QUINCY, Mich. (Aug. 18) — After failing to pull ahead of fellow front-row starter Devin Moran on the first attempt to start Wednesday’s 40-lap feature at Butler Motor Speedway, Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., needed a little bit of luck to get his 13th victory on this year’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals.
That luck came in the form of a first-lap caution that negated the race’s first start and gave Pierce a second try at getting the jump on Moran. Pierce made the most opportunity, running even with Moran down the front straightaway and using high-side momentum to pull ahead though the first corner.
Pierce cruised from there, running unchallenged on his way to earning a $5,000 victory in first leg of the four-race Michigan swing that wraps up this year’s Summer Nationals tour.
“We kind of got lucky there that first start didn’t go,” Pierce said. “That first corner with Devin was probably the most treacherous thing of the night. Just trying to get ahead of him. He had a really good jump on me that first start.
“We had that second shot at it and I got a really good start that second time. Drove it into one on the top and though it was going to be crummy up there, but they put down just enough water where we had a line up there.”
Adding yet another victory to his career-best Summer Nationals campaign, Pierce padded his commanding points lead in taking the checkers 1.075 seconds ahead of third-starting Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga. Moran of Dresden, Ohio, slid back to third at the finish with Mitch McGrath of Waukesha, Wis., and Rusty Schlenk of McClure, Ohio, rounding out the top five.
Pierce’s 40th Summer Nationals victory of his career was the first the three-time series champion earned in Michigan and came in his first-ever appearance at Butler’s 3/8-mile oval.
“To come to a new track and win feels really nice,” said Pierce, who still has a shot to break Shannon Babb’s single-season win record of 15 races if he sweeps the tour’s final three races this week. “We’ve been doing this Summer Nationals for many years now on and off,” Pierce said. “We’ve been to Michigan a few times. Got a track record at one of the tracks, but never got a win. This feels really nice.”
The race was slowed by five cautions. The first appeared on the opening lap when contact between Thomas Hunziker of Bend, Org., and Eric Spangler of Lake City, Mich., in turn four spurred a mid-pack scramble that resulted in a nine-car pileup. Tanner English of Benton, Ky., who entered the night second in the Summer Nationals points standings, was among the cars knocked from the race by the accident along with Spangler, Hunziker, Rich Ruff of Adrian, Mich., and Hillard Miller of Defiance, Ohio.
The race’s other four yellow flags were all caused by single-car incidents. Jeff Roth of Bentonville, Ark., spun on lap nine, Brandon Lance of Brimfield, Ill., spun in on lap 23, Tim Lance of Brimfield, Ill., slowed on the front straightway on lap 27 and Colin Shipley of Weston, Ohio, spun on lap 36.
Feature lineup
Row 1: Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Ashton Winger, Rusty Schlenk
Row 3: Mitch McGrath, Thomas Hunziker
Row 4: Joe Godsey, Eric Spangler
Row 5: Rich Ruff, Jake Rendel
Row 6: Tanner English, Hillard Miller
Row 7: Jeff Roth, Jacob VanDeVoorde
Row 8: Garrett Wiles, Carter Murday
Row 9: Colin Shipley, Tim Lance
Row 10: Provisional starters
Row 11: Provisional starters
Consolation race
(10 laps; top three transfer)
Finish: Carter Murday, Colin Shipley, Tim Lance, Jim Plotts, Jeff Geis, Jamie Grochowski, Ray Albert, Brandon Lance, Brad Wade.
Heat race results
(10 laps; top five transfer)
First heat: Ashton Winger, Rusty Schlenk, Joe Godsey, Jake Rendel, Jeff Roth, Colin Shipley, Tim Lance, Jamie Grochowski.
Second heat: Devin Moran, Mitch McGrath, Eric Spangler, Tanner English, Jacob VanDeVoorde, Carter Murday, Jeff Geis, Brandon Lance.
Third heat: Bobby Pierce, Thomas Hunziker, Rich Ruff, Hillard Miller, Garrett Wiles, Jim Plotts, Ray Albert, Brade Wade.
Time trials
Driver (car no.), hometown, time
- Ashton Winger (12), Hampton, Ga., 16.205
- Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio, 16.216
- Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 16.315
- Rusty Schlenk (1), McClure, Ohio, 16.424
- Mitch McGrath (74), Waukesha, Wis., 16.641
- Thomas Hunziker (38), Bend, Ore., 16.841
- Jake Rendel (06), Adrian, Mich., 16.860
- Tanner English (81E), Benton, Ky., 16.883
- Hillard Miller (53), Defiance, Ohio, 16.896
- Joe Godsey (14G), Edinburgh, Ind., 16.898
- Eric Spangler (27), Lake City, Mich., 16.922
- Rich Ruff (B4), Adrian, Mich., 17.080
- Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill., 17.093
- Carter Murday (19M), Adrian, Mich., 17.307
- Garrett Wiles (16), Hubbardson, Mich, 17.317
- Jeff Roth (14R), Bentonville, Ark., 17.359
- Jacob VanDeVoorde (9LT), Stryker, Ohio, 17.378
- Jim Plotts (20), Colgate, Ohio, 17.423
- Colin Shipley (44), Weston, Ohio, 17.437
- Brandon Lance (248), Brimfield, Ill., 17.573
- Brad Wade (23w), Dundee, Mich., 17.627
- Jamie Grochowski (15G), Toledo, Ohio, 17.732
- Jeff Geis (T18), Wauseon, Ohio, 18.247
- Ray Albert (B2), Jackson, Mich., 18.892
Wednesday’s schedule
6:00 p.m. - Drivers' meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Modified hot laps/time trials (3 laps)
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Modified heat races (8 laps)
- Late Model heat races (10 laps)
- Modified consolation (10 laps; if necessary)
- Late Model consolation (10 laps; if necessary)
Intermission/track prep
- Modified feature (25 laps)
- Late Model feature (40 laps)
