NORTHEASTERN HAT TRICK: Bobby Pierce Sweeps PA-OH Races With Sharon Speedway Win
Pierce becomes the first driver since 2020 to win four World of Outlaws Features consecutively

HARTFORD, OH (July 13, 2024) – Bobby Pierce continued to prove why he is one of the top dirt Late Model drivers in the country through the weekend in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The Oakwood, IL native picked up his eighth World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models victory after a duel between fellow Illinois drivers Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, Dennis Erb Jr, of Carpentersville, and Brian Shirley, of Chatham.

Beginning the night from the second row, Pierce got by Shirley on the high side of the track while he rode behind Erb and Sheppard in his No.32 Low Voltage Solutions machine.

Sheppard prevailed against Erb on the high side with Pierce following the tire tracks of the No.B5 Longhorn Chassis to get by Erb.

Pierce began to pick up forward movement on Sheppard as the race progressed. His first attempt to pass Sheppard was blocked by a lapped car in Pierce’s line which forced him to gather the car back up for a second chance.

His second chance to take the Feature lead proved to be a success when Sheppard jumped the cushion in Turns 1 and 2, allowing Pierce to get a run on him on the bottom of Turn 3 and completing the pass for the lead.

Pierce expanded the distance to Sheppard to over three seconds while searching for ways to maneuver around the packs of lapped cars competing around him.

Conquering the northeastern swing with ease, the “Smooth Operator” got his 26th Series triumph and became the first driver since Sheppard in 2020 to win four consecutive races.

“That track was tough tonight,” Pierce said. “I kept thinking if we made the right tire choice again because Brandon was on a completely different tire. But, I could tell he was driving hard and I wasn’t pushing as much as he was. So, it had me a little worried but he was getting tight and I was cutting through the corner pretty good. That’s when my chance came and got around him through the slide. 

“It was a fun race to have the bottom and top so when you got into a battle, it was hard for me to pass a guy like Chub Frank around the bottom. The track really transitioned there and it was nice to have a track that moves around like that.”

Sheppard picked up the second-place result, his third in four races. With the performance displayed, “B-Shepp” grew his lead in the Series standings to 52 points over Mooresville, NC driver Nick Hoffman.

“It was tough out there,” Sheppard said. “We were rolling good in the first half, but once the fresh dirt went away I was super free. The changes we made to the car just did not activate when it got slick so it hurt me there. Overall, it was a pretty good night. I’m getting tired of finishing second, but you can’t complain about finishing second. Bobby’s the best in the country so we gotta step up our game.”

Marshalltown, IA driver Ryan Gustin finished the night with his fourth third-place finish in the last five races. Rolling off the Feature from a sixth-place starting spot, “The Reaper” made steady gains through the 50 laps to end the weekend a podium finish in every PA-OH event.

“We faded pretty bad late in the run,” Gustin said. “Those guys could take off and we couldn’t, it just wasn’t our night. It’s nice to be on the podium for sure, but we’re here to win. We didn’t come to run second or third, we just gotta get our car better, that’s really all there is to it.”

Shirley finished fourth, and Brandon, FL driver Kyle Bronson solidified the night’s top-five results from the Hartford, OH track.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Ryan Gustin

Simpson Quick Time Award: Bobby Pierce

Heat Race Winners: Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Ryan Gustin

Last Chance Showdown Winner: Chub Frank

Bilstein Pole Award: Dennis Erb Jr

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Nick Hoffman

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to Illinois for the second time in 2024 for the 34th Annual Prairie Dirt Classic from Fairbury Speedway on Friday and Saturday, July 26-27. The top dirt Late Model drivers in the country will compete for a $50,000 payday and add their name to the historic list of winners in the event.

For more information on the event and the remaining 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

SHARON SMOOTH: Bobby Pierce Wins 25th World of Outlaws Feature at Sharon Speedway 
The reigning Series champion worked his way back to the lead in a $10,000 payday 

HARTFORD, OH (July 12, 2024) – Bobby Pierce has found his stride and nothing is slowing him down. 

After a hiccup that had Pierce work from a setback, the Oakwood, IL native won his seventh World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models Feature of 2024 at Hartford, OH racetrack Sharon Speedway. 

Pierce began the 40-lap Feature from the pole but immediately dropped back to fourth after missing his mark into Turn 1, opening the door for Marshalltown, IA driver Ryan Gustin to take the lead. 

The labor was laid out for Pierce to carve his way back towards the lead by overtaking Robeline, LA driver Cade Dillard for third, then took over second place from Mooresville, NC driver Nick Hoffman. 

Pierce kept the train chugging towards the lead as Gustin got caught behind lapped traffic in his racing line, evaporating the three-second lead the No.19R once held. 

Using a slide job through Turns 3 and 4, Pierce took his No.32 machine to the top of the scoring pylon with the crossed signals from the flagstand marking the halfway point of the Feature. 

Pierce never relinquished the lead once he took full command of the Feature by slicing through the traffic to expand his lead by over one and a half seconds over the field as the “Smooth Operator” locked up his third consecutive Series win in July. 

“The start was sketchy and had me a little nervous,” Pierce said. “I was like ‘f***, we screwed ourselves,’ it was slimy when we took the green and the hard tire did not like that. But, we finally got going and started digging and I saw Gustin was about half a straightaway ahead of us. We were reeling him in, so once I slid him and got clear off of Turn 4, I got that clean air and then it felt bad in the last 10 laps. 

“This place gets really slick and super icy, and most tracks aren’t like that so it was tricky. The car was great. Fortunately, we didn’t lose too many positions, but it worked out and I can’t wait to see what the place is like for a 50-lap race tomorrow.” 

Dillard worked his way up toward a second-place finish as Hoffman slipped and lost multiple positions late in the running. 

“We were fortunate with where we started,” Dillard said. “We had a really good car. Obviously, Bobby has been lights out so to run second to him is good for us. We needed a good run with all the bad luck lately. Hopefully, we can do better tomorrow night but I’ll take a podium finish all night long.” 

Gustin secured a podium spot after losing momentum from Pierce taking the lead from him. “The Reaper” will try again to win $15,000 at the Hartford, OH track on Saturday night. 

“We missed it a little bit on the setup,” Gustin said. “It is what it is. It’s what these two-day shows are like. If you don’t win the first night, you learn from it and go on to the next one.” 

Brandon, FL driver Kyle Bronson finished fourth to score his seventh top-five finish of the 2024 season, and Hoffman finished fifth to wrap up the night at Sharon. 

RECAP NOTES: 

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Brian Shirley 

Simpson Quick Time Award: Ryan Gustin 

Heat Race Winners: Ryan Gustin, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Nick Hoffman 

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Dave Hess Jr 

Bilstein Pole Award: Bobby Pierce 

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Gregg Satterlee 

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models get set for a $15,000 showdown on Saturday night at Sharon Speedway on July 13. Including the on-track action, the track will feature several off-track activities for fans on Saturday, including a cornhole tournament at noon (ET), water games in the campground on 2 p.m. and an autograph session at 4:30 p.m. 

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.