Pair of Z06 GT3.Rs sweep GTD PRO front row in try for second straight race win ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 3, 2024) – Nicky Catsburg led a 1-2 effort in GTD PRO qualifying Saturday for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports at Road America with the team going for its second straight victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Catsburg qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on pole position and bested teammate Alexander Sims as the pair of first-year cars swept the front row for the second race in a row. It’s the season’s second pole position for Catsburg, who will team with Tommy Milner in Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race. Five GTD PRO cars, including both Corvettes, went under the previous class track record as Catsburg posted a best lap of 2:02.198 (119.255 mph). He was 0.194 seconds quicker than the No. 3 Corvette and Sims, who claimed pole position and the race win with teammate Antonio Garcia the last time out at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park three weeks ago. It’s the fourth pole position of the IMSA season for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and its eighth globally in its debut season. Catsburg previously was on pole at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where he and Milner finished third in class. A victory Sunday would be Corvette Racing’s ninth class victory at Road America and would come in the program’s 300th all-time start – 255 of them coming in IMSA. In GTD, the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Orey Fidani and Matt Bell will start 15th in class after Saturday’s qualifying. Bell and Fidani – who leads the IMSA Aiken Award standings for Bronze-rated drivers in GTD – will look to rebound from a DNF in the last race at CTMP when Fidani was knocked off-track. The IMSA SportsCar Weekend race at Road America is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 4. The race will air on CNBC from 6-9 p.m. ET with live streaming on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio also will stream the call of the race at IMSA.com, XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTESNICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “That was all I had! I have Sims as a teammate and the guy is crazy quick! So I really have to push hard. I feellike we really nailed the setup. Tyler (Neff) my engineer did a great job and made some suggestions right before qualifying. The car was mega. I only had to drive it around here, and it was a good lap. We got everything together and I’m super, super glad.“Road America is super challenging. I haven’t raced here but I did test here. So I know the track. It’s awesome and very old-school… one of the best in America. I’m super-happy to learn from my teammates. They are bringing me up to speed, so I’m very happy to be on pole.“I hope it’s our turn for a win! It was an awesome lap. The Corvette was really dialed in perfectly. Our team did a great job with the setup. This was a very nice lap and I’m very pleased. It’s super-cool that we have a 1-2 again. We had a 1-2 finish in Canada a couple of weeks ago, so it’s great to build on that and hopefully we can do it again here. It’s been a new car for us and we are continuing to learn. It’s getting better and better. We found something in Canada that is working well for us, so we’ve brought it here and it’s gone very well.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTD PRO: “I’m very happy. The session was good fun and the car was working really, really well. I made a mistake on my first proper push lap and went wide coming out of the Carousel. The tires were dirty starting the next lap so that compromised me a little bit. The lap after that was my best, but Nicky’s lap was absolutely brilliant. That’s a special lap from him. Well done to the whole team. It’s great to be alongside our teammates on the front row. It’s a perfect way to start the race, and I think we have sensible race pace as well.”

Cadillac Racing GTP entries qualify third, fifth for 2-hour, 40-minute race

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 3, 2024) – Cadillac Racing continued its run of strong Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) qualifying in the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, with Renger van der Zande behind the wheel in the 15-minute session for the second consecutive event, recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 48.920 seconds on the sweeping 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit to qualify third.

The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, with van der Zande sharing driving duties with Sebastien Bourdais in the 2-hour, 40-minute race Sunday, has not qualified lower than third in each of the six IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races.  Van der Zande missed securing the team’s fifth front-row spot by .057 of a second. Pipo Derani drove the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R to fifth in the 10-car GTP field with a best of 1:49.408 of his eight laps. Derani earned the pole in the 2023 race at Road America. Cadillac Racing GTP qualifying statistics | Road America photos for editorial use The No. 10 Acura ARX-06 earned the pole with a lap of 1:48.601. Nine of the 10 cars took laps in the GTP session. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, which has claimed podium finishes in four of the past five races, sits second in the GTP team/driver standing, and qualified higher than the title-leading No. 7 Porsche 963.

