FLY LIKE AN EAGLE: Bobby Pierce Wins Second Consecutive USA Nationals 

The “Smooth Operator” led 55 laps en route to his third crown jewel win of the 2024 World of Outlaws season 

NEW RICHMOND, WI (August 3, 2024) – 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. 

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

If you can’t make it to the tracks, watch every lap live on DIRTVision. 

SMOOTH SIX-PACK: Bobby Pierce Earns Sixth Consecutive World of Outlaws Late Models Win in USA Nationals Opener
The Oakwood, IL driver ties Steve Francis for 10th on Series all-time wins list

NEW RICHMOND, WI (Aug. 2, 2024) – Bobby Pierce added another piece of history to his World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series resume Friday afternoon at Cedar Lake Speedway. 

The Oakwood, IL driver took the lead from Tim McCreadie on Lap 2 and drove to his sixth consecutive Series victory to open the 37th annual USA Nationals.

He joins former champions Billy Moyer and Darrell Lanigan as the only drivers to win six World of Outlaws Features in a row.

“I like setting records,” Pierce said. “It’s cool. The best of the best have run this Series. We’ve had to do it through two crown jewels, so it hasn’t been an easy one. The car’s been great, and I can’t thank my crew enough.”

Tim McCreadie, the Bilstein Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 25-lap opener, driving away from Pierce’s No. 32 to lead Lap 1.

But as the Watertown, NY driver entered Turn 2 on Lap 2, he slid his car too high up the banking, allowing Pierce to pull even with him.

McCreadie’s bobble was all the “Smooth Operator” needed as he stormed past the No. 1 on the inside lane, taking the lead away as he drove his Longhorn chassis down Cedar Lake’s backstretch.

From there, Pierce survived four restarts, including one with four laps to go to score his 28th career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature win, tying Steve Francis for 10th on the all-time wins list.

Thursday afternoon’s heat challenged Pierce as he aimed for the $6,000 prize.

“I’ve never been in Wisconsin when it’s this hot,” Pierce said. “And we just happened to have a day race. You had to fight the car, and I’m glad it was only 25 laps and not 30, 40, 50, or whatever. 

“It might’ve looked like I was pretty smooth out there, but it was hard to stay out of the bad spots and hit your marks. I was slipping bad there at the end. I knew my tires were gone, and it was getting pretty hard to handle.”

McCreadie settled for second, his best World of Outlaws finish driving for Rocket1 Racing. 

According to “T-Mac,” the difference between him and Pierce came down to what happened on Lap 2.

“I made a big bobble in Turn 1, bobbed out and shoved, and gave it away,” McCreadie said. “I was matching lap times with him. I just made one mistake, and that’s all it takes sometimes. 

“I just want to thank Mark Richards, Steve Baker, Danny (White), Joel (Rogers), Austin (Hargrove), and this Rocket1 team. This is a brand new XR car, version two, and it’s been good since the beginning of last week.”

Kyle Bronson finished third, earning his fourth World of Outlaws podium of 2024.

The Brandon, FL driver passed Nick Hoffman on Lap 18 to reach the final podium position.

“I feel like we were pretty good early,” Bronson said. We were a little too tight early in the race, but as the race went on, it came to us pretty good. It was bottoming out too much at the beginning, but it was pretty good.”

Hoffman finished fourth, cutting the Series points lead to 22 points behind Brandon Sheppard, who finished sixth.

Three-time USA Nationals winner Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Tyler Bruening

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Bruening, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Max McLaughlin, Nick Hoffman

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Ethan Dotson, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Tim McCreadie

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Brandon Sheppard (+10)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models continue the 37th USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway with a second 25-lap Feature on Friday night, paying $6,000 to win. After that Feature is complete, the top 16 drivers in event points will be locked into Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale.

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.

REAPER’S BARNBURNER: Ryan Gustin Wins Friday Night Feature at Cedar Lake Speedway 

“The Reaper” bests Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport amongst a sea of traffic around the 3/8-mile track

NEW RICHMOND, WI (August 2, 2024) – Ryan Gustin continues to win in a spectacular fashion with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models in 2024.

The Marshalltown, IA driver closed out a doubleheader Friday for the 37th Annual USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway by triumphing in a duel between four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport.

