7.25.21 UMP DIRTcar Late Models Summernationals Results
Inching closer and closer to a fourth DIRTcar Summer Nationals title with his 11th Feature win of the season Sunday night at Richmond Raceway, Bobby Pierce also made a bit of personal history, reflective of the great success he’s had thus far in his career.
In 2016, Pierce won a season-best 11 Features en route to his second Hell Tour championship in two years. With just seven races remaining on the 2021 schedule, 11 wins and a 186-point lead, Pierce will now go for a new personal best single-season win total before the end of the tour next month.
“It feels great to get my 11th win,” Pierce, of Oakwood IL, said in Victory Lane. “We’ve got seven races left to go, so hopefully we can break it.”
The debut at the 3/10-mile of Richmond, known as The Beast of the East, was a dominant one for Pierce, who led all 40 laps unchallenged for the $5,000 prize. Several caution flags were thrown over the course of the race, forcing Pierce to be good on restarts.
“My dad was signaling me down the backstretch, and every restart I kinda pulled away, even though I didn’t feel great off of Turn 2. It was just so slick out there – this place is really slick,” Pierce said.
Ashton Winger rode third for the opening five laps before getting a run on Tanner English for second, where he stayed to the checkered. English held on for third, Joe Godsey bagged his fifth top-five of the season in fourth and three-time Richmond track champion Derek Fisher rounded out the top-five.
Pierce will also get the opportunity to break another record before the season’s out. Four-time champion Shannon Babb owns the record for the most wins in a single-season at 15, which he set back in 2005. Pierce can both tie and pass Babb, but has to win at least five of the remaining races.
Richmond Raceway
Feature (40 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[1]; 2. 12-Ashton Winger[4]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[3]; 4. 14G-Joe Godsey[6]; 5. 38-Derek Fisher[8]; 6. 11-Tommy Bailey[7]; 7. D8-Dustin Linville[9]; 8. 38H-Thomas Hunziker[14]; 9. 12J-Jason Jameson[12]; 10. 21-Kirk Phillips[2]; 11. 74-Mitch McGrath[10]; 12. 14R-Jeff Roth[5]; 13. 118-Mike Fenton[17]; 14. 248-Brandon Lance[18]; 15. T22- Tegan Evans[16]; 16. 83-Scott James[11]; 17. 11W-Jeff Watson[13]; 18. 16-Justin Rattliff[15]; 19. 15-William Byrd[20]; 20. (DNS) 13-Brayton Laster
Qualifying (2 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce, 00:14.420[4]; 2. 83-Scott James, 00:14.615[15]; 3. 14G-Joe Godsey, 00:14.736[12]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger, 00:14.822[18]; 5. 38-Derek Fisher, 00:14.891[7]; 6. 81E-Tanner English, 00:14.895[14]; 7. 74-Mitch McGrath, 00:14.902[11]; 8. 21-Kirk Phillips, 00:15.006[13]; 9. 12J-Jason Jameson, 00:15.043[5]; 10. 11-Tommy Bailey, 00:15.045[1]; 11. 14R-Jeff Roth, 00:15.185[10]; 12. 16-Justin Rattliff, 00:15.265[9]; 13. T22-Tegan Evans, 00:15.394[16]; 14. 38H- Thomas Hunziker, 00:15.403[19]; 15. D8-Dustin Linville, 00:15.599[2]; 16. 11W-Jeff Watson, 00:15.783[6]; 17. 118-Mike Fenton, 00:16.254[17]; 18. 248-Brandon Lance, 00:16.254[8]; 19. 13-Brayton Laster, 00:17.204[20]; 20. 15-William Byrd, 00:19.158[3]
Heat 1 (10 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[1]; 2. 12-Ashton Winger[2]; 3. 11-Tommy Bailey[4]; 4. 74-Mitch McGrath[3]; 5. 11W-Jeff Watson[6]; 6. T22-Tegan Evans[5]; 7. 13-Brayton Laster[7]
Heat 2 (10 Laps) 1. 21-Kirk Phillips[3]; 2. 14R-Jeff Roth[4]; 3. 38-Derek Fisher[2]; 4. 83-Scott James[1]; 5. 38H-Thomas Hunziker[5]; 6. 118- Mike Fenton[6]; 7. 15-William Byrd[7]
Heat 3 (10 Laps) 1. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 2. 14G-Joe Godsey[1]; 3. D8-Dustin Linville[5]; 4. 12J-Jason Jameson[3]; 5. 16-Justin Rattliff[4]; 6. 248-Brandon Lance[6]