Bubba Pollard, a North American short track racing superstar and the Cat Car for Kids celebrity driver in 2025 and 2026, will return to Riverside International Speedway for the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis on July 18, and he\u2019s on a mission to improve his sixth-place finish last year \u2013 by five spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe learned a lot last year,\u201d said Pollard from his Georgia race shop. \u201cIt will definitely help to be familiar with the competitors, the track, tires and all the other elements of the race. We\u2019ve got notes now so we\u2019re not starting at square one. We were impressed with everything about the event last year and especially the other racers. They showed a lot of respect and we appreciate that. We can hit the ground running when we get there this year. If things go as planned we can be more aggressive and, hopefully, end up in Victory Lane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Besides racing in the IWK 250 on Saturday, July 18, Pollard plans to get more seat time at Riverside by entering the 75-lap Dash 4 Cash on Wednesday, July 15 \u2013 adding even more excitement to the kick-off event for the IWK 250 Super Weekend, which runs from July 15-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pollard will be in the #26 Cat Car for Kids presented by Toromont Cat, a teammate to Antigonish\u2019s Donald Chisholm, with both cars fielded by Nova Racing. The Cat Car for Kids livery this year features styling reminiscent of Pollard\u2019s own #26 race car that he runs at top super late model series events all over the United States. Since its inception, the Cat Car for Kids number has matched the year \u2013 and while it\u2019s pure happenstance this year – Pollard freely admits it would be really special to drive the #26 to the top spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d continued Pollard. \u201cIt will be extra meaningful to be in the Cat Car for Kids this year and adds even more incentive to do well. Everything we had heard about the event, the facility, the fans, and the racers before last year\u2019s visit was even better when we got there. We\u2019re looking forward to seeing everyone again and especially visiting with the child patients and their families at the IWK Health Care Centre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cat Car for Kids has become a brand of its own in the IWK 250; Toromont Cat has been the presenting sponsor since its inception in 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToromont Cat is proud to continue our long-standing partnership with Riverside International Speedway in support of the IWK 250,\u201d said Matt Ferguson, Atlantic Region Vice President for Toromont Cat. \u201cThis event has become a summer tradition for our team and a meaningful way to give back to the IWK, which plays a vital role for families across our region. We\u2019re excited to see the Cat Car for Kids on the track once again and to welcome Bubba Pollard back behind the wheel of the #26 car for another memorable race weekend in support of this incredible cause.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pollard follows a long list of renowned celebrity drivers in the Cat Car for Kids since its debut in 2008, including NASCAR greats like Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kenny Wallace, and more. Only two celebrity drivers in 16 tries have bested regional talent; Regan Smith won the IWK 250 in 2008, and Wallace won it in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pollard, 39, hails from Senoia, Georgia. The third-generation driver has over 100 late model victories in some of the biggest and most well-known asphalt super late model races in North America including the ASA Stars Tour at North Wilkesboro, All American 400, Clyde Hart Memorial, Money in the Bank, Oxford 250, Rattler 250 (three times), Slinger Nationals, and Speedfest (four times). He is the only winner of the short-lived Canadian Short Track Nationals in 2018 and 2019. He\u2019s won 14 series championships since 2009 in six series (Miller Lite, Gulf Coast, Southern Super Series, World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, Blizzard Series, and Spears SR National SL Series). In 2024, Pollard made two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, one driving for NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr.; the race was at Richmond Raceway in Virginia \u2013 Pollard finished an impressive sixth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pollard will visit the IWK Health Centre in the days preceding the IWK 250, visiting with patients and their families, and inviting them to sign the Cat Car for Kids as co-sponsors of the car with Toromont Cat. Fans attending the Friday and Saturday shows on the IWK 250 Super Weekend will have a chance to meet Pollard and get his autograph on Friday (July 17) between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Saturday (July 18) as part of the IWK 250 pre-race show, starting at 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IWK 250 Super Weekend kicks off Wednesday, July 15, with the $5k-to-win Dash 4 Cash Pro Stock 75 and the Cross Roads League of Legends. On Thursday, July 16, it\u2019s the IWK 250 Tailgate Party Presented by Coldstream Clear. Friday, July 17, will see the NAPA\/Henry\u2019s Auto Parts 100 for the Auto World MASS Sportsman Series and the Maritime Legends Challenge for the Cross Roads Legends Tour. Saturday, July 18, will see the 18th running of the $20k-to-win IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis \u2013 the 37th \u201c250\u201d at Riverside. With the addition of the Dash 4 Cash, more than $178,000 is being offered in prize monies for the IWK 250 Super Weekend \u2013 making it one of the richest stock car racing events in Canada and, indeed, on the Eastern seaboard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bubba Pollard, a North American short track racing superstar and the Cat Car for Kids celebrity driver in 2025 and 2026, will return to Riverside International Speedway for the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis on July 18, and he\u2019s on a mission to improve his sixth-place finish last year \u2013 by five spots. \u201cWe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29204,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29203\/revisions\/29204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/16\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}