| The years of questioning Bobby Pierce’s ability to win the Prairie Dirt Classic were laid to rest on Saturday night at Fairbury Speedway.
With a miraculous performance from the rear of the field two times, Bobby Pierce claimed triumph for his fifth-straight Feature win with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models at a crown jewel he’s been itching to win since his first attempt in 2011.
The victory means everything to Pierce, as the “PDC” win marks the first time in the event’s history that a father and son have won the crown jewel race.
“That was the first race that I blacked out and just wanted to get out and do a backflip,” Pierce said. “Matt Curl came to me at Victory Lane and we’ve been through a lot with this race. He’s put on the biggest race in Illinois for a long time now, and I’ve been so close so many times. He came up to the car and that was the first race that I cried after winning, with my dad winning this race five times and to see what this event has become, it’s the first time I got emotional from.”
After breaking a driveshaft on Friday night in Showdown Feature #2, Pierce had to use a points provisional on Saturday to start the 100-lap Feature from 24th position.
At the front of the field, a wide cast of drivers battled for the lead, with New Berlin, IL’s Brandon Sheppard taking early command over Bloomington, IL’s Jason Feger, Winfield, TN’s Mike Marlar, Chatham, IL’s Brian Shirley and Watertown, NY’s Tim McCreadie.
Those drivers could not hold back Mooresville, NC driver Nick Hoffman, who cut through each driver with precision and eventually grabbed the lead over Sheppard on Lap 21.
Meanwhile, Pierce used any and every lane and opportunity that arose to put his No. 32 closer to the front of the field.
While Hoffman set the pace at the front field with Shirley and McCreadie following behind the NOS Energy Drink No. 9, Pierce continued to drive through the field with the leaders in his eyesight.
He got to as high as fourth place until he clipped the left rear of McCreadie on Lap 60, spinning in Turn 4 to bring out the caution. The spin put him back to 19th with 40 laps to go.
Then, the hunt was on again for the 2023 Series champion, using a mix of the top and bottom lanes to try and fight his way back to the front.
At the front, Martinsville, IN driver Ricky Thornton Jr. had already performed a similar comeback from 21st position to challenge Hoffman for the lead. But with 10 laps to go, after having bounced off the front stretch wall a couple of times, Thornton pulled off the track with a broken driveshaft that ended his chances at back-to-back PDC wins.
Thornton’s loss was Pierce’s gain, as he sat in a primed position to chase glory in the event with single-digit laps remaining. He had to battle Marlar for second place by using every inch of the top lane to gain a run off of Turn 4 and have a clear shot at Hoffman.
Pierce only had one chance to take the lead from Hoffman, and that presented itself with the white flag waving in the air. In his usual gasser style, Pierce ripped around the cushion of Turns 1 and 2 to pass Hoffman and cross the finish line as the champion of the Prairie Dirt Classic.
“I definitely had to take more chances than before,” Pierce said. “I’m not in the tight points battle and I thought about that early in the race. I didn’t think I’d be able to get to the lead from 23rd even though everybody was saying I could do it. When I spun with 40 laps to go, I thought I lost the race because I should’ve been more patient. It took dicey moves to get to the front. To come back from that, this means everything.”
Hoffman came home second after the stinger of a finish. However, the results cut his gap to Sheppard, the Series points leader, to 26 markers heading into Wilmot Raceway. Hoffman also leaves with $59,000 in the bank for leading 79 laps in the Feature.
“I don’t know if there’s anything I could’ve done differently,” Hoffman said. “(Bobby) is the best at running the cushion in Late Model racing, he knew where I was going and he got clear of me on Turns 1 and 2, so for him to come back as far as he did there.
“The car was as good as I could make it. When we first started, I fired off really good and thought if it was a bad sign to be good so early then be terrible late. But once the track began to slow down there, I could run my middle lane, I still felt good. Knowing this track will change three or four times throughout that 100-lap race, I was chasing grip and slipping off the corner. If someone was gonna make it happen, it was going to be through Turns 1 and 2 and (Bobby) was able to do that.”
Fayetteville, NC driver Daulton Wilson picked up his first career Prairie Dirt Classic podium in his second career start in the Fairbury event. Wilson considers the night a win for him after consistently racing inside the top 10 throughout the night and mustering a late charge to take third place.
“I got in line there with everybody,” Wilson said. “I was just trying to not lose too many spots and hold my spot there. Once the track slowed down because the top was so treacherous, we were able to gain some ground.
“It’s like a win for us. This place has not been kind to me. We’ve made the races, but haven’t contended for wins here. We ran good in our Feature (on Friday), and to finish second and third with the caliber of cars here, we’ve had a good car but not the luck. To go home and build on this trip, I’m happy.”
Marlar finished fourth, and Manhattan, KS driver Chase Junghans cemented the crown jewel race’s top-five finishers after a 10-place climb from a 15th starting spot.
RECAP NOTES:
Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Ethan Dotson
Last Chance Showdown Winners: Dennis Erb Jr, Devin Moran, Shannon Babb
Prairie Dirt Shootout Winner: Garrett Alberson
Bilstein Pole Award: Jason Feger
Fox Factory Hard Charger: Bobby Pierce
Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models travels continue with a week of racing in Wisconsin as the Series makes its debut at Wilmot Raceway on Monday, July 29, before traveling to Cedar Lake Speedway for the USA Nationals on Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 1-3. |
