Bobby Pierce Fires Opening Shot in DIRTcar Summer Nationals at

[NickHolt]

Bobby Pierce Fires Opening Shot in DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Kankakee County Speedway
The Summer Nationals opens up a double-header Friday night at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.

 

KANKAKEE, Ill. - June 16, 2016 - Bobby Pierce, the reigning DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion, fired the opening shot of the grueling tour, scoring a hard fought win over Mike Marlar at Kankakee County (Ill.) Speedway on Thursday night.

 

Pierce, a native of Oakwood, Ill. and son of legendary late model racer Bob Pierce, battled forward through the opening laps as Tanner English led. Mike Marlar battled past English on a restart while Pierce moved to second over English. World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series regular Frank Heckenast Jr. moved to the fourth position.

 

By the halfway mark, the 19-year-old Pierce had cut Marlar's lead to half a second as Heckenast moved to third. Pierce continued to cut down the lead in the succeeding laps, ultimately taking the lead on a slider. Pierce and Marlar fought a two-lap battle but Pierce held the position and ultimately claimed the $5,000-to-win opener.

 

"A lot of times you're searching for just one win throughout the tour, so to just get it out of the way as soon as possible is really cool," Pierce said. "Last year I won twice. The year before that I won only one. So starting off the year with a win is really good."

 

The Summer Nationals returns to action Friday for the start of a double-header at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.

 

Follow the Summer Nationals and Summit Modified Nationals on Twitter at Twitter.com/SummerNationals or on Facebook at Facebook.com/SummerNationals. Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the series throughout the lead up and the summer on the series' websites at TheHellTour.com and ModifiedNationals.com.

DIRTcar Summer Nationals Statistical Report; Kankakee County Speedway, Kankakee, Ill.

A-Main - 1. Bobby Pierce (Oakwood, IL) ($5,000), 2. Mike Marlar (Winfield, TN), 3. Frank Heckenast Jr (Frankfort, IL), 4. Mike Spatola (Manhattan, IL), 5. Jon Henry (Ada, OH), 6. Tanner English (Benton, KY), 7. Bob Gardner (East Peoria, IL), 8. Cody Mahoney (Hanover, IN), 9. Rodney Melvin (Benton, IL), 10. Shannon Babb (Moweaqua, IL), 11. Ryan Unzicker (El Paso, IL), 12. Gordy Gundaker (St Charles, MO), 13. Jay Morris (Watseka, IL), 14. Jason Feger (Bloomington, IL), 15. Timothy Culp (Sheridan, AR), 16. Billy Moyer Jr (Batesville, AR), 17. Kevin Weaver (Gibson City, IL), 18. Billy Hough (Thomasboro, IL), 19. Allen Murray (San Antonio, TX), 20. Glen Thompson (Buckingham, IL), 21. Billy Moyer (Batesville, AR), 22. Steve Thorsten (Milford, IL)