LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Bobby Pierce would simply not be denied Saturday at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas.
Off the heels of two nights soiled by misfortune — a $20,000 victory dissipating Thursday when a flat tire thwarted him from the lead with three laps left to then wrecking in Friday’s heat race — the Oakwood, Ill., turned his luck around by going the distance in a caution-filled Duel in the Desert finale.
Pierce led all 51 laps from the front row for the $40,000 payday, outlasting Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., on a green-white-checkered restart for his second straight Duel in the Desert title. Davenport crossed the checkers 0.970 seconds behind Pierce.
“I love this place,” Pierce said. “I didn’t expect the top to be that fast. But, man, luckily everything held on. Just hats off to my whole crew. We worked so hard. After I made a bonehead move in the heat race (on Friday), we had a lot to fix.
“We had radiator issues, and then had to do a little patchwork. Of course Tommy Scott was feeding me some dark chocolate candy. That was the trick to the night. I ate one every time I raced. It worked out, I guess. Man, we had to find some luck. We got ‘er done. Awesome night.”
The win is not only Pierce’s richest triumph of the season, but his 20th overall victory of the 2022 season. Now, Saturday’s $40,000 night at the office obviously compare to his $100,000 victory last year when Pierce won the $50,000 finale in addition to the $50,000 bonus courtesy of the Karl Chevrolet Double Down Triple Crown program bonus, but the significance of this year’s win is arguably greater.
“This time around I have my girlfriend out here finally, so this celebration will be a lot more fun,” Pierce said. “All of my crew guys did a helluva job. This car was awesome. Man. what a night.”
Setting fast time in Group B with a lap of 17.556 seconds is what ultimately separated Pierce from Davenport, whose lap of 17.632 seconds fell less than a tenth of a second shy of perhaps starting from Pierce’s winning position on the outside front row. Davenport, like Pierce, rolled to the win in his heat race, but since he won the fourth heat, he had to start fourth in the feature.
Pierce, meanwhile, started second by virtue of winning the second heat.
“Wish I got quick time to get the lead there and into clean air, but Bobby did a helluva job,” Davenport said. “It was his luck — every time he’d hit the track he had problems. That’s the only time I really felt like we might’ve diced it up with him. I was hoping maybe I could find a rubber strip before he did. It just never did come, which is awesome. We was all afraid it would rubber up, or for one night anyway, like we did the first time.”
Though Tanner English of Benton, Ky., set overall quick time honors on his way to starting the main event from the pole, he never led a lap and couldn’t keep up once Pierce rocketed into clean air on the initial start thanks to starting on the preferred groove.
Ten cautions fragmented the originally scheduled 50-lap event that went an additional circuit because Amanda Robinson drew the race’s final caution on the final lap as Pierce entered turn three. That ultimately staged a green-white-checkered finish with Davenport trying one last Hail Mary slide job attempt that never had a chance.
Two eight-lap green-flag runs between laps 12-20 and laps 27-35 were the longest such spans without a stoppage all race long. Preston Luckman drew the race’s first caution flag on lap seven as Amanda Robinson (laps 12 and 50), Chase Junghans (lap 20), Tyler Bruening (lap 25), third-running Brandon Overton (lap 27), Kip Hughes (lap 35), Blair Nothdurft (lap 39), Collen Winebarger (lap 43) and Kyle Strickler (lap 45) also caused stoppages along the way, most being for flat left-rear tires.
Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., however, was not one of the many that encountered problems as he crossed the checkers in third for his second podium in his last five national-touring races.
“We made some ground up there, but Bobby did a heckuva job,” Moyer said. “There wasn’t no catching him, it looked like. But we gave it a shot. … Yeah, I was trying to make that middle work. It was kind of coming in on entry there. On exit on both corners you had to be on the outside.
“It was working for us there when I did everything right. For the way the last couple nights went … like last night, we were 10th or whatever, and got lapped. At least tonight we see the end of the race. That makes me feel good.”
Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., earned hard-charger with his 21st-to-fourth performance. The two-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion cut a tire in his heat race that forced him to race through the B-main to make the main event.
Once he did, McCreadie clawed to the front, but it didn’t come all that easily, adding that the 4/10-mile oval had been “one land around the top” with the optimal way to pass being to “squeeze your neighbor into the wall.”
“Tough racing,” McCreadie said. “The absence of the rubber. … That’s just the way it is. Everybody loves it, though. That’s what they like to see. They like to see s–– flying and all kinds of crazy stuff.
“I’m happy with our car. I put myself in a bad spot in that heat and cut both my tires down. We just battled all night long. I just want to thank my guys. They work hard.”