“I think the car was fantastic, the lap was really good and the team nailed the setup,” said van der Zande, who recorded three consecutive podium finishes (2020-2022) with Cadillac Racing at Road America. “P3 is better than P2 on the grid because you’re on the inside and can follow the lead car into the tight Turn 1.” Peacock will stream the race live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday for U.S. viewers, while IMSA.tv and the IMSA YouTube Channel (youtube.com/IMSAOfficial) will stream the race live for the global audience. The race will be broadcast on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM (XM 206, Web/App 996).

Renger van der Zande, No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R (qualified third; 1:48.920 on lap 6 of 7): “I think the car was fantastic, the lap was really good and the team nailed the setup. Altogether, we should be happy where we are to start the race. P3 is better than P2 on the grid because you’re on the inside and can follow the lead car into the tight Turn 1. I think tomorrow is going to be a tough day in terms of raceability. You’ll have to be very clever and hang in there. So far, so good and proud to make a lap happen in qualifying.”

Pipo Derani, No.. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R (qualified fifth; 1:49.408 on lap 5 of 6): “I think we have improved the car over the weekend. We were struggling a bit to get the tires to work properly. Overall, I thought it was a clean qualifying and thought my lap was pretty good. I didn’t leave much out there, but unfortunately it was not enough to be in the top three at least. We’ll take the positives that we improved over the weekend and keep improving in the race.”

“The Reaper” bests Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport amongst a sea of traffic around the 3/8-mile track

NEW RICHMOND, WI (August 2, 2024) – Ryan Gustin continues to win in a spectacular fashion with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models in 2024.

The Marshalltown, IA driver closed out a doubleheader Friday for the 37th Annual USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway by triumphing in a duel between four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport.

Davenport began the night with the early lead while multiple championship contenders suffered issues. Bobby Pierce and Cade Dillard collided off Turn 4, and then Nick Hoffman suffered a flat right rear tire under the same caution while running third.

When the restart ensued, Davenport hopped out to the lead while Sheppard and Chatham, IL driver Brian Shirley worked to close the gap on the driver of the No. 49 Nutrien Ag Solutions Late Model with traffic in sight of the three drivers.

Then, Gustin came into the picture after gathering a charge from his ninth-place starting spot in the Feature to climb his way up toward the three drivers with 10 laps to go.

While Sheppard got by Davenport for the lead, Gustin worked his way around Shirley to create a three-horse battle for the Friday night win.

Using the lapped traffic to his advantage, Gustin slid by Davenport with five laps to go, then got creative, making an opening in traffic to craft a clear lane for the driver of the No.19R Todd Cooney Racing machine to battle Sheppard for the win.

Using a mix of the low lane, then crossing high to cut Sheppard out of leading, Gustin took the lead with two laps to go while the drivers continued to try anything left on the track to solidify their chance of winning.

As the checkered flag flew on the second Feature race of the day, “The Reaper” earned his third World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win of the 2024 season through trials and tribulations that he’ll have to face again to win $50,000 on Saturday night.

“I didn’t want to enter wherever they were,” Gustin said. “When one went high and one went low, I’d go right through the middle and hoped the lapped cars held them up enough. I noticed we closed in quick once the lapped traffic hit, and just not try to stuff it in the fence.

“Tonight was a big Dash race for us, I don’t you’re gonna see that type of pace early (Saturday) night, but you gotta be there for the last 25 laps. The fans are in for a hell of a show, and I can’t wait to get going.”

While Sheppard wanted to finish the night with his fourth Series win of the 2024 season on Friday, the gasser of the No. B5 Dude Wipes Sheppard Riggs Racing Longhorn Factory Team Late Model extended the points gap between himself and Hoffman to 48 points entering Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win showdown at Cedar Lake.

“We got a good balance under our car,” Sheppard said. “We just gotta do the best we can to make the right judgement calls. Hopefully, we have a good setup for (Saturday) to keep it consistent. Definitely let one slip away there. We’re thinking about the points, but you wanna win these races at the end of the day. We get to learn from our mistakes tonight and go try again (on Saturday).”

Davenport finished the night with a third-place result – his first Series podium since 2022 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. “Superman” had to adjust to new track conditions at the New Richmond, WI track as he goes for a prestigious fourth eagle trophy on Saturday night.

