finish gave her a five-point advantage over Grill, giving the 17-year-old Pensacola native her first Super Late Model championship and her second championship in a row at Five Flags, as she won the Pro Late Model title there last year.

“This year has been awesome,” said Long. “I couldn’t ask for a better season. It has been Bubba, Augie and myself all year. It stinks for Bubba, since I knew he was going to be up there.

“I knew that I was still racing Augie for the championship, so I had to stay behind him as much as I could. Our car was getting a little free at the end and I wore my tires out. I knew that if another car passed me I wouldn’t have the championship. He (Grill) was just so much better than me on the restarts. I wasn’t too good on them tonight.”

During the final few laps, Long and her crew knew exactly where they needed to be on the track. Crossing the line in fourth, a veteran racer was the first to give her congratulations.

“When I crossed the line, Freddy Query said on the radio that I was the champion, so that felt real good,” said Long. “I was just really excited. I was shocked at first because there are guys out here that have been racing this series for a long time, and for this being my first full-time season in the Super Late Model and win the championship, that is really big.”

Long and Grill are now locked into the 42nd Annual Snowball Derby in December with their top-two finishing positions in the 2009 Blizzard Series’ points.

“It maybe opens the door to try something in qualifying, possibly,” said Grill. “As good as this thing has run in qualifying the last few races, I don’t know if we want to try anything.”

“It is real big to get locked into the Snowball Derby,” explained Long. “You don’t know what could happen in qualifying. You could have the best car there, but on your qualifying lap something can happen that causes you not to make it in the show.

With one of the five 2009 Blizzard Series’ victories to his credit, Pollard finished the season third in points, which is valuable, considering if either Long or Grill qualifies in the Snowball Derby on time, the provisional spot would pass to him.

In the race, Casey Smith finished second to Grill and was followed by Hunter Robbins, Long and Chris Davidson.

Officially Long claimed the title over Grill by five points. Pollard, Smith and Eddie Mercer rounded out the top five in Blizzard Series 2009 points.

The 42nd Annual Snowball Derby weekend will take place December 2nd – 6th at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

For more information about Five Flags Speedway and the 42nd Annual Snowball Derby, please visit www.5flagsspeedway.com or contact the track by calling (850) 944-8400.

- 51 Sports Press Release