Dirt on Dirt - Pierce cruises at Vado, collects another $10,000

January 11

Vado Speedway Park,

Vado, NM

Sanction: Unsanctioned Supers (Wild West Shootout) - $10,000

Information provided by: Todd Turner and track reports (last updated January 11, 11:03 pm)

Pierce cruises at Vado, collects another $10,000

Wild West Shootout

Bobby Pierce
Brandon Sheppard
Tyler Erb
Ethan Dotson
Drake Troutman
Collen Winebarger
Garrett Alberson
Cade Dillard
Ross Bailes
Mike Marlar
Jake Timm
Mitch McGrath
Don Shaw
Sammy Mars
Carson Brown
Dillon McCowan
Bricen James
Jon Kirby
Preston Luckman
Jake Neal
Kyle Beard
Stormy Scott
Dustin Sorensen
Tony Jackson Jr.
Chase Junghans

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Bobby Pierce celebrates his third victory of the week at Vado Speedway.

What won the race: Controlling all 40 laps largely unchallenged, Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., cruised to win Saturday's $10,000 fifth round of the 19th annual Wild West Shootout at Vado Speedway Park. Pierce earned his third victory of the week and the 15th miniseries victory of his career, further extending his lead on the all-time wins list.

Quotable: “I was happy in the lapped traffic, I felt like I was getting through them good,” Pierce said. “It took a little rubber where the left-rear tire was hitting over there in (turn) one, so it started making me tight. I know it probably didn’t look like it, but it made it a little nerve wracking in the car on the restarts, ya know, just wanting to gain a healthy lead again … that was a little nerve wracking just trying to hit my marks on the restarts, get a big gap again and kinda cruise from there.”

Key notes: Pierce noted his right-rear tire had a slow leak in victory lane. He has earned more than $45,000 in his three wins thus far. ... Sixth-starting Brandon Sheppard grabbed second on the lap-32 restart, but never challenged Pierce and took the checkers 1.714 seconds back. ... Tyler Erb rounded out the podium after taking third on lap 33; it's his second straight third-place finish and fourth top-five result in as many starts. ... Drake Troutman trailed Pierce from lap 2-31 before losing his brakes under the lap-32 caution and fading to fifth on the final restart. ... Mike Marlar improved 10 positions and finished 10th. ... Jake Timm placed 11th after flipping that same car in the turn-two cushion on Friday night. ... Don Shaw overcame a flat right-rear on lap 32 to finish 13th; he slowed to draw the race's third and final caution before changing the tire. ... Second-starting Carson Brown faded to 15th, the final driver to complete 40 laps. ... Preston Luckman appeared to qualify second in the night's second time trial group before a deck height violation docked him four positions; Luckman slowed from 18th to cause the race's second slowdown on lap 26. He continued to finish 19th. ... Dustin Sorensen worked his way to 10th before a hole in the radiator forced his overheating car to the pits on lap 25. ... Tony Jackson Jr. pulled off on lap 22 in his backup car; he switched after losing an engine in his primary machine during time trials. ... Chase Junghans lost an engine on the opening lap, collecting Kyle Beard. Beard soldiered to finish 21st with significant body damage on his new Longhorn. ... The feature lasted 20 minutes, with 22 starters running at the finish.

On the move: Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., started 15th and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Pierce’s Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Low Voltage Solutions, Rio Grande Waste Services, Hoker Trucking, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Oakwood Tire Center, Churchill Transport, Collins Brothers Towing, K1, Carnaghi Towing & Repair, Toyota of Danville, Floyd’s Waste Systems, PureMax Racing Oil, A Plus Vacuum, Leka Tree Service, Bert Transmissions by Budda, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint & Body Shop, VP Race Fuels, Swift Springs, Bilstein Shocks, Dirt Car Lift and Performance Bodies.

Points chase: After Saturday: 1. Bobby Pierce (342); 2. Brandon Sheppard (312); T3. Garrett Alberson (303); T3. Tyler Erb (303); 5. Drake Troutman (270).

Current weather: Clear, 43°F

Car count: 40

Fast qualifier: Drake Troutman

Time: 14.451 seconds

Polesitter: Bobby Pierce

Dash winner: Bricen James

Heat race winners: Carson Brown, Bobby Pierce, Drake Troutman, Cade Dillard

Consolation race winners: Mitch McGrath, Dillon McCowan

Next series race: Jan. 12, Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park, sixth round ($25,000)

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

From staff reports

VADO, N.M. (Jan. 11) — Updates and results from Saturday’s fifth round of the 19th annual Wild West Shootout, featuring a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win feature for unsanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Controlling all 40 laps largely unchallenged, Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., cruised to win Saturday's $10,000 fifth round of the 19th annual Wild West Shootout at Vado Speedway Park. Pierce earned his third victory of the week and the 15th miniseries victory of his career, further extending his lead on the all-time wins list.