“A lot of the traffic was high or low, and the middle was rough for us,” Davenport said. “We were all trying to find the holes to get through. I thought I had good pace there, but they caught me faster than I realized. Those guys came through and showed me where I needed to be, and I couldn’t get back in front of them in time. We learned a lot about our car and about the racetrack. It’s definitely a different Cedar Lake than what I’m accustomed to, but we’ll take it in stride and be a little bit better (Saturday).”

Shirley brought home a fourth-place finish, and Martinsville, IN driver Ricky Thornton Jr. wrapped up the top five from Friday night’s Feature.

With the two Feature races complete, the top-16 locked into Saturday night’s $50,000 USA Nationals finale at Cedar Lake.

Those drivers include: Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Brian Shirley, Nick Hoffman, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Bronson, Garrett Smith, Ricky Thornton Jr, Dustin Sorensen, Brent Larson, Hudson O’Neal, Jason Feger, Ethan Dotson, and Cade Dillard.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Brian Shirley

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Jonathan Davenport, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Garrett Smith, Brandon Sheppard

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Chase Junghans, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Jonathan Davenport

Fox Factory Hard Charger Award: Cody Overton (+15)

FANS Fund Dash Winner: Ricky Weiss

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models cap the crown jewel weekend at Cedar Lake Speedway with the USA Nationals finale on Saturday, August 3. The night will begin with Last Chance Showdowns and two split Dash races to set the lineup for the top-16 cars locked in. Then, it’s the 100-lap Feature worth a $50,000 payday to the crown jewel champion.

Off the track, there will be a cornhole tournament for race fans to participate in at the Cedar Lake Arena at 2:00 p.m. CT, and a driver autograph session at 4:30 p.m. before Saturday’s racing program commences.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

CASE Late Model Feature (25 Laps): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[9]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[13]; 6. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 7. 71-Hudson O’Neal[14]; 8. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 9. 74X-Ethan Dotson[12]; 10. 25-Jason Feger[10]; 11. 97JR-Cody Overton[26]; 12. 18C-Chase Junghans[19]; 13. 40B-Kyle Bronson[23]; 14. 18-Shannon Babb[17]; 15. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 16. 97-Cade Dillard[8]; 17. 32-Bobby Pierce[6]; 18. 16-Tyler Bruening[18]; 19. 1T-Tyler Erb[20]; 20. 57-Mike Marlar[22]; 21. 1-Tim McCreadie[7]; 22. 77-Jordan Yaggy[21]; 23. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[24]; 24. B1-Brent Larson[25]; 25. 31-Kye Blight[16]; 26. 22*-Max McLaughlin[15]

Larson beats McFadden to the line to finish off a memorable charge from the Last Chance Showdown to Victory Lane

PEVELY, MO (August 2, 2024) – Kyle Larson continues to do things behind the wheel of a Sprint Car that will be talked about for years and years.

The Elk Grove, CA native has already achieved so much in his career despite seldom being a full-time Sprint Car driver due to NASCAR commitments. A 2011 Gold Cup Race of Champions triumph at only 19 years old. A pair of NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals. A Kings Royal. A 12-win World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season in only 26 Feature starts in 2020.

Those are only a few of the many accomplishments Larson has chalked up, and he pulled something off on Friday night that’ll go down as one of the best drives he’s ever put together.

“Yung Money” lined up 21st for the 30-lap Feature at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 after having to go to the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown and winning it. A victory in the main event was hardly on his mind when he rolled out for it. Maybe a strong charge for a solid finish, but a win? That didn’t seem likely.

And then one by one Larson started to pick off cars. By Lap 8 he’d cracked the top 10. But even 10 laps later when he entered the top five, Victory Lane still seemed out of reach. Then came a pivotal restart.

Larson roared into third in two circuits after restarting fifth with 11 laps to go. Then on Lap 26 Sheldon Haudenschild tripped up and allowed him by for second. With only four laps remaining, all that stood between the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and completing an unforgettable drive to victory was James McFadden. 

