Bobby Pierce won the 44th Annual Dirt Track World Championship Late Model race on Oct. 19 at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Pierce became the 28th different driver to win the race, earning $100,000 for the victory.
Submitted photo
The 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Automotive Racing Products at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, did not disappoint on Oct. 19 when Bobby Pierce came from the 14th starting spot to win his first career DTWC worth $100,000 to conclude the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season.
Ricky Thornton Jr. of Martinsville, with his third-place finish, clinched the 2024 LOLMDS Championship. The Martinsville driver earned his first career LOLMDS title, which will pay $200,000.
Tim McCreadie, who led the most laps during the race (79) came home in second ahead of Thornton, Devin Moran and Max Blair.
Pierce led the final 17 laps of the race to score his 35th win of the season. He became the 28th different driver in the 44-year history of the DTWC that began in 1981.
McCreadie jumped to the lead at the start of the race and led the first two laps until Davenport seized the lead on Lap 3. Davenport was out in front until McCreadie worked his way back to the point on Lap 6.
McCreadie and Davenport then raced 1-2 until Thornton briefly slipped Davenport for second on Lap 25, but Davenport got back by him a lap later. The second caution of the race flew on Lap 28 for a slowing Wil Herrington. On the restart, McCreadie still held the lead, and at the halfway point, it was still McCreadie showing the way over Davenport and Josh Rice.
With 63 laps scored, it was now a tight battle for the race lead among McCreadie, Davenport and Rice, with Thornton holding down the fourth position. Coming off of Turn 4 to score Lap 64, Davenport was able to edge ahead of McCreadie, but just a few feet later heading into turn No. 1, Davenport’s title bid and race ended with mechanical issues when he slowed, bringing out the caution flag.
On the restart, McCreadie was back out in front, with Thornton running in second. Pierce, who started on the inside of the seventh row, then moved past Thornton and into the second slot. Pierce then was able to get by McCreadie for the race lead on Lap 84 and led the rest of the way to pick up the victory.
“The car was awesome,” said the Oakwood, Illinois, racer who won for the 24th time in career with the LOLMDS. “There was a stretch in the race where I was worried around the halfway point. I sometimes saw those other guys, and they would pull away. I got kind of stalemated, and then I don’t know what happened to Davenport. When that caution came out for him, I had just found that line down there in 3 and 4, and I knew I had to get back down there. I think I restarted fourth and got to third, and it was like 30 laps to go. I was pretty nervous because I knew right then I had a car that could win the race. So I had to calm myself down.
“I knew I had a car that could win, and I just had to catch them guys. I had to keep hitting my lines. There was something about it, I just kept getting better and better. Normally, here you’ll slow down, but the line I was running, and I guess the car kept rotating better and better down there, and at the very end, I found that middle and it just felt awesome,” added Pierce, who just won his second career World 100 a month ago at Eldora.
“I have been eyeing this race since it moved from Portsmouth to here. I thought it was good move. This track can provide some good racing when it’s right. I think we saw a really good racetrack tonight. I saw the hoodies and shirts with the guys’ name on them that have won this race before. There is a mixture of guys who have won this race. Of course (Brandon) Sheppard and Freddy (Smith) have won it a lot. I wanted to be one of those names on the back of those.”
McCreadie, who had an outside shot at second place in the points before the night started, ended up in second at the finish line, falling 8.717 seconds to Pierce in the final 10 laps of the race.
McCreadie had to overcome going to a backup car after hot laps, and per the LOLMDS rules, for the second day of a two-day show was able to maintain his starting spot and was trying to give his car owner Mark Richards another DTWC win, but came up short.
“Yeah, my guys did a great job,” McCreradie said.” They always do a great job. They give me great equipment to run, and when we get out there, it’s up to me try to bring it home. I came up a little short. I didn’t know where Bobby was, but I assumed he was up on the cushion. I was up there 90% of the time, and we just kind of faded a little. I needed some timely yellows, and when I got them, we fired back off. We pulled this car out, and I don’t even remember when we last ran when ran this one, it was probably May or something, and having to switch a bunch of stuff over and to get no hot laps before the feature, it was pretty cool for this team to pull this off. I was hoping to get them one, and it didn’t work out.”
Thornton, who entered the night needing to finish in sixth place or higher to clinch the championship, never fell outside of the top five the entire race. He had a scary moment when he brushed the Turn 2 wall while running second, which led to right rear quarter panel damage on the Koehler Motorsports car.
“I got into Turn 3, and honestly thought the right rear was flat. It kind of laid over in the right rear, and I’m like ‘Man, I really just gave this thing away. I don’t know if I want to come back in the pits, if it Is a flat. I’d been better off to go out the back gate,’” he said. “It took a lot of hard work and determination. My job is pretty easy getting to wheel this thing. Overall, I get all the glory, and they do all of the hard work. So, this is definitely a big team effort, everyone at Koehler Motorsports. It’s pretty awesome.
“This car ran flawless during this playoff deal,” he added. “Chris Madden (crew chief), without him, I don’t think we could have won this. He has been a great leader for our team and just really helped us try to stay as a whole team. I had input this weekend, but I told him, ‘This is your racetrack,’ and we are better off letting him make the decisions.”
Completing the top 10 were Josh Rice, Hudson O’Neal, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Bronson and Daulton Wilson.
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]
