PSM VETERAN POLLACHECK CAPS DREAM WEEKEND WITH U.S. NATIONALS WIN

Written by Tracy Renck, photos by Roger Richards, Burghardt Photos, NHRA    Mon, 2020-09-07 07:55

 

This will be a weekend Scotty Pollacheck will never forget.

The veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle pilot won his first NHRA national event in storybook fashion on his Gen 2 Erik Buell Racing motorcycle.

The Oregon native qualified No. 1 and then swept through the competition to win the Denso U.S. Nationals Sunday at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

Pollacheck clocked an event-best 6.790-second elapsed time at 200.53 mph to defeat Pro Stock Motorcycle’s all-time victory leader and reigning world champion Andrew Hines out of the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson stable.

“This is insane,” said Pollacheck, who was competing in his 132nd career PSM national event. “What a weekend. We had career-best ET and career-best mph joined the 200-mph club, reached the finals of the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle and then won the U.S. Nationals. It was incredible. That bike is amazing.”

Pollacheck, who has Strutmasters as his primary sponsor, had lost in his previous six final-round appearances.

“I feel like the oldest late bloomer on the planet and to get the U.S. Nationals as my first win is great,” Pollacheck said. “There have been so many people who have put in so much work and effort to get us here. This just means so much to get this win and I can’t thank the people who have helped me enough.”

Pollacheck wasn’t to be denied a Wally on Sunday. He defeated Michael Phillips, Angelle Sampey, Steve Johnson, who broke at the starting line, and then Hines, a six-time world champion and winner of a class record 56 national events. Hines had a 24-5 career elimination round against Pollacheck before they met in the final round for first time.

“I just kept saying over and over we just have to repeat, repeat do the routine get it done,” Pollacheck said. “Just keep doing like we did the last one. What do you know it worked out. What an amazing weekend we had. This is the best weekend we could have hoped for. It’s amazing. I can’t believe it.”

Pollacheck is part of the Matt Smith Racing team. Smith, a three-time world champion, is sponsored by Denso and now he has been a part of four U.S. Nationals wins. Smith won twice, teammate John Hall accomplished the feat in 2013 and now Pollacheck in 2020.

“We’ve been very successful at the U.S. Nationals,” said Smith, who lost in the second round Sunday to Hines. “I’ve won here twice and got one taken away and we had the John Hall win and now Scotty’s. It’s a pretty awesome deal and I’m glad to give Scotty his first win.”

Smith won the $25,000 Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle Saturday.

In the final six races in 2019, Pollacheck won four rounds, highlighted by his semifinal finish in Las Vegas.

Pollacheck’s best effort this season in the two prior events – Indy 1 and Indy 3 – was a semifinal loss to Sampey at Indy 3.  

Pollacheck rode a Suzuki for the Underdahl-Stoffer Pro Stock Motorcycle team in the 2017 and 2018 before joining forces with Matt Smith again in 2019. Pollacheck joined the Underdahl-Stoffer Pro Stock Motorcycle team in 2017 after having an alliance with Matt Smith and riding a Buell for several seasons.

The final round rocket ride Pollacheck was on didn’t surprise Smith.

“I told him we are going to tune you up for the finals,” Smith said. “It’s not running what it should be running with the tailwind and I told him to be ready and it did it.”

Pollacheck took the lead off the starting line and never looked back. When Pollacheck arrived back at the MSR hauler, the joy was obvious.

The only question left was how he was going to celebrate.

“I’m going to start with this,” said Pollacheck while taking a swig of an adult beverage.

 

 

 
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