UNION, Ky. — Seemingly all weekend long, chatter in the pits among competitors was that Bobby Pierce would be tough to beat at the 42nd annual Sunoco North-South 100 at Florence Speedway because of his mastery of the half-mile oval's high-side cushion.

At it turns out, that wasn't the skill the 27-year-old Oakwood, Ill., driver needed in Saturday's $75,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event with "very slick" track conditions throwing him a curveball in his bid for back-to-back North-South victories and third overall.

The second-starting Pierce ended up maneuvering the low groove, particularly during the waning laps in repelling Devin Moran's last-ditch bid to steal a crown jewel victory in front of a record-setting crowd.

"I figured it'd be me and possibly battling out there at the end once I got the lead and I saw Devin in second and I was like, 'Man, I just got to stay ahead of him and, do what I gotta do,' " said Pierce, who finished second and first in Thursday and Friday semifeatures. "It was a tough race, man. It's not fun for me to run the bottom like that towards the end of the race. I'm way more comfortable running the top, so I'm like cramped up right now. Just the amount of focus it takes to run the bottom, in my opinion, is harder than the top."

Pierce's versatility paid off with his 28th overall victory of the season and the 12th in the last 17 starts for the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series points leader who got the best of Lucas Oil drivers at Florence. He took the checkers a half-second ahead of Moran and tallied his fifth payday of at least $50,000 in the past five weekends.

Series rookie Drake Troutman of Hyndman, Pa., rallied from his 23rd starting spot to finish third, one spot ahead of fellow Pennsylvanian Max Blair of Centerville. Former race winner Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., rounded out the top five while sixth was Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., a double-semifeature winner who started 19th and didn't make any gains until halfway.

At the outset, Pierce got the jump on polesitter Daulton Wilson and cruised early in the race. Fourth-starting Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., grabbed second on the fourth lap and began chasing Pierce, staying within striking distance and grabbing the lead on lap 42 when Pierce got briefly hung up exiting turn four. Pierce wasn't sure he'd be able to find a way back past Marlar.

"I was very worried there. The track, it kind of was loose on some spots I'm normally really good at where I can get my launches off the corner. And I knew it wasn't gonna be there at the end. There's 50 laps to go there. And I'm sitting in second," said Pierce, who also won the race in 2016 and '23. "I was like, man, we're only halfway through this race and I feel like I'm already burning the tires off of it. The track was abrasive and slick — very, very slick and it was super hard around the top."

But entering the second half of the race, after briefly losing the second spot to Moran on lap 54, Pierce got going again and, with Marlar this time stumbling against the turn-four wall, regained command on lap 67.

Because "you couldn't hustle that top side like you normally can," Pierce found himself retreating to the inside lane most of the race of the caution-plagued way.

"I felt like there was like 20 (laps) to go, then 15, and eight, then five. We went green for that first portion of the race and it gets to the end and we have the cautions. I hated to see it," he said. "So it was very nerve-wracking for me. I had to kind of talk to myself in the car under them cautions just keep myself calm because, like I said, I'm not comfortable doing that stuff down there, but we got 'er done and the car was awesome."

Moran knew his best shot was getting an edge on Pierce, but he never could make it stick.

"You gotta get in front of that 32 car before he gets in the lead. If not, it's hard to pass him," said Moran, who last bettered him in July at the Silver Dollar Nationals at Huset's Speedway in Brandon, S.D. "That's what we did at Huset's, we got out front and he was chasing us. We got out front and then he was chasing us. I thought I had a shot to get in front of him (at Florence). We slid each other a couple of times and I just couldn't stay in front of him.

"I shouldn't be bummed for running second. Like it's a really good race and a really good run for us, it's just I felt like we had a really good shot at winning there and just weren't quite good enough."

The 19-year-old Troutman, who also made a deep run for a third-place semifeature finish Thursday in his Florence debut, rallied into contention past several veteran racers.

"Definitely a heck of a night. The whole (heat-race) invert deal there kind of hurt us," he said. "But, you know, I thought maybe we'd get a top-10 at best, but I don't know, the boys never gave up on me."

He wasn't sure a better starting spot would've made a difference, noting that "Bobby and Devin's been pretty well the class of the field here recently. I don't know. I'm just happy to be up here at this race."

Pierce, meanwhile, assured he'll retain the No. 1 spot in DirtonDirt.com's power rankings by winning at the track where his parents met so many years ago.

"You just ride this wave as long as you can because it's been awesome lately," he said. "I don't really even know what to think right now. It definitely hasn't sunk in. It's gonna take tonight for this to sink in."

He added: "We'll be back year to try to win a fourth."

