What won the race: Second-starting Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., fended off a mid-race surge from Jonathan Davenport to complete a flag-to-flag victory in Friday's 35-lap Tennessee Tipoff opener at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Making his debut at the 3/8-mile oval, Pierce took the checkered flag 0.452 of a second ahead of Davenport for the $12,000 triumph, his first of the season with the World of Outlaws Late Models and his first win of any kind since the Wild West Shootout finale on Jan. 12 at Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park.

Quotable: “I thought drawing the two was gonna help and it did. It got me a good start off the top,” Pierce said. “A lot went through our minds, obviously, coming here, thinking if we could come away with a top-10 that would be good, a top-five would be great. Definitely would not have imagined to win this race. I’ve never been here, but on top of that, it is red dirt and that’s not what I’m from and everyone knows that.”

Key notes: Pierce notched his 32nd career full-field WoO victory and his fifth overall triumph of the season. ... The eighth-starting Davenport drew within 0.299 of a second of Pierce on lap 26 before nearly giving up the runner-up spot to Nick Hoffman on lap 29. ... The pole-starting Hoffman settled for third. ... Fifth-starting Dale McDowell slipped to sixth before recovering to finish fourth after taking the spot from Devin Moran on the 21st lap. ... Moran rounded out the top five. ... Hudson O'Neal pulled off on the 21st circuit to become the race's only retiree. His turn-three spin in the fourth heat drew the only caution in preliminary action. ... The 35-lapper lasted 11 minutes, with 21 starters completing the distance. ... Saturday's $15,000-to-win Tennessee Tipoff finale was cancelled at 10:30 p.m. Friday because of expected severe weather. ... Citing the weather, expected WoO regulars Cade Dillard of Robeline, La., Tyler Bruening of Decorah, Iowa, and Dustin Walker of Polk, Mo., elected to skip the trip to Smoky Mountain.

On the move: Runner-up finisher Jonathan Davenport, of Blairsville, Ga., started eighth.

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 Smoky Mountain: 1. Bobby Pierce (870); 2. Nick Hoffman (858); 3. Ricky Thornton Jr. (844); 4. Ryan Gustin (838); 5. Max Blair (828); T6. Cody Overton (822); T6. Brandon Sheppard (822); 8. Ethan Dotson (814); T9. Brandon Overton (808); T9. Drake Troutman (808); 11. Tanner English (800); 12. Tim McCreadie (798).

Current weather: Scattered Clouds, 72°F

Car count: 45

Fast qualifier: Jonathan Davenport

Time: 16.128 seconds

Polesitter: Nick Hoffman

Heat race winners: Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman

Consolation race winners: Brandon Overton, Ryan Gustin

Provisional starters: Drake Troutman, Brandon Sheppard, Kyle Bronson, Brian Shirley

Next series race: March 21, Swainsboro Raceway (Swainsboro, GA) $12,000