Feature lineup
(50 laps)
Row 1: Tanner English, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Brandon Overton, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Billy Moyer, Cade Dillard
Row 4: Amanda Robinson, Ross Robinson
Row 5: Shane Clanton, Stormy Scott
Row 6: Jimmy Owens, Rodney Sanders
Row 7: Jason Papich, Tyler Bruening
Row 8: Chase Junghans, Blair Nothdurft
Row 9: Kyle Strickler, Zane DeVilbiss
Row 10: Collen Winebarger, Preston Luckman
Row 11: Tim McCreadie, Joey Tanner
Row 12: Jeff Smith, Kip Hughes
Consolation race results
(10 laps; top three transfer)
First B-main: Kyle Strickler, Collen Winebarger, Tim McCreadie, Justin Duty, Cody Laney, John Duty, Josh Cain, Greg Schildmeyer, Kip Hughes, Rob Mayea, Jeff Smith. Scratched: Mercedes Abercrombie, Brody Montgomery.
Second B-main: Zane DeVilbiss, Preston Luckman, Joey Tanner, Tim Lance, Clayton Stuckey, Jeff Schildmeyer, Larry Rametes, Shawn DeForest, Kent Rosevear, Brenden Smith, Steve Stultz, Trent Elliott. Scratched: Dennis Souza.
Heat race results
(Eight laps, top four transfer)
First heat: Tanner English, Billy Moyer, Shane Clanton, Jason Papich, Kyle Strickler, Collen Winebarger, John Duty, Greg Schildmeyer, Tim McCreadie, Jeff Smith.
Second heat: Brandon Overton, Amanda Robinson, Jimmy Owens, Chase Junghans, Cody Laney, Kip Hughes, Rob Mayea, Josh Cain, Justin Duty, Mercedes Abercrombie.
Third heat: Bobby Pierce, Cade Dillard, Stormy Scott, Tyler Bruening, Zane DeVilbiss, Tim Lance, Joey Tanner, Preston Luckman, Steve Stultz, Jeff Schildmeyer, Shawn DeForest.
Fourth heat: Jonathan Davenport, Ross Robinson, Rodney Sanders, Blair Nothdurft, Brenden Smith, Trent Elliott, Larry Rametes, Kent Rosevear, Clayton Stuckey, Dennis Souza.
Time trials
Driver (car no.), hometown, time
Group A
- Tanner English (96v), Benton, Ky., 16.902
- Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 17.178
- Jeff Smith (70), Dallas, N.C., 17.203
- Kip Hughes (60), Enid, Okla., 17.234
- Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 17.296
- Amanda Robinson (4), Georgetown, Del., 17.420
- Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 17.425
- Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 17.465
- Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 17.492
- Justin Duty (15), Mulino, Ore., 17.603
- Kyle Strickler (77s), Mooresville, N.C., 17.618
- Cody Laney (32B), Torrance, Calif., 17.621
- Jason Papich (46P), Nipomo, Calif., 17.627
- Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 17.638
- Collen Winebarger (14s), Corbett, Ore., 17.743
- Mercedes Abercrombie (29), Deming, N.M., 18.109
- John Duty (5), Happy Valley, Ore., 18.185
- Rob Mayea (37), Bend, Ore., 18.377
- Greg Schildmeyer (13), Las Vegas, Nev., 19.478
- Josh Cain (40J), Rio Rancho, N.M., 20.066
- Brody Montgomery (3), Bandon, Ore., no time
Group B
- Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 17.556
- Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 17.632
- Cade Dillard (97), Robeline, La., 17.643
- Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 17.649
- Preston Luckman (77), Coos Bay, Ore., 17.804
- Blair Nothdurft (76), Renner, S.D., 17.875
- Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 17.958
- Rodney Sanders (20R), Happy, Texas, 18.085
- Stormy Scott (2s), Las Cruces, N.M., 18.092
- Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 18.144
- Jeff Schildmeyer (19), Las Vegas, Nev., 18.192
- Kent Rosevear (02), Yuma, Ariz., 18.282
- Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill., 18.320
- Clayton Stuckey (17), Shreveport, La., 18.622
- Shawn DeForest (4P), Lievermore, Calif., 18.631
- Trent Elliott (4E), La Pine, Ore., 18.802
- Joey Tanner (46), Portland, Ore., 19.027
- Dennis Souza (74x), Pescadero, Calif., 19.632
- Steve Stultz (78), Peoria, Ariz., 20.297
- Larry Rametes (11), Beavercreek, Ore., 21.112
- Zane DeVilbiss (18z), Farmington, N.M., no time
Saturday’s schedule
(All times Pacific)
3 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
3:30 p.m. - Track packing
4:50 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
5 p.m. - Competition
- Sport modified consolations (four/10 laps)
- Late Model hot laps and qualifying
- Modified consolations (eight/10 laps)
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Stock car consolations (four/8 laps)
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Intermission
- Late Model feature (50 laps)
- Sport modified feature (20 laps)
- Modified feature (25 laps)
- Stock car feature (100 laps)
