Brandon Overton was checking every box to have a perfect night at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park on Thursday, even holding the lead when the white flag pointed in his direction. Then came Bobby Pierce.
For the first time all night, Overton saw a car pass him with less than half a mile to go until the checkered flag. After Overton slid through the first turn, Pierce sailed underneath and powered ahead down the backstretch.
Hoping to rebound from two bad nights at Volusia with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series in January, and eager to bring home a golden gator trophy to his girlfriend, Pierce fended off Overton through the final corner as he ran to the finish line.
“The last time we were (at Volusia) for the World of Outlaws races, you know, I didn’t have good showings and couldn’t complete our nights, so we’ve been kind of building on that,” said Pierce. “We’ve ran all the features, so far, made all the laps, and it was just fine tuning the race cars after that.
“We needed this win to make up points with (the World of Outlaws)… We got this first night out. If we can knock out another one that would be a big points jump that we’ll gain.”
The victory, coming during the first night of World of Outlaws CASE Late Model action at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, is Pierce’s second DIRTcar Nationals win – first with the World of Outlaws – and fifth Series win overall.
However, Overton didn’t initially leave much hope for anyone to steal the win away from him with the early trajectory of his night. He set quick time in Qualifying, won his heat race and drew the pole for the 30-lap Feature. Then, he drove away from the 29-car field in the caution-free race.
Pierce drew the fourth starting position, but said he’d rather have a bottom row starting spot. However, he didn’t waste time getting to the bottom lane at the start of the feature, cruising to second place by lap 4.
Tim McCreadie, who started a row behind Pierce in sixth, also made a quick charge to the front. He powered to fourth on the first lap and then second the next lap. His time in the runner-up spot was short lived, though, as Pierce came through to steal it.
The two stayed within striking distance of Overton, even closing in after the halfway point when he got caught in traffic. But once Overton found clean air, he gapped Pierce by more than a second.
With five laps to go and a healthy distance between first and second, Overton’s perfect night was minutes away from being complete. Pierce wasn’t ready to give up, though.
By running the top lane, and getting some assistance from slower cars in front of Overton, Pierce closed within a car length with three laps to go. With two laps remaining, Pierce was on Overton’s bumper going into turn 1. He stayed there down the backstretch and through turns 3 and 4.
Looking low before turning into the first corner on the final lap, Pierce was eager to make his move.
Overton slid up the track with a slower car hugging the bottom, opening the door for Pierce to rocket underneath him and get enough grip off the bottom to pull ahead down the backstretch.
Both drivers threw their cars into the final corner, exiting sideways off turn 4 but Pierce held the advantage at the line with the checkered flag waving.
“I guess now thinking back, when I went to the top that flustered him up,” Pierce said. “I think his crew guys told him I had ran the top and was pretty good, because after that he kept moving up a little and I just kept poking in there on the bottom and I was getting better the lower I got. It was slimy so it had to come in.
“There at the end… one of my crew guys, he’d told me I won here before, just do what I do and a couple times when I messed up I just thought of that really.”
Overton had to settle for second, with McCreadie third, Chase Junghans in fourth, and Hudson O’Neal in fifth.
The World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series continues its 2023 season at Volusia Speedway Park on Friday, February 17. For more information, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.
World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series
Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL
DirtCar Nationals – February 16, 2023
1. 32-Bobby Pierce
2. 76-Brandon Overton
3. 39-Tim McCreadie
4. 18-Chase Junghans
5. 1-Hudson O’Neal
6. 17M-Dale McDowell
7. 49-Jonathan Davenport
8. 111-Max Blair
9. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
10. 25Z-Mason Zeigler
11. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
12. 99-Devin Moran
13. 40B-Kyle Bronson
14. 8S-Kyle Strickler
15. 44-Chris Madden
16. 8-Brian Shirley
17. 19R-Ryan Gustin
18. B5-Brandon Sheppard
19. 11-Gordy Gundaker
20. 9-Nick Hoffman
21. 10-Mike Norris
22. 18D-Daulton Wilson
23. 1ST-Johnny Scott
24. B1-Brent Larson
25. 99JR-Frank Heckenast, Jr.
26. 96V-Tanner English
27. 25-Shane Clanton
28. 22*-Payton Freeman
29. 5-Mark Whitener
