Erb, Jr., Pierce Record WoO LMS Weekend Victories

Dennis Erb, Jr. and Bobby Pierce were both victorious in World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series competition over the weekend.

Erb, Jr. scored the win on Saturday night at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kansas, while Pierce made the trip to victory lane on Sunday at Off Road Speedway in Norfolk, Nebraska.

On Saturday, Erb, Jr. stormed past Ryan Gustin on lap 22 and held off a hard-charging Nick Hoffman to win the Wichita Late Model Showdown at 81 Speedway.

Polesitter Kyle Bronson grabbed the early lead, holding the top spot for the first six laps before a caution for Dustin Walker slowed the field.

On the restart, Gustin challenged Bronson for the lead, taking the point in turn 4 on lap 7.

But as Gustin pulled away from the field, Nick Hoffman and Erb, Jr. moved to the front, taking over second and third as Bronson fell out of the top five.

Hoffman started to close on Gustin but missed his mark in turns 1 and 2 on lap 20, opening the door for Erb, who took the position before setting his sights on Gustin.

He only needed two laps to get within a few car lengths of the leader, and made his move for the lead on lap 22.

From there, Erb held off a challenge from Hoffman and was cruising to victory until a caution for Chase Junghans flew on the final lap, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.

Hoffman tried to go around Erb in turn 2, but Erb drove away down the backstretch, holding on to score the $30,000 prize.

“To get out here and win again is a really good feeling,” Erb said. “Things haven’t been going well this year. The car’s been good, but we’ve been caught up in some things. To get back here and get a win really feels good.”

Tanner English rounded out the podium in third, with Gustin in fourth, and Bobby Pierce in fifth.

On Sunday, Bobby Pierce powered past Brandon Sheppard in turn 4 on lap 26 to score his third series victory of the season at Off Road Speedway.

Kyle Bronson led the first two laps of the 40-lap feature before Sheppard jumped ahead of him in turn 4 on lap 3.

Sheppard tried to get away from his competitors, but as the leader caught the back of the field, Pierce started to reel him in.

Pierce tried to go around him on both the inside and outside, but Sheppard held his ground until a caution for Brian Shirley, who broke a driveshaft on lap 16.

On the next restart, Pierce got a run and almost took the lead from Sheppard on the top, but the caution came out again for Ethan Dotson, who spun in turn 4 before the lap was complete.

When the green flag came back out, Sheppard pulled away from Pierce, who lost second to Zebulon, Georgia’s Shane Clanton, and third to Cade Dillard.

But as Pierce fell back, it allowed him to find the line he needed to rise from his fall.

Pierce only needed a few laps to get by Dillard and Clanton, allowing him another chance to try and get by Sheppard.

It was a chance he wouldn’t waste.

On lap 26, Pierce’s momentum gave him the breakthrough he needed, storming past Sheppard in turn 4 to take the lead — one he wouldn’t relinquish.

From there, Pierce led the final 15 laps to score the win.

“Clanton had a good restart, and I didn’t,” Pierce said. “That bottom really came back to life, and I figured we were toast. We were fourth, and I figured I might not be able to do something with these guys. I started making that bottom work, and every time Sheppard went high, I just happened to get lucky and timed it perfectly.

“We just kept switching lanes, and it worked out. It was a lot of fun out there. I’m looking forward to the next time I come back here.”

Sheppard, Clanton, Nick Hoffman, and Cade Dillard rounded out the top five.

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models moves on to Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa, on Tuesday, June 27. Then, the Series travels to Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, North Dakota on Wednesday, June 28, and River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Friday, June 30, and I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minnesota on Saturday, July 1.

For more information, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series
81 Speedway – Wichita, KS
Race Results – June 24, 2023

1. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
2. 9-Nick Hoffman
3. 96V-Tanner English
4. 19R-Ryan Gustin
5. 32-Bobby Pierce
6. 3S-Brian Shirley
7. 1ST-Johnny Scott
8. B1-Brent Larson
9. 174-Ethan Dotson
10. 54-David Breazeale
11. 25-Shane Clanton
12. 11-Gordy Gundaker
13. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck
14. 44-Chris Madden
15. 97-Cade Dillard
16. 30-Todd Cooney
17. 18-Chase Junghans
18. 14W-Dustin Walker
19. 92S-Delbert Smith
20. 28S-Dustin Sorensen
21. 99-Jesse Sobbing
22. 60-Kip Hughes
23. 40B-Kyle Bronson
24. 7D-Dusty Leonard
25. B5-Brandon Sheppard

World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series
Off Road Speedway – Norfolk, NE
Race Results – June 25, 2023

1. 32-Bobby Pierce
2. B5-Brandon Sheppard
3. 25-Shane Clanton
4. 9-Nick Hoffman
5. 97-Cade Dillard
6. 19R-Ryan Gustin
7. 96V-Tanner English
8. 1ST-Johnny Scott
9. 44-Chris Madden
10. 11-Gordy Gundaker
11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr
12. 40B-Kyle Bronson
13. 18-Chase Junghans
14. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck
15. 04-Tad Pospisil
16. B1-Brent Larson
17. 30-Todd Cooney
18. 6-Cade Richards
19. 14W-Dustin Walker
20. 196-Jaxon Saathoff
21. 36-Chris Johnson
22. 07-Ben Sukup
23. 174-Ethan Dotson
24. 3S-Brian Shirley