Dirt on Dirt - Pierce stays perfect in North-South prelims

August 11

Florence Speedway,

Union, KY

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (North-South 100 second semifeature) - $5,000

Information provided by: Todd Turner, series and track reports (last updated August 12, 11:31 am)

Pierce stays perfect in North-South prelims

North-South 100 second semifeature

Bobby Pierce
Jonathan Davenport
Stormy Scott
Cory Hedgecock
Matt Cosner
Devin Moran
Hudson O'Neal
Jimmy Owens
Spencer Hughes
Kyle Bronson
Brandon Overton
Adam Stricker
Michael Chilton
Donald McIntosh
Tristan Chamberlain
Robby Hensley
Ross Robinson
Kent Robinson
Doug Drown
Jesse Wisecarver
Kye Blight
Kody Evans
David Breazeale
Boom Briggs

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Bobby Pierce poses in victory lane after his second semifeature win in as many nights at Florence Speedway.

What won the race: Continuing his torrid stretch, Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., slid past Jonathan Davenport for the lead on lap 19 and raced on to claim Friday night’s second 25-lap North-South 100 semifeature at Florence Speedway. The red-hot 26-year-old cut through lapped traffic to beat Davenport by 1.186 seconds and pocket $5,000 as he completed a sweep of his two preliminary programs during Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event.

Quotable: “The middle was starting to get slicker and slicker and I think that’s why I was able to eventually get to (Davenport),” Pierce said. “There wasn’t much cushion up there. I was kind of using the (outside) wall a lot. I’ve raced Fairbury and Cedar Lake and this has been the same quarter-panel and spoiler, I haven’t changed it yet. Now here, we’ll have to change it … (but) I knew if I was gonna catch him and pass him, I was gonna have to figure something out and I just kind of started sending it there.”

Key notes: Pierce, who started from the outside pole, briefly slipped to third behind Cory Hedgecock for laps 5-6 before regaining his footing and chasing down Davenport. A slider through turns one and two shot Pierce ahead on lap 19 and he survived two slaps of the turn-two wall en route to clinching his second semifeature win in as many nights. … It was Pierce’s sixth overall win in August; he has two full-field and two semifeature victories on the Lucas Oil Series this season. … Davenport settled for second after leading laps 5-18. … Seventh-starting Stormy Scott reached third on lap 20 and finished in the position. … Hedgecock led laps 1-4 but fell back to finish fourth. … Matt Cosner slipped past Devin Moran on the final lap to finish fifth, giving him back-to-back top-five runs in semifeature action. … The race’s only caution flag flew on lap four for debris on the track. … Starting positions for Saturday’s six heats leading into the $75,000-to-win North-South 100 will be determined by points drivers earned in the two preliminary programs; with a top-four invert, high-point man Bobby Pierce will start fourth in Saturday’s first heat.

On the move: Ross Robinson of Georgetown, Del., started 23rd and finished 17th.

Winner's sponsors: Pierce’s Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Hoker Trucking, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Cajun Pools & Spas, Bloomington Normal Truck Performance, Carnaghi Towing & Repair, Floyd’s Waste Systems, Vic Hill Race Engines, Swift Springs, Bilstein Shocks, Toyota of Danville, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint and Body Shop, Extreme Electric, Fast1 Speed Shop, Performance Bodies, A Plus Vacuum, Lekg Tree Service, Bert Transmission by Budda, Velocita-USA, Robert and Sons Aluminum, VP Racing Fuels and FK Rod Ends.

Points chase: Before Florence: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (5,540); 2. Hudson O’Neal (5,220); 3. Jonathan Davenport (4,925); 4. Brandon Overton (4,890); 5. Tim McCreadie (4,865); 6. Devin Moran (4,775); 7. Tyler Erb (4,400); 8. Max Blair (4,385); 9. Daulton Wilson (4,380); 10. Earl Pearson Jr. (4,330).

Current weather: Scattered Clouds, 75°F

Car count: 59

Fast qualifier: Jimmy Owens

Time: 16.316 seconds

Polesitter: Cory Hedgecock

Heat race winners: Cory Hedgecock, Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce, Kyle Bronson

Consolation race winners: Kent Robinson

Next series race: August 12, Florence Speedway (Union, KY) $75,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

UNION, Ky. (Aug. 11) — Updates and results from Friday’s preliminary night of the Sunoco North-South 100 weekend, including a pair of split-field $5,000-to-win semifeatures on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (results unofficial):

Feature

Continuing his torrid stretch, Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., slid past Jonathan Davenport for the lead on lap 19 and raced on to claim Friday night’s second 25-lap North-South 100 semifeature at Florence Speedway. The red-hot 26-year-old cut through lapped traffic to beat Davenport by 1.186 seconds and pocket $5,000 as he completed a sweep of his two preliminary programs during Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event.

