Two Down, One To Go For Pierce On MLRA Weekend Swing

Bobby Pierce has already proven himself to be a short track wizard, but the young driver can go hammer down on the big tracks as well and on Saturday night at the West Liberty Raceway he did just that to dominate the twenty-five lap MLRA Late Model main event.

Twenty-seven Late Models signed in for the evening and the high speed half mile took its toll with four of them scratching, and at least two of them even loading up and leaving due to mechanical issues in the heat races. The heavy rains of the past week challenged the track prep crew and while turns one and two held up nicely throughout the evening, turn three started to chop out likely contributing to the attrition in the main event as well.

Defending MLRA champion Chad Simpson would bring the field to green and while he would get to turn one first it would be Pierce who would rocket off the cushion and to the lead down the back stretch. Simpson would honor the torrid pace though and as the leaders approached traffic already on lap six he looked like he had a run at the leader off the bottom of turn four. Just ahead of them though Jeremy Grady was slowing down the front straightaway and the caution waved with several cars narrowly missing Grady who was coasting next to the wall.

Just two more laps were scored before a scary incident unfolded right in front of the near capacity crowd. Nick Marolf had slowed coming down the front stretch and was looking to pull to the infield where the infield wall ends just past the judges stand and as Jordan Yaggy closed in on him quickly he veered to the right to miss the slowing car. Dave Wada was racing to the outside though and when Yaggy's right rear caught Wada's left front it turned Yaggy nose first into the outside wall where he then executed a series barrel rolls right along the catch fence finally coming to rest at the entrance of turn one. Thankfully both Yaggy and Wada were able to escape injury although Yaggy's #77 looked like it had gone through a metal grinder.

During the red flag period a few more drivers retired to the pit area including Billy Moyer who had been running in the top five leaving just twelve cars on the track for the restart. Pierce would again open up a big lead as the race to watch was for second where Hudson O'Neal now went to work on Simpson. After trying the bottom a couple of times with no success, O'Neal would pull off a daring move around the outside squeezing between Simpson and the outside concrete wall exiting turn four on lap seventeen and when Dave Eckrich stopped in turn one after shredding a a left rear tire it looked like the stage was set for a battle between the two young guns, Pierce and O'Neal.

That wish was short lived though when O'Neal lost several positions in turns one and two on the restart and then slowed down the back stretch with a flat right rear tire. After a quick tire change he would rejoin the twelve car lineup and it would now be MLRA point leader Will Vaught moving up to second. Vaught would stay right with the leader for the next two laps even taking a look to the inside of Pierce out of four on lap nineteen. Catching a ripple off four Vaught stumbled just a bit though and that would allow Pierce to again pull away and ride with ease to the checkers. Vaught would extend his point lead as the runner-up, Simpson would join them on the podium in third while Jason Rauen slipped past Jake Neal in the closing laps for fourth. Rich Bell, Logan Martin, O'Neal, Chad Holladay and Mitch McGrath would complete the top ten while Eckrich and Joseph Gorby were the final two cars on the track.

After winning at Stuart on Thursday night before Friday's rainout at Davenport, Pierce now heads to the Quincy Raceways tonight to try to pull off the MLRA weekend sweep.

Bobby Pierce at Stuart on Thursday night - Barry Johnson photo

In support class action Ron Barker drove Keith Simmons' beautiful #38 to a dominating win in the American Iron Racing Series (AIRS) main event. Bruce Yoerger paced lap one with Dan Kessler leading the second lap before Barker took control. When R.J. Lank spun his Edsel in turn one while running fourth on lap seven, three other cars were also involved and eliminated including Yoerger. Matt Hudspeth would edge out Kessler for second as Bart Miller and Dennis Etten also finished the ten lap distance.

The Stock Car feature brought the fantastic crowd to its feet on the twelfth and final lap. David Brandies started from the pole and had opened up at least a half straightaway lead before John Oliver Jr. could get to second after starting fifth. Slowly but surely the defending All Iowa Points Champion would reel in the leader and with two laps to go Oliver would nose ahead of Brandies at the stripe. David would fight back though to reclaim the lead as the white flag waved and as they came out of four to the checkers Oliver again had a run off the bottom. With two of the best in the region now drag racing to the checkers it would be Brandies by half of a car length for the win over Oliver. Michael Peterson was not far behind in third and the score keepers had to watch the race for fourth closely as Johnny Spaw split the middle of Jared Miller and Jason See to get the spot.

Dan Brockert charged from fifth to lead the opening lap of the Sport Mod main event, but he brought the seventh starting Logan Anderson with him and after taking over on lap two Anderson would weather two restarts to take a dominating win. Shane Paris would finish in the second spot followed by Matt Fulton, Brandon Dale and Austin Heacock.

The stands were still half full as the Modifieds closed out the evening for twenty laps that saw Chris Zogg lead each and every one of them. Justin Kay started sixth and got around Kurt Kile for second on lap seven, but he had no luck in closing the gap on Zogg who posted the convincing win. Kile would be a full three quarters of a lap behind Zogg and Kay at the checkers for third, Dakota Hayden was fourth and Jarrett Brown finished fifth.

The Modifieds will be the featured attraction when the DRT Trak Racing Inc. promotional team returns to the West Liberty Raceway on Saturday May 18th with $2,000 going to the winner. The Sport Mods will also have a four figure winners check at $1,000, plus the Stocks Cars, Four Cylinders and AIRS will be in action as well.

Several good options on the table for tonight so after I get the yard mowed I will check the weather and then make a decision. You never know where you might see me except for right here on the Back Stretch!