Hence and Reba Pollard

 Like a lot of people my age, I tend to tell the same stories over and over. I do try harder as time goes by to be consistent with those stories and not get the facts confused.

 Some of what you’ll read here, assuming you’re still with me, has appeared before on blogs and other places I write.

 This Saturday night marks the Hence and Reba Pollard Memorial at Senoia Raceway, a major race program topped by a $10,000 to win Late Model feature.

 Some folks might not be big fans of memorial races. I’m all for them, especially when it comes to Hence and Reba Pollard.

 As I’ve often said, Hence had a hand in getting me started as a racing reporter. (My dad obviously had a big role in that as well, but that’s a story for another day.)

 Back in the early 1970s, I loved to hang out at Paul Lamb’s Grocery in my hometown of Inman. Hence Pollard was often in the area cutting timber and would stop in at the store. Like his son, current track owner Sonny Pollard, Hence was a workaholic and kept several successful business ventures going at the same time.

 One day I was at the store and Hence was there. As he was leaving, he asked me to step outside to his truck. He handed me a season pass to his track, Senoia Raceway.

 He was quick to point out that there were no strings attached; he just wanted me to be there because he knew I loved racing and talked it up any chance I got.

 Still, I felt like I owed him something in return, so I began compiling race results – first for just Senoia then later for other short tracks in the area.

 I provided them to newspapers and radio stations, without any compensation at first. (My first payday came from Martha Swims at Dixie Speedway, who would occasionally give me $75 in cash. For that, and lots of other reasons, I’ve always been a big fan of hers and consider her one of the unsung heroes of Georgia automobile racing.)

 Back in the mid-70s, I liked to spend time around Hence, especially at the race track. Like his son today, Hence’s main goal was to provide a place for his friends to race and for fans to have an enjoyable experience.

 I suspected back then that Miss Reba was more involved on the business end of the race track, just as Sonny’s wife Vickie probably is today.

 Like Miss Vickie today, Miss Reba also loved her racing and the people who were a part – large and small – of the Senoia Raceway family.

  After the race track was sold following Hence’s death, Miss Reba remained a big part of my family’s life. She and my dad were in the same class in school, so there was that connection.

 And she and my wife Joanne became close friends, as our house was on Miss Reba’s mail route. It wasn’t uncommon to see Joanne and Miss Reba visiting by our mailbox, neither of them appeared concerned that they were getting behind on their work.

  While running her mail route, Miss Reba died from injuries suffered in a tragic highway accident not far from my house. It has remained some comfort to me that my late great uncle Donald Harp, who knew Miss Reba, was there to talk to her just after it happened.

 Sonny Pollard has asked me several times this year if I think his dad would be proud of what he and the family have done with the race track.

 I’ve assured him that he would be. I also think he and Miss Reba would be proud of all the Pollard family as well as all the current staff members, drivers, car owners and fans who can trace their connections to the track back to the time when Hence and Reba were running the show.

 Saturday night will be meaningful for a lot of people, myself and my family included.