Feature lineup

(40 laps)

Row 1: Bobby Pierce, Carson Brown
Row 2: Cade Dillard, Drake Troutman
Row 3: Tyler Erb, Brandon Sheppard
Row 4: Don Shaw, Collen Winebarger
Row 5: Garrett Alberson, Sammy Mars
Row 6: Ross Bailes, Chase Junghans
Row 7: Jake Timm, Kyle Beard
Row 8: Ethan Dotson, Jon Kirby
Row 9: Mitch McGrath, Dillon McCowan
Row 10: Dustin Sorensen, Mike Marlar
Row 11: Stormy Scott, Preston Luckman
Row 12: Tony Jackson Jr., Jake Neal
Row 13: Bricen James

Dash

(10 laps)

Pro Power Dash: Bricen James, Kent Rosevear, Ian Whisler, Seth Daniels, Richard Papenhausen, Rob Sanders, Thomas Hunziker, Steve Stultz, Brennon Willard, Terry Carter.

Consolation race results

(12 laps; top four transfer)

First consolation: Mitch McGrath, Dustin Sorensen, Stormy Scott, Tony Jackson Jr., Bricen James, Ian Whisler, Seth Daniels, Terry Carter, Brennon Willard, Luke Solis, Jimmy Whisler, Clay Stuckey.

Second consolation: Dillon McCowan, Mike Marlar, Preston Luckman, Jake Neal, Kent Rosevear, Rob Sanders, Richard Papenhausen, Thomas Hunziker, Steve Stultz, Jason Miles, Keko Perez, Keaton Smith.

Consolation race lineups

First consolation
Row 1: Mitch McGrath, Ian Whisler
Row 2: Stormy Scott, Jimmy Whisler
Row 3: Tony Jackson Jr., Dustin Sorensen
Row 4: Seth Daniels, Bricen James
Row 5: Terry Carter, Brennon Willard
Row 6: Clay Stuckey, Luke Solis
Second consolation
Row 1: Dillon McCowan, Preston Luckman
Row 2: Jake Neal, Kent Rosevear
Row 3: Mike Marlar, Richard Papenhausen
Row 4: Thomas Hunziker, Steve Stultz
Row 5: Rob Sanders, Jason Miles
Row 6: Keaton Smith, Keko Perez

Heat race recap

Carson Brown overcame a mid-race challenge, then a last-lap gasp from Tyler Erb, leading all eight laps and beating Erb to the checkers by 0.437 of a second. Third-starting Garrett Alberson pressured Erb throughout, finishing third, with Jake Timm grabbing the fourth and final transfer position into Saturday’s 40-lap feature. Timm repaired his car after flipping in Vado’s heavy cushion on Friday night. Tony Jackson Jr. finished seventh after tagging the field when he switched to a backup car after time trials. … Second-starting Bobby Pierce outdueled Ethan Dotson on the initial start and led the entire distance to win heat two by 1.542 seconds over third-starting Don Shaw. Dotson hopped the turn-two cushion on the lap-five restart and faded to fifth before regaining fourth when Dustin Sorensen backed into the turn-four wall on the same lap. Sixth-starting Ross Bailes finished third, with Dotson in fourth, while Sorensen continued to finish seventh. The lone caution came on lap five when seventh-running Bricen James hopped the cushion and slapped the turn-two wall. He continued to finish eighth. … Drake Troutman overcame early sliders from Brandon Sheppard to score a flag-to-flag win in heat three, crossing the line 2.006 seconds ahead of Sheppard. Sammy Mars started and finished third, while eighth-starting Kyle Beard claimed the fourth and final transfer spot.The race’s only yellow flag came on the fifth lap when Mike Marlar slid up into Sheppard and spun in turn two, as they battled for second. Marlar had extensive right-rear damage and continued, but could only rebound to seventh. … Cade Dillard overcame early challenges to lead all eight laps en route to winning the fourth and final heat race by 0.676 of a second over second-starting Collen Winebarger. Fifth-starting Chase Junghans finished third, while Jon Kirby started and finished fourth. Preston Luckman dropped from third-to-fifth after being penalized four spots following a deck height violation in postqualifying technical inspection.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat finish: Carson Brown, Tyler Erb, Garrett Alberson, Jake Timm, Mitch McGrath, Stormy Scott, Tony Jackson Jr., Seth Daniels, Terry Carter, Clay Stuckey.

