When 14-year-old Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, IL won his first career Super Late Model victory last Saturday Night at Peoria (IL) Speedway, he thanked a multitude of people for his accomplishment; it was like winning the “World 100” said his mom Angie.
This week the youngster sets his sights on a bigger prize, the $10,000 first place money that is up for grabs in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned ‘Spring Shootout” at La Salle Speedway in La Salle, IL.
“The Short Cool One” as he is nicknamed comes into his first full-season of open competition late model racing after two successful years racing crate late models. Last year Pierce started 40 Crate feature events, scored 16 wins, and had 37 top five finishes and 39 top ten. finishes So that means only once last year did he fail to finish in the top ten of a feature event, pretty remarkable considering he’s only in the eighth-grade.
Watching 15-year-old Tyler Reddick of Corning, CA captured his first career Late Model win back in February at the DART Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL, caught Pierce’s attention. The young driver was making his first appearance at East Bay and learned a tremendous amount battling against several of the nation’s best drivers, and 60-plus car fields each night. He took notice that if Reddick could win, why not him at a year younger? Well it happened last Saturday Night.
His father, National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer and fan favorite, Bob Pierce, has been there from the beginning. Starting the younger Pierce in quarter-midgets, to Kidz Modz, then Crates and this year full-time in Super Late Models, he has taught the younger Pierce, that patience is the key.
Even though Pierce came close to making the starting grid for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events at East Bay, he considered the trip invaluable in his learning curve even though he didn’t the crack the feature line-up in five attempts.
“At East Bay, the biggest thing was qualifying, a lot of shows we had to draw for in the past, so this was good for him to gain experience qualifying, racing the crate he learned to be smooth and now with more horsepower he’s adjusted great,” said his father.
While the Pierce family travel up and down the road this season hitting race tracks, the younger Pierce has never been to or raced at is there a concern about burnout for the young man. “If he wants to go and play football, basketball, video games to whatever with his friends, then I don’t mind at all, he’s always in the shop working on the car, but it’s good for him to get away and just be a kid sometimes,” said the elder Pierce.
Tentative plans for the young Pierce is to enter his first “Show-Me” 100 Memorial Day Weekend at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO, a race to be televised on CBS on a taped-delayed basis.
Battling against the best of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is one thing the younger Pierce realizes will only make him a better driver. “I just want to respect the other drivers out on the track, said Pierce, who will be making his La Salle Late Model debut this Saturday. He’s only raced there once and that was in a Kidz Modz two years ago.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will also be in action on Friday Night at 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA for a $10,000 to win show. Current series point’s leader Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN will be attempting to make series history if he wins in Friday Night. Entering the event in the state he was born at, Bloomquist has won the last four Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events dating back to East Bay in February. Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL won four-in-row last year to set the record.