Notes: Pierce's three-weekend stretch of winning at Florence after his $50,000 victories at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway's Prairie Dirt Classic and Cedar Lake Speedway's USA Nationals in New Richmond, Wis., matched the same feat pulled off by Jonathan Davenport in 2015. ... Mike Marlar, who led laps 42-66, said he faded when the track lost grip. ... Polesitter Daulton Wilson held top-five spots the first half of the race but faded as far as 14th. He regained ground in the final laps and finished seventh. ... Jordan Wever of Bloomington, Ind., received the track's provisional starting spot. Engine problems in his car forced him to start Calvin Carlton's car and he retired after eight laps. ... Nine cautions slowed the action, virtually all of them for single-car incidents. The most significant came on a lap-50 restart when Tyler Erb and Ross Bailes were in the middle of a multicar tangle exiting turn four as the green flag flew. Erb retired. ... Heat winner Jason Jameson drew a midrace caution for a deflating tire and slow again on lap 72. ... Cory Hedgecock made a 15th-to-fifth charge before pulling his overheating car pitside on lap 28. ... Tanner English drew two yellows, spinning on a lap-72 restart and stopping at the turn-one entrance on lap 86. ... Series points leader Ricky Thornton Jr. slowed for a lap-77 caution and pitted but came back to finish eighth. ... Garrett Alberson also drew two cautions, pitting on lap 71 and sustaining a flat tire on lap 93. ... The final yellow appeared on lap 95 when fourth-running Hudson O'Neal slowed. ... The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 was inducted Saturday: Drivers Todd Andrews, Ira Bastin, Al Purkey, Johnny Stokes and Ricky Weeks along with Contributors to the Sport Steve Baker, Greg Fielden and Todd Turner. DirtonDirt.com founder Michael Rigsby received the Baltes-Memmer Award while Ashley Ness and Bob Sargent received Lifetime Achievement awards/

42nd annual Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100
Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., Longhorn, $75,000
2. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, Longhorn, $20,000
3. Drake Troutman (7), Hyndman, Pa., Longhorn, $10,000
4. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., Longhorn, $9,000
5. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., Infinity, $8,000
6. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $7,000
7. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., Longhorn, $6,000
8. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., Longhorn, $5,000
9. Tim McCreadie (1), Watertown, N.Y., Rocket, $4,750
10. Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., Longhorn, $4,500
11. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., Longhorn, $4,250
12. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., Longhorn, $4,000
13. Ross Bailes (87), Clover, S.C., Longhorn, $3,750
14. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $3,650
15. Hudson O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Longhorn, $3,600
16. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., Rocket, $3,550
17. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., Rocket, $50
18. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., Rocket, $0
19. Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., Longhorn, $3,500
20. Josh Rice (12), Crittenden, Ky., Rocket, $3,500
21. Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., Longhorn, $3,500
22. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., Longhorn, $3,500
23. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., Longhorn, $3,500
24. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, Rocket, $3,500
25. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., Rocket, $0
26. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., Longhorn, $0
27. Cory Hedgecock (23), Loudon, Tenn., BMF, $3,500
28. Michael Chilton (97), Salvisa, Ky., Rocket, $3,500
29. Jordan Wever (11), Bloomington, Ind., Longhorn, $3,500
Lap leaders: Pierce 1-41, 67-100; Marlar 42-66
Heat race winners (among 61 cars): Wilson, Pierce, Jameson, Marlar, Overton, Erb
Consolation race winners: Davenport, Bailes
Provisional starters: Troutman, Robinson, Harris, Ferguson, Briggs, Smith, Wever
Non-qualifiers’ race winner: Dale McDowell
Aug. 8 semifeature winners: Davenport, Thornton
Aug. 9 semifeature winners: Pierce, Davenport

Correction: Fixes payouts for emergency provisional drivers.

Feature lineup

(100 laps)

Row 1: Daulton Wilson, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Jason Jameson, Mike Marlar
Row 3: Brandon Overton, Tyler Erb
Row 4: Hudson O'Neal, Nick Hoffman
Row 5: Ricky Thornton Jr., Devin Moran
Row 6: Max Blair, Tanner English
Row 7: Ethan Dotson, Zack Dohm
Row 8: Cory Hedgecock, Jimmy Owens
Row 9: Tim McCreadie, Michael Chilton
Row 10: Jonathan Davenport, Ross Bailes
Row 11: Josh Rice, Garrett Alberson
Row 12: Drake Troutman, Ross Robinson
Row 13: Clay Harris, Carson Ferguson
Row 14: Boom Briggs, Brenden Smith
Row 15: Jordan Wever

Correction: Fixes sixth-starting driver.

Consolation race results

(12 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation: Jonathan Davenport, Josh Rice, Drake Troutman, Ross Robinson, Tyler Collins, Carson Ferguson, Dillon McCowan, Trevor Landrum, Blake Creech, Spencer Hughes, R.J. Conley, Derek Fisher, Dustin Nobbe, Michael LeFevers, Donnie Jeschke, Dustin Linville, Kyle Bronson, Curt Addison. Scratched: Tyler Stevens, Brad Rickels, Mike Bargo, Brandon Hardgrove.

Second consolation: Ross Bailes, Garrett Alberson, Dale McDowell, Tripp Gerrald, Derek Groomer, Zak Blackwood, Clay Harris, Devin Gilpin, Brenden Smith, Billy Green, Jordan Koehler, Austin Lay, Boom Briggs, Cory Lawler, Calvin Carlton, Trent Ivey, Donald McIntosh. Scratched: Robby Hensley, Jordan Weaver, Gray Parton.