Second heat finish: Bobby Pierce, Don Shaw, Ross Bailes, Ethan Dotson, Ian Whisler, Jimmy Whisler, Dustin Sorensen, Bricen James, Brennon Willard, Luke Solis.

Third heat finish: Drake Troutman, Brandon Sheppard, Sammy Mars, Kyle Beard, Dillon McCowan, Jake Neal, Mike Marlar, Thomas Hunziker, Rob Sanders, Keaton Smith.

Fourth heat finish: Cade Dillard, Collen Winebarger, Chase Junghans, Jon Kirby, Preston Luckman, Kent Rosevear, Richard Papenhausen, Steve Stultz, Jason Miles, Keko Perez.

Heat race lineups

First heat
Row 1: Carson Brown, Tyler Erb
Row 2: Garrett Alberson, Jake Timm
Row 3: Seth Daniels, Tony Jackson Jr.
Row 4: Stormy Scott, Mitch McGrath
Row 5: Terry Carter, Clay Stuckey
Second heat
Row 1: Ethan Dotson, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Don Shaw, Ian Whisler
Row 3: Dustin Sorensen, Ross Bailes
Row 4: Bricen James, Jimmy Whisler
Row 5: Brennon Willard, Luke Solis
Third heat
Row 1: Drake Troutman, Brandon Sheppard
Row 2: Sammy Mars, Mike Marlar
Row 3: Dillon McCowan, Thomas Hunziker
Row 4: Rob Sanders, Kyle Beard
Row 5: Keaton Smith, Jake Neal
Fourth heat
Row 1: Cade Dillard, Collen Winebarger
Row 2: Preston Luckman, Jon Kirby
Row 3: Chase Junghans, Richard Papenhausen
Row 4: Jason Miles, Kent Rosevear
Row 5: Steve Stultz, Keko Perez

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Carson Brown (28B), New London, N.C., 14.649
2. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 14.665
3. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 14.716
4. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 14.725
5. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 14.768
6. Don Shaw (42s), Ham Lake, Minn., 14.795
7. Jake Timm (49), Winona, Minn., 14.820
8. Ian Whisler (82), Otis, Ore., 14.844
9. Seth Daniels (s21), Jackson, Ohio, 14.881
10. Dustin Sorensen (19), Rochster, Minn., 14.886
11. Tony Jackson Jr. (56), Lebanon, Mo., 14.919
12. Ross Bailes (69), Clover, S.C., 14.949
13. Stormy Scott (2s), Las Cruces, N.M., 14.963
14. Bricen James (13), Albany, Ore., 14.988
15. Mitch McGrath (74), Waukesha, Wis., 15.094
16. Jimmy Whisler (28), Otis, Ore., 15.236
17. Terry Carter (6T), Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, 15.271
18. Brennon Willard (3), Lebanon, Mo., 15.407
19. Clay Stuckey (15), Shreveport, La., 15.425
20. Luke Solis (99), El Paso, Texas, 16.675
Group B
1. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 14.451
2. Preson Luckman (77), Coos Bay, Ore., 14.706
3. Cade Dillard (97), Robeline, La., 14.712
4. Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., 14.761
5. Collen Winebarger (14s), Corbett, Ore., 14.772
6. Sammy Mars (28m), Menomonie, Wis., 14.786
7. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 14.789
8. Jon Kirby (11), Russellville, Ark., 14.862
9. Dillon McCowan (8), Urbana, Mo., 14.870
10. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 14.943
11. Thomas Hunziker (38), Bend, Ore., 14.973
12. Richard Papenhausen (4p), Petaluma, Calif., 15.012
13. Rob Sanders (10n), Bakersfield, Calif., 15.097
14. Jason Miles (53m), Nacogdoches, Texas, 15.126
15. Kyle Beard (86), Trumann, Ark., 15.130
16. Kent Rosevear (02), Yuma, Ariz., 15.157
17. Keaton Smith (k7), Clinton, S.C., 15.289
18. Steve Stultz (78s), Peoria, Ariz., 15.365
19. Jake Neal (6), Omaha, Neb., 15.475
20. Keko Perez (3k), Chihuahua, Mexico, 15.614

Saturday’s schedule

(All times local)
1 p.m. - Pits open
2 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
3 p.m. - Grandstands open
3:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- X-mod hot laps
- Modified hot laps
- Late Model group qualifying
5 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
- X-mod heats (8 laps)
- Modified heats (8 or 10 laps)
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
Consolations
- X-mods (10 laps)
- Modifieds (12 laps)
- Late Models (12 laps)
- Late Model dash (10 laps)
Features
- Late Models (40 laps)
- X-mods (25 laps)
- Modifieds (25 laps)