| Bobby Pierce continues to ride his rail of dominance this summer with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models.
The Oakwood, IL driver held off a plethora of challenges from the top dirt Late Model drivers in the country for his second USA Nationals victory at Cedar Lake Speedway.
Pierce started on the front row with Blairsville, GA driver Jonathan Davenport to the drop of the Gorsuch Performance Green Flag in the Feature. Davenport led Lap 1 until the caution flew on Lap 2 for current Series points leader Brandon Sheppard, who suffered mechanical issues under the hood.
On the next restart, Davenport got out to the lead until Pierce reeled the No. 49 back in a quick manner. On Lap 3, using the bottom line through Turns 1 and 2, Pierce soared by Davenport to take the lead as the gasser of the No. 32 Megan’s Mission Late Model began to find his rhythm around the New Richmond, WI facility.
Brandon, FL driver Kyle Bronson, who started in seventh at the drop of the green flag, worked his No. 40B up to third as he battled Davenport throughout the Feature for second place while Pierce inflated the gap from the two drivers up to two seconds before catching lapped traffic.
On the final restart, Pierce jumped out to the lead, but MD3 Rookie of the Year points leader Dustin Sorensen made hay by challenging Bronson for the second spot on the podium at a hometown track.
Friday night’s Feature winner Ryan Gustin rallied a late charge toward the three drivers with a run around the high side of the track to make it a four-car battle for the win.
“It as nerve-racking not to have eyes on the back of my head,” Pierce said. “Kyle (Bronson) said Gustin was coming good on the top there. It was an awesome race.”
The Feature was declared official on Lap 56 as massive rainfall found its way to the track surface, cementing Pierce’s 10th World of Outlaws CASE Late Models victory of 2024 and his seventh triumph in eight races.
“It doesn’t get easier the more races you win,” Pierce said. “That whole race, I started searching (for fresh dirt) on the track about 20 laps in. It’s not a good feeling when you’re looking that early in a long race, and I was hurting my tires bad. After I got out of the car, my right rear (tire) was completely smoked. I knew the rain was coming so I was using them up more than normal. It’s nerve-racking because I knew (Bronson) was there. I just did what I had to do to maintain my position, and it was damn close. We definitely had some luck on our side today. It wasn’t as exciting as the PDC win, but it was exciting in the car. It was tough out there.”
Bronson finished second to Pierce, marking his second podium finish of the weekend at Cedar Lake and moving the Floridian up to fourth in the Series standings.
“I felt like we were good,” Bronson said. “I had a really good car. I made a couple of wrong moves there early and I could’ve been there to get (Bobby) at the end. It’s the way it goes sometimes, and we’ll keep building and I’m looking forward to getting to the next races we have coming up.”
Sorensen, of Rochester, MN, rounded out the top three finishers from Cedar Lake for his second podium of his World of Outlaws CASE Late Models season since the Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway in June. The MD3 Rookie of the Year points leader extended his gap to 150 points leaving the USA Nationals weekend.
“I was sitting there in third and saw a couple of lapped cars were running the top,” Sorensen said. “I gave it a shot and it was really good. I was fast through the first two corners, but Bronson was able to get to the bottom through the last two to get back by me. We might have had something for them had we gotten a couple of more laps.
“We knew this was gonna be tough and a good challenge. We’ve gotten better through the year, and it’s been pretty steady with the gains made. There’s been some bumps and struggles, but this gets me excited for the rest of the year. I want to win one of these races.”
Gustin, of Marshalltown, IA, finished fourth, and Davenport solidified the night’s top five finishers from the Saturday night finale.
RECAP NOTES:
Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Cade Dillard
Last Chance Showdown Winners: Tyler Bruening, Tyler Erb
Late Model Dash Winners: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Last Chance Qualifier Winner: Sam Mars
Fox Factory Hard Charger Award: Cade Dillard (+12)
Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their final trips to Illinois and Iowa with three tracks in four days, beginning with the Beat The Heat 50 at Highland Speedway (Aug. 14), Spoon River Speedway (Aug. 15), and two nights of the Hawkeye 100 at Maquoketa Speedway (Aug. 16-17). Use code PIERCE32 to get $5 off your ticket to Spoon River and Maquoketa when you buy them here. |
