LUCAMA, NC – Brandon Pierce executed the bump-and-run on the last lap to get past Josh Berry and score his first career CARS Late Model Stock Tour victory at Southern National Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon.
Pierce had run Berry down in the closing laps of the race and was applying pressure until a caution came out with 10 laps to go. That caution stacked up the field and, on the restart, Berry drove away with the lead on the inside. Pierce was able to, in the final five laps, get right to Berry’s bumper and gave him a couple shots before finally getting around him on the last lap.
“I raced how I expect it,” Pierce told Race22.com. “I strongly feel, if Josh was on the other foot, he would have done the same thing. He was already up off the bottom. I barely got into him. We raced back. I really did not want to see that caution. I think I was going to get him without it so, when the caution came out, I knew I had my work cut out for me.”
The victory was Pierce’s first in the CARS Tour, and a special one at that. The race paid $10,000-to-win and boasted a full field for the tour with headliners such as Berry, Deac McCaskill and former teammate Bobby McCarty, among others.
“Hell of a job by all my guys and sponsors and I tip my cap to Josh and Deac and those guys as well,” Pierce said. “It’s an honor and a blessing to race against those guys every week. That talent is second to none. To be able to get the job done today and race with them neck and neck like that is pretty unreal.”
Josh Berry ended up finishing second. After the race, he took that runner-up finish in stride, stating that he would have done the same thing if he was running second on the last lap.
“The long run before, it started getting a little bit free,” Berry told Race22.com. “The restart, we fired off good. Those last couple laps it started getting free. I just knew I had to protect the bottom. I knew he wasn’t going to be able to pass me off the corner. I knew he was probably going to have to get into me. I did my best to hold it down.
“He rolled in there and knocked me out of the way. That’s racing. Racing for the win, I’d probably do the same thing. It sucks but we had a really good car. This is not our best track by any means. We came out here and dominated the race, I just wish we could have got the win.”
Last year, Pierce drove for Barry Nelson. During the offseason, he switched teams and joined Lee Pulliam Performance. Pulliam was spotting for Pierce, and delivering an effective message about tire conservation.
“That’s really special as well,” Pierce stated. “Having him in my ear up there on top of the stand was really special so I hope this is my first of many. It’s definitely a special one.”
Deac McCaskill finished in third while Bobby McCarty and Riley Herbst rounded out the top-five.
The next race for the CARS Tour will be on Saturday, March 23rd at Hickory Motor Speedway.
CARS Late Model Stock results
- Brandon Pierce
- Josh Berry
- Deac McCaskill
- Bobby McCarty
- Riley Herbst
- Layne Riggs
- Drew Dollar
- Stacy Puryear
- Myatt Snider
- Justin Carroll
- Tommy Lemons, Jr.
- Bradley McCaskill
- Taylor Gray
- Chad McCumbee
- Tyler Matthews
- Zack St. Onge
- Cameron Bowen
- Trevor Ward
- Mini Tyrrell
- Matt Cox
- Camden Gullie
- Terry Brooks, Jr.
- Ronald Hill
- Jonathan Findley
- Craig Moore
- Ryan Wilson
- Brody Pope
- Adam Lemke