And even as McFadden took the white flag he appeared to be too far ahead with nearly a full second advantage. But then hope arose down the back straightaway. A lapped car slipped in front of the Roth Motorsports No. 83SR exiting Turn 2 allowing Larson to close in. McFadden went to slide the car in Turn 3, and Larson stuck the Silva Motorsports No. 57 to the bottom. They both picked their front wheels up in a drag race down the front straightaway, and Larson edged him out by .053 seconds. 

The crowd went wild. He’d really pulled off the unthinkable. From the Last Chance Showdown to Victory Lane. Don’t put anything past Kyle Larson.

“I’m out of breath,” Larson said. “I’ve been screaming the whole time since I got the checkered flag. I can’t say enough about Paul, Trevor, Doug, everybody on this team for working so hard. We’ve been terrible, and really, really bad tonight, too. And they’ve just been working hard, trying to get the car better each time. I felt like we were pretty good there in the Feature. I felt like we could move around, get my wheels underneath me, and get grip through the center on restarts. I’m just super thankful. This is amazing. There was a kid that came up during the Midget A-main and said, ‘You think you’re going to win tonight?’ And I said, ‘No.’ I did not think we would win. So, this is pretty amazing.”

Larson is up to 33 career victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt. His fourth win in six tries at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 equals it with Attica Raceway Park as the second winningest track on his Series résumé. He’s behind only Sammy Swindell and Brad Sweet (six wins apiece) and Steve Kinser and Craig Dollansky (five wins apiece) on the track’s World of Outlaws victory list. The drive from 21st marked the farthest back someone has won a World of Outlaws race from since Donny Schatz’s legendary drive to the Knoxville Nationals title in 2013.

Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden brought the field to green, and it was McFadden getting the early advantage on the outside. 

The Australian pieced together a nearly perfect race. McFadden knifed his way through traffic in search of his first I-55 victory. Right when it seemed Haudenschild might be able to close in, McFadden added another slower car to the buffer between the two. 

Even when Larson got to second with only a few laps remaining, McFadden’s lead didn’t seem in jeopardy. But one small slip from a lapped car on the final lap was enough to break his momentum down the back straightaway and hurt his entry angle into Turn 3. Larson had one shot, and he took full advantage to steal the checkered flag on the final lap by putting together a perfect set of corners in the Silva Motorsports No. 57. 

“I could see those two (McFadden and Haudenschild) running the top in (Turns) 3 and 4,” Larson explained. “And I knew my opportunity to get by them was if they made a mistake in (Turns) 3 and 4. Then we caught traffic, and all those lappers were on the bottom. I thought I probably wouldn’t get there. Then he got hung up real tight behind the lapper off (Turn) 2, kind of choked his momentum and forced him to the bottom. And I figured his angle was too bad to be able to stick it and he would probably be cautious or nervous of Sheldon or somebody coming up top in (Turns) 3 and 4. So, I figured he’d drive across, and I knew I just needed to square up my corner and just try and grab the moisture in the middle of the straightaway. I was able to do that and just edge him out.”

After leading all but the final few feet, McFadden was forced to settle for second in the Dennis and Teresa Roth-owned machine. He handled the heartbreak well and is confident an I-55 breakthrough is coming.

“I ran the top, and Noah (Gass) was sort of running the middle, and I thought it was all good because he left me a lane,” McFadden said. “He just lost a bunch of traction off the corner, and I don’t know if he got into the fence a little bit. It just stopped him and parked him there, and I ran into the back of him. I peeled left to get under him, but my angle was sort of bad to get in there, so I had to slide across. That’s racing, mate. That’s the way it goes. Our car was fast. You win them that way, you lose them that way. We’ll come back tomorrow. I think this place owes me one.”

Rounding out the top three was Sheldon Haudenschild in the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17. The result marked his 10th World of Outlaws podium at the Pevely, MO oval. The result was also his third top three in the last five races.

“I feel like I ran a really careful race,” Haudenschild commented. “I really didn’t push the limits at all. That curb was tricky. I didn’t want to run her too hard and wad her up. I think my car was really close. James did a great job that whole race, and obviously Kyle was really good. I probably should’ve just moved around a bit more at the end and tried to get back to the bottom.”

