For his first go-around in a NASCAR Truck on dirt, not too shabby. To start things off, he joined an exclusive club of drivers to qualify on the pole for their first Truck Series start – members include only Bobby Hamilton, Kerry Earnhardt, Alex Tagliani and Ron Hornaday Jr. That weekend, Pierce held his own, leading a solid number of laps and finishing the race behind only winner Christopher Bell.
“I got a lot of publicity over that race. A lot of people who were NASCAR fans but weren’t really dirt late model fans and had never heard of me were pretty interested about that. Like, some kid being able to run second to all of those guys,” Pierce said.
“We turned a lot of heads towards our sport too, so that was good. I was glad to have the opportunity to do that.”
Pierce went on to make seven more starts in the MBM truck over the next three years but was never able to replicate what he accomplished in the 2015 Derby, despite two more Derby starts. He did, however, learn a lot about those 358 C.I. machines on asphalt as well, making intermittent appearances at Martinsville, Phoenix, Kansas, Charlotte, Miami and Dover over the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
“One thing I realized, there’s a lot of G’s [forces] at those tracks,” Pierce said. “You get that for sure in late models, but you’re going just a little faster [in the trucks]. I think 165 [mph] was the fastest I went. That felt pretty quick, but it was a different feel than on a dirt track,” Pierce said.
“I think it made me a little bit better on dirt, just because it threw something else at me that was a different challenge. So, when I got back in the dirt stuff, it felt more like home.”
Although he may not have had the results he was after in each of his NASCAR starts, Pierce will more remember the lessons he learned on the pavement and was glad he got the opportunity to do something special and branch out.
“Everyone knows what NASCAR is, so I think it’s something cool to have on your resume,” Pierce said. “It would have been cool to get a win, but I can say I got a NASCAR pole, so that’s definitely cool to say.”
Returning to his family-owned dirt late model team for the 2019 season, Pierce wheeled his Rocket XR1 Chassis to 19 wins through the latter portion of the season before switching back to a new Pierce Platinum before the year concluded. Since the 2020 season has been on hold for several months, he’s had the chance to do some thinking about why he, like each of his competitors, truly wants to hit the dirt again.
“There’s so much to be accomplished in dirt late model racing, too,” Pierce said. “I’ve won a lot of big races, but there’s still so many more that I want to win. And aside from that, I want to win the races I’ve won again and again.”
If winning races is his endgame, then innovation and maintenance through this extended break is the route he’ll take to get there. You can bet he and his father will be keeping up in that department.
“Hopefully, we can keep progressing too,” Pierce said. “This sport’s definitely always changing, someone always seems to be getting a little faster and figuring something out. Gotta stay on top of it.”
And while Pierce says a return to NASCAR may someday be in his future, his heart’s in dirt racing right now. His goals, while easy to say and more difficult by the year to achieve, will likely stay the same. True to the sport’s heritage, his family’s legacy, and for the entertainment of thousands of grassroots racing fans across the globe.
“Just keep doing what I’m doing, trying to make the most of things. Probably the same goals, trying to win as many races and championships as possible. Just dominate.”