Bobby Pierce took home the feature win in the first annual Shale Crescent Dirt Cup at Muskingum County Speedway, but despite his performance he was unable to lead his World of Outlaws Late Model team past the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
The first annual Shale Crescent Dirt Cup pitted the 12 best World of Outlaws Late Model drivers against the 12 best Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series determined by their current point position within their respective series ahead of the Dirt Late Model Dream. Points for each driver were awarded for qualifying, heat race, 12 1v1 match races, and finally for feature performance.
The Lucas Oil team quickly jumped out to an early lead in qualifying with both Devin Moran and Ricky Thornton Jr. setting fast time in both Group A & B. Dan Ebert added another point by being the second fastest qualifier in Group B. Nick Hoffman was the lone point getter for the Outlaws with the second fastest in Group.
Pierce came up one spot short of earning his team points. He qualified third fastest in Group B just .02 second behind Ebert.
Following qualifying, the event moved into traditional heat races with points awarded for positions 1-3. Lucas extended its lead with Devin Moran winning heat 1 and Carson Ferguson finishing 3rd. Daulton Wilson finished second.
In heat 2, Nick Hoffman continued to carry the Outlaws team with a win. However, Lucas countered with Hudson O’Neal and Max Blair finishing second and third. Ricky Thornton Jr. would continue to keep pace with Devin Moran as the top point getter for Lucas with a win in heat 3. Pierce secured two points for the Outlaws with a second place finish while Tim McCreadie drove past Brandon Sheppard to get the third position and the final point up for grabs. In heat 4, team Lucas continued to separate themselves from the Outlaws. Dan Ebert won the heat with Josh Rice finishing second. Tyler Erb secured the lone point for the Outlaws.
After the heat races, the event introduced what it described as King of the Hill, but in reality they were 12 match races that pitted the respective series against each other. The matches were determined by their position in their respective series and they were put up against each other. The only minor discrepancy was that Brandon Overton did not attend the event and was replaced by Dan Ebert. Thus instead of Carson Ferguson going up against Tristan Chamberlain, he went up against Dennis Erb Jr. while Ebert faced off against Chamberlain.
Team Lucas dominated these races winning 9 of them. The only Outlaw drivers to win their battles was Trey Mills, Tim McCreadie, and Nick Hoffman. The Lucas winners were Ebert, Ferguson, Kyle Bronson, Josh Rice, Brian Shirley, Garrett Alberson, Ricky Thornton Jr., Devin Moran, and Hudson O’Neal.
These 2-lap races were all highly entertaining with Thornton and Drake Troutman’s duel coming down to a photo finish.
📸 Photo finish win for @RThornton20rt in the #ShaleDirtCup King of the Hill at @RaceMCS! pic.twitter.com/FbN4mpVcsz
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) June 11, 2026
With the 12-match races completed, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series extended its points lead to 16 over the Outlaws heading into the feature. And the feature delivered one of the best races of the year and is definitely a race of the year contender.
Nick Hoffman jumped to the early lead after starting on the outside of Ricky Thornton Jr., but Pierce began quickly working his way to the front after starting in fifth. Around 5 laps in and he was already in second and challenging Hoffman for the lead. Pierce eventually threw a slider into turn 1 with 42 to go to take the lead and looked like he was going to be able to hold Hoffman off down the back stretch, but a caution came out before they completed the lap putting Hoffman back to the lap.
On the restart, the wick was turned up as Ricky Thornton Jr. made his way past Pierce and began challenging Hoffman for the lead. Pierce also fell into the clutches of seventh starting Josh Rice, who found the top side, and was able to work past Pierce, who went from 1st to 4th due to the caution.
Rice would make a bid for the lead from 3rd driving around Thornton on the top down the back stretch and then throwing a slider on Hoffman through three. Hoffman countered with a cross over, but Rice was able to get the second position despite Thornton trying his own counter down low through turns 1 and 2. Pierce would eventually work past Thornton on the top a few laps later to get back to third.
After a couple laps of following Hoffman around the top, Rice made his move in 1 and 2. Hoffman made an uncharacteristic mistake by getting his right side over the top down the back stretch and that allowed both Rice and Pierce to get past him heading into 3. Pierce tried to get them both with a monster slider, but Rice crossed him back over. Pierce tried again in 1 and 2, but Rice crossed him over exiting the turn and kept the top spot. While all that was happening Thornton began challenging Hoffman for third, but Hoffman kept him at bay.
