BRANDON, S.D. — Bobby Pierce led wire-to-wire on Thursday night at Huset’s Speedway as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series kicked off the 14th annual Silver Dollar Nationals presented by MyRacePass.
Pierce’s win was his first of 2024 with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series — scoring the $10,000 victory for his sixth win in his last seven late model feature starts. The win is Pierce’s 21st overall this season.
Pierce was in control for all 40 laps as he beat fellow Illinois driver and defending Silver Dollar Nationals winner Brandon Sheppard to the checkers by 2.224 seconds.
Daulton Wilson, the Victory Fuel polesitter finished in third rounding out the podium. Devin Moran was fourth followed by Hudson O’Neal, whose two-race Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt series win streak was snapped, in fifth.
“I don’t know what it is, but I was beat up last year after the race and I am again,” Pierce said. “You have got to stay on the wheel I think like literally the whole time around this racetrack with how it’s shaped and with how the banking flattens off in certain spots. The second you relax is when you push and make a mistake, things happen very fast here. It’s very mentally challenging because you come off the corners in turn four and it tightens up. The only time I got the wall was off of turn four down the straightaway.”
Sheppard, a two-time winner of the Silver Dollar Nationals, took over second from Wilson on lap four and trailed Pierce the rest of the way.
“The engine got a little bit more on the warmer side than I like it. Thanks to Huset’s Speedway for giving us a great racetrack tonight,” Sheppard said. “We had a pretty good car all night long, we didn’t qualify as good as we needed to. We’ve been working on this thing trying to get a little bit better. We keep finishing second to Bobby. His stuff is really good right now and hats off to them guys, they do a really good job.”
Wilson finished third.
“This is a big deal for us. This place has definitely kicked my butt over the years. We were probably the only one on hard tires tonight, so we messed up a little bit there. My guys have been busting their tails and to get a night under our belt on hard tires is not a bad thing either so to be up here is a great thing.”
Tad Pospisil swept the RepairableVehicles.com Tri-State Late Models program, setting quick time in his group before winning a heat race and the 30-lap A Main.
The finish:
Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32P-Bobby Pierce (2); 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard (4); 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson (1); 4. 99-Devin Moran (3); 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal (6); 6. 1-Tim McCreadie (5); 7. 7T-Drake Troutman (7); 8. 49-Jonathan Davenport (8); 9. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr (10); 10. 93F-Carson Ferguson (9); 11. 1T-Tyler Erb (15); 12. 7-Ross Robinson (11); 13. 25C-Chad Simpson (14); 14. 76N-Blair Nothdurft (17); 15. 157-Mike Marlar (18); 16. 20-Jimmy Owens (13); 17. 58-Garrett Alberson (24); 18. 111-Max Blair (19); 19. 17SS-Brenden Smith (12); 20. 6-Clay Harris (21); 21. 15C-Curt Schroeder (23); 22. 07-Ben Sukup (22); 23. 99B-Boom Briggs (16); 24. 93-Cory Lawler (20); 25. 10-Junior Coover (25).