What won the race: Taking command when early leader Brian Shirley hopped the turn-four cushion on lap 11, second-starting Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., led the final 64 laps to win Saturday's inaugural Illinois Valley Showdown at La Salle Speedway. Pierce beat Ryan Unzicker to the checkers by 2.356 seconds —after Tyler Erb hopped the turn-two cushion on the final lap — to collect the $25,000 payday and his sixth MARS Championship Late Model victory of the season.

Quotable: “I was a bit worried," Pierce said. "ou give Terbo second and not really much to lose, I know he’s gonna go for it on an Illinois bullring and blast the cushion. So I was doing my best to just maintain the lead, not make any mistakes, but still try to drive hard.”

Key notes: Pierce was largely unchallenged en route to his 22nd career MARS victory. ... Ironically, all six of Pierce's 2025 series wins have come in sweeps at the same track, including March 28-29 at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway and April 18-19 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. ... Pierce notched his 16th overallvictory of the season and his third at La Salle after topping May 6's FloRacing Series visit. ... Brian Shirley led the opening 11 laps from the pole before hopping the turn-four cushion and slipping as low as sixth. He marched back to second by lap 43 only to hop the turn-four cushion again six laps later, dropping him as low as seventh before retiring on the 62nd lap; he was credited with 17th. ... Tyler Erb reclaimed the runner-up spot from Ryan Unzicker on lap 67 and railed the La Salle cushion until it bit him at the entrance of turn two on the final lap. Unzicker and Brandon Sheppard slipped by, relegating Erb to a fourth-place finish. ... Dennis Erb Jr. took second when Shirley first jumped the cushion. He pursued Pierce until lap 43 when Shirley's incidental contact sent Erb spinning; Erb was ruled to keep his wheels in motion and recovered to finish sixth after restarting 10th. ... Besides Erb's lap-43 spin, two other cautions slowed the action: Jake Little's hard turn-four wall contact on lap 23 and Tony Jackson Jr. stopping on the backstretch on the 66th lap. Little could not continue, while Jackson completed the top 10. ... The 75-lap main event lasted 31 minutes, with 11 starters completing the distance. ... Austin Howes scratched for the night after a scary rollover crash in the third heat race; Howes's car rolled several times and landed on its roof after Aaron Marrant contacted his right-rear wheel. Both drivers were OK.

On the move: Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., started 15th and finished eighth.

Winner's sponsors: Pierce’s Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Low Voltage Solutions, Rio Grande Waste Services, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Oakwood Tire Center, Churchill Transport, Collins Brothers Towing, K1, Carnaghi Towing & Repair, Toyota of Danville, Floyd’s Waste Systems, PureMax Racing Oil, A Plus Vacuum, Leka Tree Service, Bert Transmissions by Budda, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint & Body Shop, VP Race Fuels, Swift Springs, Bilstein Shocks, Dirt Car Lift and Performance Bodies.

Points chase: After La Salle: 1. Ryan Unzicker (621); 2. Jason Feger (620); 3. Shannon Babb (571); 4. Tony Jackson Jr. (565); 5. McKay Wenger (506).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 59°F

Car count: 32

Fast qualifier: Bob Gardner

Time: 12.560 seconds

Polesitter: Brian Shirley

Heat race winners: Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Ryan Unzicker, Tyler Erb

Consolation race winners: McKay Wenger, Jake Little

Provisional starters: Daryn Klein, Tony Jackson Jr.

Next series race: July 18, Farmer City Raceway (Farmer City, IL) $5,000