Carson Macedo and Donny Schatz completed the top five.

Larson’s incredible drive from 21st to first also earned him the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

Sheldon Haudenschild claimed his second consecutive Simpson Quick Time and the 34th of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Michael Kofoid, Logan Schuchart, and Kelby Watt. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went Carson Macedo.

Sheldon Haudenschild won the Toyota Racing Dash.

Kyle Larson won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Brock Zearfoss.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are right back at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 (Pevely, MO) for the $25,000-to-win Ironman 55 finale on Saturday, August 3. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson[21]; 2. 83SR-James McFadden[2]; 3. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[1]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[8]; 7. 2-David Gravel[13]; 8. 83-Michael Kofoid[5]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[6]; 10. 49-Brad Sweet[11]; 11. 17B-Bill Balog[10]; 12. 6-Kelby Watt[7]; 13. 20G-Noah Gass[14]; 14. 7S-Landon Crawley[22]; 15. 70-Kraig Kinser[18]; 16. 24T-Christopher Thram[17]; 17. 53-Jessie Attard[24]; 18. 51B-Joe B Miller[19]; 19. 22M-Rees Moran[16]; 20. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[23]; 21. 24D-Danny Sams III[12]; 22. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[3]; 23. 23B-Brian Bell[15]; 24. 14-Corey Day[20]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

The Oakwood, IL driver ties Steve Francis for 10th on Series all-time wins list

NEW RICHMOND, WI (Aug. 2, 2024) – Bobby Pierce added another piece of history to his World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series resume Friday afternoon at Cedar Lake Speedway. 

The Oakwood, IL driver took the lead from Tim McCreadie on Lap 2 and drove to his sixth consecutive Series victory to open the 37th annual USA Nationals.

He joins former champions Billy Moyer and Darrell Lanigan as the only drivers to win six World of Outlaws Features in a row.

“I like setting records,” Pierce said. “It’s cool. The best of the best have run this Series. We’ve had to do it through two crown jewels, so it hasn’t been an easy one. The car’s been great, and I can’t thank my crew enough.”

Tim McCreadie, the Bilstein Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 25-lap opener, driving away from Pierce’s No. 32 to lead Lap 1.

But as the Watertown, NY driver entered Turn 2 on Lap 2, he slid his car too high up the banking, allowing Pierce to pull even with him.

McCreadie’s bobble was all the “Smooth Operator” needed as he stormed past the No. 1 on the inside lane, taking the lead away as he drove his Longhorn chassis down Cedar Lake’s backstretch.

From there, Pierce survived four restarts, including one with four laps to go to score his 28th career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature win, tying Steve Francis for 10th on the all-time wins list.

Thursday afternoon’s heat challenged Pierce as he aimed for the $6,000 prize.

“I’ve never been in Wisconsin when it’s this hot,” Pierce said. “And we just happened to have a day race. You had to fight the car, and I’m glad it was only 25 laps and not 30, 40, 50, or whatever. 

“It might’ve looked like I was pretty smooth out there, but it was hard to stay out of the bad spots and hit your marks. I was slipping bad there at the end. I knew my tires were gone, and it was getting pretty hard to handle.”

McCreadie settled for second, his best World of Outlaws finish driving for Rocket1 Racing. 

According to “T-Mac,” the difference between him and Pierce came down to what happened on Lap 2.

“I made a big bobble in Turn 1, bobbed out and shoved, and gave it away,” McCreadie said. “I was matching lap times with him. I just made one mistake, and that’s all it takes sometimes. 

“I just want to thank Mark Richards, Steve Baker, Danny (White), Joel (Rogers), Austin (Hargrove), and this Rocket1 team. This is a brand new XR car, version two, and it’s been good since the beginning of last week.”

Kyle Bronson finished third, earning his fourth World of Outlaws podium of 2024.

The Brandon, FL driver passed Nick Hoffman on Lap 18 to reach the final podium position.

“I feel like we were pretty good early,” Bronson said. We were a little too tight early in the race, but as the race went on, it came to us pretty good. It was bottoming out too much at the beginning, but it was pretty good.”

