PSM VETERAN SCOTTY POLLACHECK BACK WITH MATT SMITH RACING 2021

by Tracy Renck    Thu, 2021-02-04 09:25

 

 

Scotty Pollacheck had a season to remember in 2020.

The veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer finished a career-best third in the NHRA season points standings and won his inaugural national event title, capturing the crown at the Denso U.S. Nationals Sunday at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis in September.

Pollacheck will try to continue his success in 2021 as he will be back with Matt Smith Racing piloting a Gen 2 Erik Buell Racing motorcycle, the same one he drove in 2020.

“We are back with Matt and Denso came on as a primary sponsor and Strutmasters is sticking with us for a third year in a row,” Pollacheck said. “We are not really changing a lot. Michael Ray is still going to be the crew guy for us, and Matt is going to do like he always does, the tuning. Last year was awesome other than the (COVID-19 pandemic) that shut down stuff.

“We finally won our first race and the fact that is was Indy and how we did it being the No. 1 qualifier. Getting in the 200-mph club and we beat Andrew (Hines), the winningest guy out there in the finals. It is cool that we get to continue basically right where we left off.”

Pollacheck clocked an event-best 6.790-second elapsed time at 200.53 mph to defeat Pro Stock Hines out of the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson stable.

“My wife (Susan) is going to make it to all the races this year and not miss Indy like she did last year,” Pollacheck said. “She always goes to all the races and she told me I know I’m not going (to Indy) but just go ahead and go win the d*** thing and I did.”

At Indy, Pollacheck also was the runner-up to Smith in the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle before capturing the U.S. Nationals championship a day later. 

Pollacheck also advanced to the finals in St. Louis before losing to Smith.

“It was a great year for us,” Pollacheck said. “The bike was awesome. Everybody on the team did such a good job. We were No. 1 (with Matt), No. 3 with me and No. 5 (with Angie Smith) in the (world standings). We won half of the (eight races on the season). It was pretty phenomenal.”

Pollacheck said he expects to do some test laps prior to the season-opening Gatornationals March 11-14 in Gainesville, Fla.

“There is going to be a lot of different stuff (in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class),” Pollacheck said. “All the four-valve Suzuki stuff and there will be a lot of different stuff out there, nothing stays the same. I think we have good power and good bikes.” 

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.

 

 

 
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