Bobby Pierce – Jim Denhamer
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)
Heat 1:
1. 32 Bobby Pierce
2. 21 Billy Moyer
3. 21JR Billy Moyer Jr
4. 12B Kevin Weaver
5. 25 Jason Feger
6. 24 Ryan Unzicker
7. 11 Gordy Gundaker
8. 15H Jon Henry
9. 77M Jay Morris
Heat 2:
1. 157 Mike Marlar
2. 99JR Frank Heckenast Jr
3. 89 Mike Spatola
4. 27M Rodney Melvin
5. 2 Allen Murray
6. 4 Cody Mahoney
7. 5H Jeremy Hines
8. 45 Don Hammer
9. 9 Lyle Zanker
Heat 3:
1. 96 Tanner English
2. 4G Bob Gardner
3. 18 Shannon Babb
4. C8 Timothy Culp
5. 7T Steve Thorsten
6. 14 Glen Thompson
7. 33H Billy Hough
8. 01JR Greg Cantrell
C-Main 1:
1. 15H Jon Henry
2. 4 Cody Mahoney
3. 11 Gordy Gundaker
4. 24 Ryan Unzicker
5. 45 Don Hammer
6. 77M Jay Morris
7. 33H Billy Hough
8. 14 Glen Thompson
9. 01JR Greg Cantrell
10. 5H Jeremy Hines
11. Lyle Zanker
2016 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Schedule
| Date | Day | Track | Winners |
| Northern Kickoff | |||
| June 15 | Wednesday | Brownstown Speedway | Rain/Cancelled |
| June 16 | Thursday | Kankakee Co. Speedway | Bobby Pierce |
| June 17 | Friday | Cedar Lake Speedway | |
| June 18 | Saturday | Cedar Lake Speedway | |
| June 19 | Sunday | Wilmot Speedway | |
| Heartland Tour | |||
| June 20 | Monday | OFF | |
| June 21 | Tuesday | Jacksonville Speedway | |
| June 22 | Wednesday | Farley Speedway | |
| June 23 | Thursday | Spoon River Speedway | |
| June 24 | Friday | Tri-City Speedway | |
| June 25 | Saturday | Fairbury Speedway | |
| June 26 | Sunday | Tri-State Speedway | |
| Southern Tour | |||
| June 27 | Monday | OFF | |
| June 28 | Tuesday | Clarksville Speedway | |
| June 29 | Wednesday | Belle Clair Speedway | |
| June 30 | Thursday | Springfield Raceway | |
| July 1 | Friday | Fayette Co. Speedway | |
| July 2 | Saturday | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | |
| July 3 | Sunday | Lincoln Speedway | |
| Independence Week | |||
| July 4 | Monday | LaSalle Speedway | |
| July 5 | Tuesday | Daugherty Speedway | |
| July 6 | Wednesday | Peoria Speedway | |
| July 7 | Thursday | Macon Speedway | |
| July 8 | Friday | Farmer City Speedway | |
| July 9 | Saturday | Highland Speedway | |
| July 10 | Sunday | Quincy Raceways | |
| Champions Week | |||
| July 11 | Monday | OFF | |
| July 12 | Tuesday | Plymouth Speedway | |
| July 13 | Wednesday | Shadyhill Speedway | |
| July 14 | Thursday | Merritt Speedway | |
| July 15 | Friday | Oakshade Raceway | |
| July 16 | Saturday | Oakshade Raceway |
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals “Hell Tour” is brought to fans across the country by many important partners including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Racing Electronics (Official Communication), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to these fine Contingency Partners: Beyea Headers, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, JE Pistons, MSD, Impact Race Products, Quartermaster, Superflow Dynos, Summit Racing Equipment and Wrisco Aluminum; Promotional Partners include: Chevy Performance Parts, Indiana Decal, Intercomp and Petroff Towing.
