DayMotorSports.com Race Recap: Pierce, Bailes, Whitehead notch wins at Boothill
GREENWOOD, Louisiana (March 9, 2024) — National Super Late Model star Bobby Pierce, regional open-wheel veteran Ethan Bailes, and noted car builder/driver Justin Whitehead all earned feature wins in their respective classes, as the Ronny Adams Memorial was held on Saturday at Boothill Speedway.
Pierce powered to victory in the 40-lap A Main for Comp Cams Super Dirt Series (CCSDS) teams; Bailes prevailed in a talent-filled 20-lap tilt for USRA Limited Modifieds; while Whitehead was triumphant in a hotly-contested affair for Factory Stocks.
Chase Hatton (Pro Mods); Michael McEachern (USRA Tuners); and Charlie Kruithof (Sportsters) were also feature winners on a beautiful night for short track racing in northwest Louisiana.
Pierce, of Oakwood, Illinois, started second on a 23-car Super Late Model grid, inherited the lead with just five laps remaining when Cade Dillard hit the wall in Turn 1 and hung on to earn top honors. Kyle Beard crossed the stripe in second, while BJ Robinson filled out the podium. Dillard had led all 35 laps.
Spencer Hughes (Meridian, MS) and Ashton Winger (Senoia, GA) rounded out the top five.
“I hated to see that wreck for Cade,” Pierce told veteran series announcer Wesley Gwaltney in Victory Lane. “I actually didn’t know what happened until I came back around. I heard ‘Red Flag’ on the radio, but don’t know if he just missed the corner, got a little tight, or what.
“It was going to be a pretty good battle. I feel like both of us were kind of slowing down a bit; our tires were going away. With the battles we had in lapped traffic, it was getting really interesting. But man, what an awesome weekend for us. Louisiana has been great, I appreciate these fans for coming out.”
Pierce took home a cool $10,000 for his efforts. Beard was pleased with his performance in the opener.
“Riding back there in third before Cade wrecked, I didn’t think I had much of a shot,” Beard said. “I was glad there was a late caution, but not because I wanted either of the leaders to crash. I just wanted to go up and take my shot. This is the first year we’ve had a strong start right off the bat, it feels good.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the fifth annual Ronny Adams Memorial for Comp Cams Super Late Models were Jon Mitchell (who started 18th); Logan Martin, Shane Hebert, Morgan Bagley and Tristan Chamberlain. Three cautions slowed the pace, two for minor incidents and a red flag for Dillard’s crash.
Pierce’s margin of victory was a healthy 1.751 seconds, as his No. 32 car was hooked up.
Dillard, Robinson, Pierce and Tyler Stevens won their respective qualifying Heats earlier in the night, while Clayton Stuckey and Jon Mitchell won the two B Mains.
Bailes, of Elizabeth, started on the pole of a 20-car Limited grid and led all 20 laps in fine style. Joel Couvillion claimed the runner-up position with a solid effort, while Justin Whitehead (doing double duty) drove up from 11th at the start to finish third. Whitehead is a threat to win, no matter the division.
Connor Mewborn (Texarkana) and local favorite Josh Baucom (Shreveport) completed the top five.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the American Racer USRA Limited Modified A feature were Conner Williams, Aaron Roy, Jake Huckaby, Joe Wilhelm Jr. and Colby Williams. One caution slowed the pace at lap 16 for a two-car incident in Turn 1. Bailes’ margin of victory was a comfortable 1.238 seconds.
Whitehead, of Texarkana, started third in the Factory Stock feature, inherited the lead when early leader CJ Howell got spun around by T.J. Evans with just three laps remaining and hung on for top honors. Evans kept his spot and finished second, while Chase Hatton filled out the podium.
John Parker Jr. (Dry Prong) and Neil Kemp (Mineral Springs, AR) completed the top five.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the Factory Stock feature were Dalton DuBois, Austin Waters, Gary Harvin, Tyler Morgan and Cord Behrens (who started in the 19th position). Three cautions slowed the pace (laps 12, 17, 17), all for quick spins. Whitehead’s narrow margin of victory was .454 of a second.
The fifth annual Ronny Adams Memorial drew an impressive 151 entries spread across six classes. Led by the mighty Limited Mods and Factory Stocks with 39 cars each, there was no shortage of talent within the Boothill pit area. Fans were treated to two and three-wide racing action all evening long.
With rain washing out Friday night’s program, anticipation for Saturday’s show was at an all-time high. Event co-promoters Ralo Pilkington and Bubba Jones delivered with a racy track and organized show. Officials cranked out 18 Heats several B Mains before hosting six entertaining features.
Next up for the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series teams is a stop at the beautiful Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, Oklahoma, this coming Friday night. As announced last week, RaceON is now the official Live Streaming service of the CCSDS, and will have every lap of the action all season long in 2024.
The series will contest 26 races in six states this season, with each featuring some of the finest Super Late Model drivers in the country. Billy Moyer Jr., of Batesville, AR, is the defending series champion. Moyer won the coveted title in 2023 by a mere two points over Kyle ‘The Silent Assassin’ Beard.
You can replay every lap of Saturday night’s Ronny Adams Memorial at Boothill Speedway with a subscription at RaceON.com. Newly re-branded with a commitment to promote local racing, RaceON (formerly RaceON) has over 400 Live events on tap in 2024 from several states.
When you sign up today, select one of two options (OnDemand or All Access), choose your favorite (or hometown) track and start enjoying great content while supporting your local track even when you can’t attend in person.
RaceON.com Staff Writer