UNION, Ky. — Bobby Pierce moved from 14th starting spot to win the 43rd annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 presented by Lucas Oil Saturday night at Florence Speedway.
Pierce earned $75,000 for the victory and became the first driver in the history of the event to win three years in a row, as he also became the first driver to win four North/South 100s in his career.
Pierce and Jonathan Davenport had a spirited battle for the lead after a lap 52 caution that saw the two competitors get together several times before Pierce was able to pull away.
Devin Moran got to second on lap 65 and had a shot at Pierce after a caution came out with eight laps to go, but Pierce was able to get a good restart and drive off for the win.
Moran lost the second spot to Ricky Thornton Jr. on lap 98, and then on the final lap, Davenport was able to secure the last podium spot as he also got Moran. Moran finished fourth, with Zack Dohm rounding out the top five drivers.
“I’ve been in this position before. I was in a bad mood because I didn’t want to start that far back; you know, it’s a lot harder that way,” Pierce explained. “We were coming through the field, and I was worried about my tires. I was spinning really bad in some sections, but then in others, I was really hooked up. It was tough, and once I got to second, I was trying to win the race. I got the job done. I can’t thank my team enough and everyone who helps me out. And thank you to the fans for coming out and watching.”
Pierce was asked in victory lane about his battle with Davenport after the lap-52 caution that saw the two drivers go back and forth for the lead, which also included contact between the two.
“It was about halfway through the race, but you want to get the lead as quickly as you can because if the track transitions, you never know what could happen,” Pierce said. “Last year, here it went to the bottom, and it was really hard to run the top toward the end of the race. So I didn’t want to give anyone that opportunity if I could take it. I was planning to take the lead and just hold on for the rest of the race. Sometimes, it’s a lot easier to lead late in the race than to run in second, especially with a restart where you’re double-file again. Yes, we raced hard—me and JD—and I know he was mad, but it’s just hard racing here.”
Thornton, who got the runner-up spot, took home $25,000 for second and cut Davenport’s point lead to five.
“I definitely felt like I was running as hard as I could there, and it just wasn’t enough,” Thornton said. “Bobby’s stuff was really good. I could barely see him in the last couple of laps, so we will go back to the drawing board and try to improve. The track was a little different than it usually is here; typically, the curb isn’t that big—it’s usually against the wall. But this time, it was about a car length off the wall. I feel like we have good speed, though not quite the great speed we had at the start of the year.”
Davenport, who was aiming for his third North/South 100 victory, led 60 of the 100 laps but finished in third place.
“Obviously, he (Pierce) is always right, so I don’t know how to throw sliders, and he does. I won’t sit here and talk bad about him, because he’s really good,” Davenport said. “We all know the top is going to be very competitive here at Florence, and I was just running my race and keeping my tires under me. I was planning to try and make a run back at him in the last 10 or 15 laps since I knew he was probably going to pass me and be gone, but that’s just how this place races. I have a lot of damage, but I still managed to get back to third.”
The finish:
Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Zack Dohm, Jason Jameson, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Overton, Cory Hedgecock, Nick Hoffman, Carson Ferguson, Brandon Sheppard, Donald McIntosh, Mike Marlar, Chris Ferguson, Clay Harris, Garrett Alberson, Dustin Nobbe, Dan Ebert, Daniel Hilsabeck, Josh Rice, Joseph Joiner, Daulton Wilson, Justin Rattliff, Jimmy Owens, Ryan Montgomery