Hoffman finished fourth, cutting the Series points lead to 22 points behind Brandon Sheppard, who finished sixth.

Three-time USA Nationals winner Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Tyler Bruening

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Bruening, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Max McLaughlin, Nick Hoffman

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Ethan Dotson, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Tim McCreadie

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Brandon Sheppard (+10)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models continue the 37th USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway with a second 25-lap Feature on Friday night, paying $6,000 to win. After that Feature is complete, the top 16 drivers in event points will be locked into Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale.

For more information on the event and the remaining 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

The Oakwood, IL driver ties Steve Francis for 10th on Series all-time wins list

NEW RICHMOND, WI (Aug. 2, 2024) – Bobby Pierce added another piece of history to his World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series resume Friday afternoon at Cedar Lake Speedway. 

The Oakwood, IL driver took the lead from Tim McCreadie on Lap 2 and drove to his sixth consecutive Series victory to open the 37th annual USA Nationals.

He joins former champions Billy Moyer and Darrell Lanigan as the only drivers to win six World of Outlaws Features in a row.

“I like setting records,” Pierce said. “It’s cool. The best of the best have run this Series. We’ve had to do it through two crown jewels, so it hasn’t been an easy one. The car’s been great, and I can’t thank my crew enough.”

Tim McCreadie, the Bilstein Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 25-lap opener, driving away from Pierce’s No. 32 to lead Lap 1.

But as the Watertown, NY driver entered Turn 2 on Lap 2, he slid his car too high up the banking, allowing Pierce to pull even with him.

McCreadie’s bobble was all the “Smooth Operator” needed as he stormed past the No. 1 on the inside lane, taking the lead away as he drove his Longhorn chassis down Cedar Lake’s backstretch.

From there, Pierce survived four restarts, including one with four laps to go to score his 28th career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature win, tying Steve Francis for 10th on the all-time wins list.

Thursday afternoon’s heat challenged Pierce as he aimed for the $6,000 prize.

“I’ve never been in Wisconsin when it’s this hot,” Pierce said. “And we just happened to have a day race. You had to fight the car, and I’m glad it was only 25 laps and not 30, 40, 50, or whatever. 

“It might’ve looked like I was pretty smooth out there, but it was hard to stay out of the bad spots and hit your marks. I was slipping bad there at the end. I knew my tires were gone, and it was getting pretty hard to handle.”

McCreadie settled for second, his best World of Outlaws finish driving for Rocket1 Racing. 

According to “T-Mac,” the difference between him and Pierce came down to what happened on Lap 2.

“I made a big bobble in Turn 1, bobbed out and shoved, and gave it away,” McCreadie said. “I was matching lap times with him. I just made one mistake, and that’s all it takes sometimes. 

“I just want to thank Mark Richards, Steve Baker, Danny (White), Joel (Rogers), Austin (Hargrove), and this Rocket1 team. This is a brand new XR car, version two, and it’s been good since the beginning of last week.”

Kyle Bronson finished third, earning his fourth World of Outlaws podium of 2024.

The Brandon, FL driver passed Nick Hoffman on Lap 18 to reach the final podium position.

“I feel like we were pretty good early,” Bronson said. We were a little too tight early in the race, but as the race went on, it came to us pretty good. It was bottoming out too much at the beginning, but it was pretty good.”

Hoffman finished fourth, cutting the Series points lead to 22 points behind Brandon Sheppard, who finished sixth.

Three-time USA Nationals winner Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five.

RECAP NOTES:

Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap: Tyler Bruening

Simpson Quick Time Award: Jonathan Davenport

Heat Race Winners: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Bruening, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Max McLaughlin, Nick Hoffman

Last Chance Showdown Winners: Ethan Dotson, Tyler Erb

Bilstein Pole Award: Tim McCreadie

Fox Factory Hard Charger: Brandon Sheppard (+10)

Up Next: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models continue the 37th USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway with a second 25-lap Feature on Friday night, paying $6,000 to win. After that Feature is complete, the top 16 drivers in event points will be locked into Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000-to-win finale.

For more information on the event and the remaining 2024 World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.