Davenport began the night with the early lead while multiple championship contenders suffered issues. Bobby Pierce and Cade Dillard collided off Turn 4, and then Nick Hoffman suffered a flat right rear tire under the same caution while running third.

When the restart ensued, Davenport hopped out to the lead while Sheppard and Chatham, IL driver Brian Shirley worked to close the gap on the driver of the No. 49 Nutrien Ag Solutions Late Model with traffic in sight of the three drivers.

Then, Gustin came into the picture after gathering a charge from his ninth-place starting spot in the Feature to climb his way up toward the three drivers with 10 laps to go.

While Sheppard got by Davenport for the lead, Gustin worked his way around Shirley to create a three-horse battle for the Friday night win.

Using the lapped traffic to his advantage, Gustin slid by Davenport with five laps to go, then got creative, making an opening in traffic to craft a clear lane for the driver of the No.19R Todd Cooney Racing machine to battle Sheppard for the win.

Using a mix of the low lane, then crossing high to cut Sheppard out of leading, Gustin took the lead with two laps to go while the drivers continued to try anything left on the track to solidify their chance of winning.

As the checkered flag flew on the second Feature race of the day, “The Reaper” earned his third World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win of the 2024 season through trials and tribulations that he’ll have to face again to win $50,000 on Saturday night.

“I didn’t want to enter wherever they were,” Gustin said. “When one went high and one went low, I’d go right through the middle and hoped the lapped cars held them up enough. I noticed we closed in quick once the lapped traffic hit, and just not try to stuff it in the fence.

“Tonight was a big Dash race for us, I don’t you’re gonna see that type of pace early (Saturday) night, but you gotta be there for the last 25 laps. The fans are in for a hell of a show, and I can’t wait to get going.”

While Sheppard wanted to finish the night with his fourth Series win of the 2024 season on Friday, the gasser of the No. B5 Dude Wipes Sheppard Riggs Racing Longhorn Factory Team Late Model extended the points gap between himself and Hoffman to 48 points entering Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win showdown at Cedar Lake.

“We got a good balance under our car,” Sheppard said. “We just gotta do the best we can to make the right judgement calls. Hopefully, we have a good setup for (Saturday) to keep it consistent. Definitely let one slip away there. We’re thinking about the points, but you wanna win these races at the end of the day. We get to learn from our mistakes tonight and go try again (on Saturday).”

Davenport finished the night with a third-place result - his first Series podium since 2022 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. “Superman” had to adjust to new track conditions at the New Richmond, WI track as he goes for a prestigious fourth eagle trophy on Saturday night.

“A lot of the traffic was high or low, and the middle was rough for us,” Davenport said. “We were all trying to find the holes to get through. I thought I had good pace there, but they caught me faster than I realized. Those guys came through and showed me where I needed to be, and I couldn’t get back in front of them in time. We learned a lot about our car and about the racetrack. It’s definitely a different Cedar Lake than what I’m accustomed to, but we’ll take it in stride and be a little bit better (Saturday).”

Shirley brought home a fourth-place finish, and Martinsville, IN driver Ricky Thornton Jr. wrapped up the top five from Friday night’s Feature.

With the two Feature races complete, the top-16 locked into Saturday night’s $50,000 USA Nationals finale at Cedar Lake.

Those drivers include: Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Brian Shirley, Nick Hoffman, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Bronson, Garrett Smith, Ricky Thornton Jr, Dustin Sorensen, Brent Larson, Hudson O’Neal, Jason Feger, Ethan Dotson, and Cade Dillard.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Brian Shirley

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Jonathan Davenport, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Garrett Smith, Brandon Sheppard

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Chase Junghans, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Jonathan Davenport

Fox Factory Hard Charger Award: Cody Overton (+15)

FANS Fund Dash Winner: Ricky Weiss

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models cap the crown jewel weekend at Cedar Lake Speedway with the USA Nationals finale on Saturday, August 3. The night will begin with Last Chance Showdowns and two split Dash races to set the lineup for the top-16 cars locked in. Then, it’s the 100-lap Feature worth a $50,000 payday to the crown jewel champion.

Off the track, there will be a cornhole tournament for race fans to participate in at the Cedar Lake Arena at 2:00 p.m. CT, and a driver autograph session at 4:30 p.m. before Saturday’s racing program commences.

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