Pierce would continue to hound Rice for the next 10 or so laps while Rice ripped the top around lap traffic and at some points looking underneath him, but was unable to complete the pass. Further back in the field, Moran, who started at the rear had worked his way up to 10th and found himself in a dog fight with Drake Troutman, Brandon Sheppard, and Carson Ferguson.
A little over halfway, Rice got mixed up in lap traffic as Tristan Chamberlain drifted up the track seemingly going to take the outside line into 3. Rice moved to go below him, but Tristan ran through the middle instead. Rice tried to drive it in past him for a deep slider, but the two made contact and Rice’s momentum was significantly hindered. Pierce pounced ripping the top through the corner and slide Rice in 1 and 2 to take the lead. Rice crossed him over exiting 2, but Pierce got him with another slider in 3 and 4 and took the lead. Rice countered with a slider the next lap, but it was Pierce’s turn to work the crossover and that’s exactly what he did securing the top spot and never looking back. Rice would settle in for second while Hoffman finished in third.
A late race caution with 13 laps to go for a Brandon Sheppard flat tire reset the field and got them out of lap traffic and that was to the benefit of Pierce, who had an excellent start, got his car in clean air and checked out and claimed the first annual Shale Crescent Dirt Cup as his and cementing himself as the top driver in the country.
In victory lane, Pierce relished the win, “[The car] was very good in the feature there. This race car’s been bad fast right out of the gate. Brand new car at Eldora. Feels awesome, man. First win here at Muskingum. Like I said earlier maybe third time’d be a charm and it was tonight.”
On his battle with Rice, he said, “Fought through that caution that came out. We just got the lead and fell back to fourth. It’s like, ‘Man, that sucks.’ But rallied back up through there. Josh Rice was driving a heck of a race too. We had some fun throwing sliders. Couple of them were pry pretty questionable on my end. Luckily he lifted and turned back, crossed me under every time. Just a lot of fun out there.”
As for Rice, he was clearly dejected feeling that he let one get away, “Some of these lap cars, man, I just don’t know what goes through their head. I guess they think they can race for the win when they’re getting lapped. I don’t know. We’re going to have to take care of that because I feel like that’s two he’s cost me. I don’t know, Bobby was pretty good.”
“We got to be happy about that. I’m kinda disappointed. Didn’t think we’d come here and run second, but it worked out,” he added.
Hoffman, who finished third, was frank, “Just wasn’t good enough. Pry didn’t tighten up enough for the feature and just got myself where I was too hung leaving the corners and these guys could turn down the hill and drive off straight. Oh well. … Just got to keep digging. I just got a little bit better to beat this 32.”
Despite Pierce’s win and Hoffman’s third place finish, the Outlaws were unable to accrue enough points in the feature to defeat the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, who had 6 guys finish in the Top 10 with only Tyler Erb and Tim McCreadie fthe only other two Outlaws finishing 5th and 7th. Lucas defeated the Outlaws 117 to 84.
1st Annual Shale Crescent Dirt Cup Feature Results (50 laps):
- Bobby Pierce (5)
- Josh Rice (7)
- Nick Hoffman (2)
- Hudson O’Neal (6)
- Tyler Erb (11)
- Ricky Thornton Jr. (1)
- Tim McCreadie (9)
- Devin Moran (24)
- Max Blair (10)
- Dan Ebert (3)
- Brandon Sheppard (13)
- Kyle Bronson (14)
- Drake Troutman (12)
- Dennis Erb Jr. (21)
- Carson Ferguson (8)
- Daulton Wilson (4)
- Brian Shirley (16)
- Dustin Sorensen (17)
- Ryan Gustin (22)
- Tristan Chamberlain (20)
- Garrett Alberson (19)
- Ethan Dotson (15)
- Trey Mills (18)
- Clay Harris (23)
Top Points Earners
- Bobby Pierce – 22
- Nick Hoffman – 21
- Josh Rice – 21
- Ricky Thornton Jr. – 18
- Hudson O’Neal – 17
- Devin Moran – 16
- Tyler Erb – 14
- Dan Ebert – 13
- Tim McCreadie – 13
- Max Blair – 10
- Kyle Bronson – 7
- Brandon Sheppard – 7
- Carson Ferguson – 5
- Drake Troutman – 4
- Daulton Wilson – 4
- Dennis Erb Jr. – 4
- Brian Shirley – 2
- Garrett Alberson – 1
- Trey Mills – 1
- Tristan Chamberlain – 0
- Ethan Dotson – 0
- Ryan Gustin – 0
- Clay Harris – 0
- Dustin Sorensen – 0
NEXT: James Trantina III Adds Second Super Late Model Team With Cody Overton Behind The Wheel
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