Heat race recap

Daulton Wilson dominated the first heat, earning the pole for the 100-lapper, while two-time semifeature winner Jonathan Davenport failed to transfer after Ethan Dotson held him off in a late battle for third. ... Dillon McCowan drew a second-lap caution in the first heat. ... Carson Ferguson was dominating the second heat when he appeared to shred a right-rear tire. ... Another second-heat caution flew on the 10th lap when third-running Spencer Hughes got into the wall exiting turn two. ... Last year's North-South winner Bobby Pierce won the second heat and will try to become the first repeat winner since Don O'Neal in 2012-13. ... In the third heat, Ricky Thornton Jr. used back-to-back slide jobs to go from third to first, but when he got into the wall twice late, Jason Jameson went by for a popular home-track victory. Jameson joins Ratliff Racing teammate Wilson as a heat winner. ... In the fourth heat, Clay Harris spun exiting turn two at halfway. ... Mike Marlar, who has struggled for a month or more, captured the fourth heat. He went to a backup car after a Thursday crash. ... Brandon Overton wrestled the lead from Max Blair on the eighth lap and won the nonstop fifth heat. ... Tyler Erb repelled Tanner English to win the caution-free final heat as third-finishing Michael Chilton fought off Garrett Alberson to join English as a home-state feature transferree.

Heat race results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First heat: Daulton Wilson, Hudson O'Neal, Ethan Dotson, Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson, Ross Robinson, Blake Creech, Dillon McCowan, Trevor Landrum, Donnie Jeschke. Scratched: Curt Addison.

Second heat: Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Zack Dohm, Carson Ferguson, Josh Rice, Tyler Stevens, Derek Fisher, Brad Rickels, Spencer Hughes. Scratched: Mike Bargo.

Third heat: Jason Jameson, Ricky Thornton Jr., Cory Hedgecock, Drake Troutman, R.J. Conley, Dustin Linville, Tyler Collins, Dustin Nobbe, Michael LeFevers. Scratched: Brandon Hardgrove.

Fourth heat: Mike Marlar, Devin Moran, Jimmy Owens, Tripp Gerrald, Dale McDowell, Donald McIntosh, Billy Green, Austin Lay, Jordan Koehler, Clay Harris.

Fifth heat: Brandon Overton, Max Blair, Tim McCreadie, Ross Bailes, Derek Groomer, Trent Ivey, Brenden Smith. Scratched: Jordan Wever, Gray Parton, Clint Keenan.

Sixth heat: Tyler Erb, Tanner English, Michael Chilton, Garrett Alberson, Devin Gilpin, Zak Blackwood, Boom Briggs, Cory Lawler, Robby Hensley, Calvin Carlton.

Heat race lineups

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First heat
Row 1: Daulton Wilson, Ethan Dotson
Row 2: Hudson ONeal, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Kyle Bronson, Dillon McCowan
Row 4: Ross Robinson, Blake Creech
Row 5: Trevor Landrum, Curt Addison
Row 6: Donnie Jeschke
Second heat
Row 1: Carton Ferguson, Zack Dohm
Row 2: Nick Hoffman, Bobby Pierce
Row 3: Josh Rice, Spencer Hughes
Row 4: Tyler Stevens, Derek Fisher
Row 5: Brad Rickels, Mike Bargo
Third heat
Row 1: Jason Jameson, Cory Hedgecock
Row 2: Drake Troutman, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 3: Dustin Linville, R.J. Conley
Row 4: Tyler Collins, Brandon Hardgrove
Row 5: Dustin Nobbe, Michael LeFevers
Fourth heat
Row 1: Mike Marlar, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Dale McDowell, Devin Moran
Row 3: Tripp Gerrald, Donald McIntosh
Row 4: Jordan Koehler, Billy Green
Row 5: Austin Lay, Clay Harris
Fifth heat
Row 1: Max Blair, Ross Bailes
Row 2: Brandon Overton, Tim McCreadie
Row 3: Trent Ivey, Derek Groomer
Row 4: Jordan Wever, Brenden Smith
Row 5: Gray Parton, Clint Keenan
Sixth heat
Row 1: Devin Gilpin, Tyler Erb
Row 2: Tanner English, Garrett Alberson
Row 3: Boom Briggs, Michael Chilton
Row 4: Robby Hensley, Zak Blackwood
Row 5: Cory Lawler, Calvin Carlton

Saturday’s schedule

(All times local)
2:30 p.m. - Drivers’ autograph session (Hall of Fame building)
3 p.m. - All gates open
3:30 p.m. - Memorabilia auction and Hall of Fame induction ceremony
5 p.m. - Outreach service
7 p.m. - On-track activity begins
- Late Model hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Driver introductions
- 42nd annual North-South 100 (100 laps)
- Late Model non-qualifier (25 laps)