AUTO RACING: Pierce rolls into Gateway Dirt Nationals

OAKWOOD — Right after a historic period with the UMP Late Models, Oakwood racer Bobby Pierce is focusing on ending a huge yr.

Pierce received his fifth UMP Late Product period title, a feat no racer has done before. He also won the UMP Summernationals title for the fifth time, now just driving 6-time winner Billy Moyer.

“Following the Hell Tour (Summernationals), you pick up year details and any Entire world of Outlaws race, you get points as properly and I won a few of all those races,” Pierce claimed. “It all adds up. You know where by you are at, but you really do not know what you might be at. We had a fairly dominant 12 months and two several years in a row, we have had some wonderful achievements.”

For Pierce, who began racing at the aged Vermilion County Speedway and raceways throughout the state as a kid, fulfilling some large feats

“As a kid when you start out out with nearly anything, you get started out with goals and hope they transform into truth one particular day,” Pierce claimed. “As you get more mature, it results in being your organization, you are driving to make it perform and you ignore about using a action back and wanting back at almost everything.”

He also had to adhere to in the footsteps of his father, Hall of Fame racer Bob Pierce, who allows him on his crew.

“I have to thank my dad. With out him having me into the sport, I really don’t know what I would do and to all my sponsors simply because it usually takes a good deal,” Pierce stated.

Whilst most racers in the area have parked their cars and trucks for the wintertime, Pierce has saved rolling. He repeated as winner of the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas a pair of months ago and received $40,000.

“A whole lot of persons say they go to Vegas to win. A ton of them say the casino, but I gained mine at the racetrack. It was seriously great to go back there and protect the title was our target,” Pierce explained. “It seems the offseason is limited because we have the Gateway Nationals and we have the Wild West Shootout in January and racing at Daytona on February and in advance of you know it, the future period is prepared to start.”

The Gateway Dirt Nationals get started now and will operate by means of Saturday at the Dome of America’s Heart in St. Louis. While Pierce has gained the late model title there in 2017 and 2018, a win this weekend would bring a excellent ending to the year.

“It carries so significantly unique energy than your normal race. If you set 900 horsepower automobiles in a developing, it is likely to get intensive. The vibes are crazy,” Pierce said. “With late models, it seems there is usually a massive race each individual weekend and its good for the activity. If we can go to the dome and earn, it would mark the finish of just one of my ideal seasons racing.”

As for subsequent period, Pierce will be creating a adjust as much as chassis that he hopes can convey additional titles.

“Next calendar year, I will be switching to a new chassis — Longhorn Chassis out of North Carolina,” Pierce stated. “My dad is nevertheless going to make modifieds and will constantly help out. It is still my have workforce, but we just will have various autos. It is the very same automobile racers like Tim McCready and Kyle Larson race.

“It is not like we really don’t will need a change, but we are making it for the potential and we hope to create a excellent marriage for them. It could just take me some time to get tailored to a diverse car.”