Nelson savors Hobby Stock victory at Merced Speedway

When Bruce “Bubba” Nelson won the Merced Speedway Hobby Stock feature event last Saturday night, he jumped onto the door of his car and raised his arms, bowing to the grandstands like he won the biggest race of his career.

Nelson usually doesn’t race in the Hobby Stock division.

He wasn’t driving his car, either. He borrowed the Hobby Stock his wife, Shannon, usually drives, because she decided to attend a Fresno Grizzlies game that night.

“It’s all fun and games for me,” Bubba said. “There is nothing more exciting than winning a stock car race. I’d rather race than watch. I took her car out for a test drive and won.”

Nelson, 30, is a late bloomer, starting his speedway career 10 years ago.

He moved up from the Hobby Stock division to the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) SportMod division and this year became a rookie in the track’s top division – IMCA Modified.

Interestingly, he has won three of the four times he’s ventured out in his wife’s car this season.

“He made sure everything in the car is in good working order for me,” Shannon said with a laugh. “Now the car is ready for me this weekend.”

The couple has two sons, Bentley and Bryce.

Bubba’s hard-charging attitude, coupled with his colorful post-race antics, have earned him a legion of fans. He’ll do a back flip from the top of his car or jump up on it’s roof – all seeming to go hand in hand with his unforgettable name.

Few people call Bubba by his real name, because that’s his father’s name, and later it would fit perfectly with his driving career.

As a rookie in the IMCA Modified division, Bubba has run well with the top drivers. After a third-place finish on the quarter-mile at Merced, he ventured to Ocean Speedway in Watsonville for the Cecil Memorial race two weeks ago. He took third place to winner Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas while challenging second-place Alex Stanford of Chowchilla.

“I’ve won races in several divisions,” Bubba said. “The biggest accomplishment for me would be if I could win as a rookie in my IMCA Modified.”

Nelson’s rival last year in the SportMod division was Chowchilla’s Rick Diaz, who stayed in that division as Nelson moved on.

“I won quite a few IMCA SportMod races, but I only lost to Rick Diaz and I wouldn’t want to lose to anyone else,” he said. “This year there is a longer list of drivers I’ve lost to, and they are some of the most respected drivers around – Paul and Ramie Stone, Randy Brown, Mike Villanueva, just to name a few.”

Nevertheless, Bubba is fourth in points.

“I’ve done the math. The three drivers in front of me would have to not qualify for the remainder of the season and I would have to win every feature in order to win the championship,” he said with a laugh. “That probably isn’t going to happen.”

The Nelsons are part of the race team that is owned by Michael Shearer and his mother, Margie Mejia. Five Hobby Stocks and the Modifieds driven by Bubba and Villanueva comprise the team.

Bubba works as a welder by day, making hospital doors at Merced’s Safety First. After work, he heads to Shearer’s Atwater garage to work on the cars.

When Saturday night comes, Bubba and Shannon will each be driving their own cars in their own divisions.

“It is hard to drive two different cars in two divisions on one night,” Bubbaexplained. “It is better to concentrate on one car, rather than drive two without success.”

Last year, Bubba went to the IMCA Supernationals in Boone, Iowa, competing with 300 cars for a spot in the main event.

“I didn’t make it to the big show, but I raced a lot and learned a lot,” he said. “My motto has always been, ‘Have fun first and the wins will come.’ That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Saturday Night At Merced Speedway

A full program of IMCA Modified and SportMod racing will highlight the program Saturday night at Merced Speedway. Also featured are the Hobby Stock and Mini-Stock divisions. There will be qualification races and a feature event for each division of cars. Merced Speedway is located in the Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.

Racing begins at 7 p.m. Grandstand Opens at 5 p.m. The program will be approximately three hours long. The cost is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (65 and older) and students (13 to 17) with ID. Kids 6 to 12 get in for $5 and kids 5 and younger get in for free.

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Nelson savors Hobby Stock victory at Merced Speedway."