NASCAR Junkie Bernard Pollard Jr. Learns He'll Wave The Green Flag In Nashville, But There's A Problem

Former NFL veteran safety Bernard Pollard Jr., who spent two seasons in Nashville with the Titans and still calls Tennessee home, learned Tuesday that he's been chosen to wave the green flag at this weekend's NASCAR race at Nashville Speedway, but there's a big issue.

The NASCAR junkie, who calls himself the Black Dale Jr. is fired up for the assignment, but climbing into the starter's stand presents a problem. "I'm afraid of heights," Pollard explained as he nodded his head over the news. That's right, Pollard has a dream assignment, but it's going to come with a mental battle.

While some famous people end up waving green flags because they have movies coming out or they just released a new album, Pollard's actually a legitimate new fan of the sport. "Growing up in Indiana I was never introduced to @nascar. I knew about it but didn’t know about it. In 2020 I gave it a try and when I say I’m in love with the sport would be an understatement. I watch weekly and even keep up with it on social media," the Super Bowl champion wrote last week on Instagram.

As if waving the green flag isn't exciting enough for a guy who used to chase down quarterbacks, Nashville will also be Pollard's first NASCAR race. "I NEVER EVER thought anything like this would happen," Pollard wrote about his working relationship with race sponsor Ally.

It would be easy to assume Pollard just became a race fan like a month ago because of his working relationship with a team sponsor, but this actually developed during COVID when the Bonecrusher got hooked on the sport by chance. He watched a race at Martinsville, and that was it. NASCAR fans started helping Pollard understand the nuances of what he's watching, and now the former NFL vet even has a diecast collection.

Four days from now, he'll climb into that stand and live out a dream in the making that developed over the last 12 months.