Feature lineup

(25 laps)
Row 1: Cory Hedgecock, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson
Row 3: Jimmy Owens, Matt Cosner
Row 4: Stormy Scott, Hudson O'Neal
Row 5: Devin Moran, Brandon Overton
Row 6: Doug Drown, Adam Stricker
Row 7: Spencer Hughes, Michael Chilton
Row 8: Donald McIntosh, Jesse Wisecarver
Row 9: Tristan Chamberlain, Boom Briggs
Row 10: Robby Hensley, Kody Evans
Row 11: Kent Robinson, David Breazeale
Row 12: Ross Robinson, Kye Blight

Consolation race results

(10 laps; top four transfer)

Finish: Kent Robinson, David Breazeale, Ross Robinson, Kye Blight, Austin Lay, Brandon Hardgrove, Jim Couch, Blake Creech. Scratched: Mike Bargo

Heat race recap

On a surface a second slower than the previous night, Cory Hedgecock cruised in the first heat from outside the front row. Third-starting Tristan Chamberlain was quickly shuffled back three spots but regained the fifth and final transfer spot late from Kent Robinson. … Jonathan Davenport dominated the uneventful second heat. … Thursday semifeature winner Bobby Pierce ran away in the caution-free third heat to win over fellow front-row starter Matt Cosner and Brandon Overton, who picked up two positions and finished just behind Cosner. … Kyle Bronson dominated the fourth heat; Ross Robinson spun in turn one on the first lap and rejoined the field but failed to transfer.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Cory Hedgecock, Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Spencer Hughes, Tristan Chamberlain, Kent Robinson, Mike Bargo, Jim Couch.

Second heat: Jonathan Davenport, Stormy Scott, Doug Drown, Donald McIntosh, Robby Hensley, Austin Lay, Blake Creech.

Third heat: Bobby Pierce, Matt Cosner, Brandon Overton, Michael Chilton, Boom Briggs, David Breazeale, Kye Blight.

Fourth heat: Kyle Bronson, Hudson O'Neal, Adam Stricker, Jesse Wisecarver, Kody Evans, Ross Robinson, Brandon Hardgrove.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
Group B1

1. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 16.316
2. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 16.403
3. Cory Hedgecock (23), Loudon, Tenn., 16.417
4. Stormy Scott (2s), Las Cruces, N.M., 16.467
5. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 16.582
6. Robby Hensley (21h), Walton, Ky., 16.708
7. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 16.715
8. Doug Drown (12D), Wooster, Ohio, 16.727
9. Spencer Hughes (11), Meridian, Miss., 16.738
10. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., 16.914
11. Kent Robinson (7R), Bloomington, Ind., 17.052
12. Austin Lay (33aj), Florence, Ky., 17.112
13. Mike Bargo (3:16), Corbin, Ky., 17.217
14. Blake Creech (317), Richmond, Ind., 17.333
15. Jim Couch (41), Hamilton, Ohio, 17.443

Group B2

1. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakland, Ill., 16.431
2. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 16.554
3. Matt Cosner (66c), Ridgeley, W.Va., 16.644
4. Adam Stricker (68), Batavia, Ohio, 16.665
5. Michael Chilton (97), Salvisa, Ky., 16.702
6. Hudson O’Neal (1H), Martinsville, Ind., 16.833
7. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 16.846
8. Jesse Wisecarver (55), Zanesville, Ohio, 16.853
9. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 16.899
10. Brandon Hardgrove (H22), Burnside, Ky., 16.968
11. David Breazeale (222), Four Corners, Miss., 17.078
12. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 17.161
13. Kye Blight (31aus), Katanning, W. Australia, 17.186
14. Kody Evans (4G), Camden, Ohio, 17.295

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)

3 p.m. - Pits open
6 p.m. - Grandstands open
6:30 p.m. - Drivers' meeting
7 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Modified hot laps
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heat races (8 laps)
- Modified heat races (8 laps)
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
- Modified consolations (10 laps)
- First Late Model semifeature (25 laps)
- Second Late Model semifeature (25 laps)
- Modified feature (20 laps)