BARBERVILLE, Fla. — Consistent results paid off for reigning World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models champion Bobby Pierce.
The Oakwood, Ill., driver clinched his first career Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator championship after Saturday’s finale was canceled due to rain throughout the morning.
“It’s badass,” Pierce said. “Obviously, I’ve got some little gators, but the big one, I haven’t seen (until Saturday). I’m excited.”
Pierce began the points chase on Tuesday with an early setback — being involved in a multi-car pileup after leading a majority of the feature. The “Smooth Operator” immediately put his No. 32 to work on Wednesday to get back into contention for the Big Gator.
The result? Winning two consecutive golden gator trophies.
Pierce continued to produce high-placing results with two third-place finishes on Thursday and Friday with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models.
He finishes the week at Volusia Speedway Park with two wins, four top fives, and four top 10s, defeating Dresden, Ohio’s Devin Moran and New Berlin, Ill.’s Brandon Sheppard in the standings, respectively.
“It proves that we were the most consistent car all week and that’s even with falling out of a race. Honestly, if you would have told me I was gonna win the Big Gator after falling out of that race on Tuesday, I probably would have said you’re crazy,” Pierce said.
Leaving Volusia with the series points lead, Pierce credited the improvements he’s made at the track since his rough start in 2023 to continue his journey towards a second World of Outlaws title.
“That’s the main goal,” Pierce said. “We’re off to a much better start than last year. I keep looking at it. We’re six points ahead now, but I think last year we were 50 points out of the lead. I mean, it’s too early to be looking at the points, but it’s really cool that we just leave here with a Big Gator before we go racing again. I get to be the points leader for a month, which is cool.”