EASTABOGA, Ala. — The first winner on the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series since the national tour landed a new title sponsor approves of the beverage.

“That tastes like America,” Bobby Pierce said in Talladega Short Track’s victory lane, shortly after he climbed atop his red No. 32 car, shook up a pair of Real American Beer cans, opened them, smashed them together and then guzzled one heading for his interview.

For the series points leader from Oakwood, Ill, it also tasted like victory. A lucrative victory.

Taking the lead on the 14th lap and leading the rest of the Alabama Gang 100, Pierce collected $50,000 and his first megapurse victory of the season by keeping fellow second-row starter Zack Mitchell in check in the late stages at a third-mile oval where passing was at a premium.

Pierce, the winner of eight races paying at least $50,000 last season, took the checkers 0.726 of a second ahead of Enoree, S.C.’s Mitchell while Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., finished third. Upstart Jadon Frame of Winchester, Tenn., posted a national touring-best fourth-place finish with Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., rounding out the top five.

Running mostly unchallenged after unseating polesitter Cory Hedgecock, Pierce’s only tense moments came with slight contact with a slower car just past halfway, then when he found himself scoreboard-watching instead of keeping his attention to his $50,000 task.

"I made that little bobble down there, so probably should just kept my eyes on the racetrack,” he said. “I almost got a little high, but we got it done. This is awesome, an awesome event.”

Mitchell, a Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series winner at Talladega in October, took second from Owens on lap 57, but never got a chance to race with Pierce as a rubber strip developed in the inside lane, providing traction too hard to beat with a run on the outside.

"I kind of knew it was over with when it rubbered there,” said Mitchell, whose $20,000 in earnings matched his career-high. “I got by Jimmy on the restart and got to second, then I feel (the surface) kind of latching up down there and then I started to see that little brown streak down here, too. And I'm like, 'Man, I hate this because we got a really good car.’ But it is what it is.

“I kind of wanted to jump up to the top just to see there one time and try to see if I could go around him, but Jimmy must have been too close to me, so I just, settled in right there in second.”

Owens, who started outside the front row and held the second spot from laps 23-56, posted his second straight podium finish for car owner Bobby Koehler and Mount Airy, N.C.-based Koehler Motorsports.

“That last restart, Zack got by us on the bottom there and really, I just needed to choose the bottom lane,” Owens said, adding it was tricky to make that decision. “I’m just happy to come home with a good third-place finish.

“It's just good to get your confidence up, you know, Bobby and everybody gives us such good equipment. It’s good to get running a little better for those guys and maybe we can just keep it rolling.”

Pierce, who two years ago broke after leading laps 42-45 in the same race, got a degree of vindication with the long-distance victory.

“We all came down and looked at track prep, and, like I said, never had 100 laps here before,” Pierce said. “I thought the top (groove) would have came in a little bit, but once it just gets a little crumby up there; it is what it is. So getting that good starting position, third, and getting to the lead early, that's what I really wanted to do and then just run my race and hang on after that.”

Hanging on meant deciding to patiently ride behind slower cars the final 30 laps, hoping Mitchell couldn’t find a way around him.

“I really didn't know when the cautions came out whether it helped me or hurt me,” Pierce said. “I was locked up behind some (lapped cars), especially there at the end, and then they kind of took off from me. So at the very end it kind of helped seeing green (flag laps). I kind of ran their line. It was a matter of time before that bottom got really, really good and I saw Dennis Erb kind of pull away from me on the bottom there. … It was my race to lose after that.

“The only worry was if that middle (groove) did get cleaned up for a second that allow someone to roll right around the outside. … so I was a little worried, but we got ‘er done.”

Six caution flags slowed the action, the last on the 99th lap when Cody Overton slowed with a flat tire. Ryan Wilson slowed for a lap-18 yellow and Cade Dillard went over the turn-three banking on the 23rd lap, then retired several laps later.

A lap-31 caution fell for a slowing Jake Timm and Michael Page slowed with right-rear suspension damage for a lap-36 yellow. A lap-57 yellow dropped for Brian Shirley's flat tire.

Notes: Pierce notched his third WoO victory of the season and 34th of his career. … The race was the first of the WoO’s newly instituted Coltman Farms Racing Cup, which adds a $10,000 miniseries points fund to the tour’s nine biggest events. …. A mid-race flat tire knocked Ashton Winger out of sixth place. … WoO regular Ryan Gustin had multiple troubles during the night. His team had to change a water pump after time trials, then he had a flat tire leading the third heat and had to take a provisional starting spot in the feature. He finished 12th. … The two-day event was slated to begin Friday before the $12,000-to-win opener rained out; TST action was run in conjunction with NASCAR weekend at the neighboring Talladega Superspeedway. … Home-state driver Sam Seawright, a two-time winner at Talladega this season in the Ice Bowl and Hunt the Front Series action, finished 11th. ... The event marked the last for DIRTVision pit reporter Hannah Newhouse, who is expecting a baby with boyfriend Ricky Arnold. Ashton Smyth will take over Newhouse's duties.