By Matthew J. Sullivan

The Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series' Winter Showdown at Bakersfield, California's Kern County Raceway Park proved to be an exciting event that came down to the checkered flag. Georgia super late model ace, Bubba Pollard held off a late charge by Washington's, Parker Stephens to take the win. Pollard had also been the victor in the inaugural running of the event in 2016. Pollard victory gave him the $30,000 winner's purse as well as an additional $10,000 bonus that was provided by Coors Light and Speed51.com

The big money Showdown has provided a huge boost for everyone interested in super late model racing on the west coast. While the region has a rich history of prestigious events, it has been several years since a race has managed to attract the type of talent that the Winter Showdown has. Events such as the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway, the Rose Classic at All-American Speedway and the spring and fall open competition races at Shasta Speedway attracted drivers from all over the country.

Over the years, things changed. The Copper World Classic open race became a NASCAR Southwest Tour Series event and the event sadly came to a demise in the mid-00s. The Rose Classic drew top talent but it faded into the ether. The spring Nor-Cal 150 and fall Western 150 open comp races at Shasta Speedway went the way of the dodo.

In a very short time, the Winter Showdown has become one of the top super late model events in the entire country. In addition to Pollard, several other drivers drove across the country to try to win the race including Cole Anderson, Dalton Sargeant, Preston Peltier, Steven Wallace and Todd Gilliland. 38 cars started the 250-lap event which had a total of 50 pre-entries.

The Winter Showdown has proved to be a draw for the best super late model racers in the United States and the exciting thing is that the event has the potential to be bigger and better next year and well into the future. The popular Lucas Oil Modified Series joined the schedule on Saturday night and provided an exciting race. The possibility of adding another series to the Winter Showdown such as the Pacific Challenge Series or adding a big money Legends event would only add to the event's attraction for west coast race fans.

It is almost certain that officials with the SRL and Kern County Raceway Park are planning on how to make the 2017 running of the Winter Showdown bigger and better. Race fans better make certain to not miss out next year.