NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Scotty Pollacheck will be flying the colors of the Nitro Fish apparel brand on his Buell beginning at this weekend’s K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago.

 

Pollacheck is the latest NHRA two-wheel racer to join the Nitro Fish team, which also includes 2010 world champion LE Tonglet and the husband and wife Victory Motorsports team of Matt and Angie Smith.

 

A month ago, Pollacheck faced an uncertain future following the sudden loss of his primary backer, but this new marketing partnership with Nitro Fish owner Kenny Koretsky will allow the popular Oregon-based pro to continue his pursuit of the NHRA Mello Yello world championship. After five of 16 events, Pollacheck is ranked No. 9 in the highly competitive class.

 

“On very short notice, we lost support for our program, and we were probably looking at running one or two more races before we’d have to park the bike,” said Pollacheck, a five-time national event finalist. “We were in a really tough spot, but while we were racing in Englishtown, Kenny heard about our predicament. He asked if there was anything he could do to help, and we were able to sit down and very quickly come to an agreement. I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to represent Nitro Fish. I feel like we’re capable of doing some great things together.”

 

With a bright pink and yellow paint scheme and a set of equally vivid custom leathers to match, Pollacheck’s Nitro Fish Buell will be easy to spot at Route 66 Raceway. Though his bike will feature a different look, other elements of Pollacheck’s program will remain the same. He will continue to race as a member of Scott and JoAnne Smalley’s UPI Performance team, which also includes Michael Ray. UPI will continue as an associate sponsor on Pollacheck’s bike, and Matt Smith Racing will continue to supply the team’s V-Twin engines.

 

A native of Medford, Ore., Pollacheck counts among his career highlights earning the 2003 NHRA Pacific Division championship. He also rode the KillaCycle, the world’s fastest electric motorcycle. Since joining the NHRA Mello Yello tour in 2012, Pollacheck has posted four straight top-10 finishes, including a best of sixth in 2013 and 2014.

 

For Koretsky, one of drag racing’s best-known entrepreneurs and philanthropists, the opportunity to assist Pollacheck is very reminiscent of 2010, when he reached a similar midseason agreement with Tonglet. At the time, Tonglet was a 20-year-old rookie who was struggling to find the funding to remain on the NHRA tour. With the support of Koretsky and the Nitro Fish brand, Tonglet won the sport’s marquee event, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, and went on to win the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock Motorcycle title, becoming the youngest rider in the history of the class to do so.

 

“When I think back to what we accomplished with LE Tonglet in 2010, that is probably the most gratifying moment of my career,” said Koretsky, who raced in Pro Stock and Top Fuel. “It still gives me great satisfaction to know I was able to help a young rider and a great family realize their dreams of winning an NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. Scotty isn’t a young kid like LE, but he’s got the same passion for the sport, and he’s a first-class individual, and I admire those traits. With Nitro Fish onboard, he’s got all the tools he needs to be successful, and I’m hoping that we can have the same sort of storybook ending that we had in 2010.”