MARION CENTER, Pa. (May 27) — Bobby Pierce is closing out the month of May with a flourish.

Three days and some 800 miles removed from a $75,000 victory in the Show-Me 100, Pierce unloaded at Marion Center Raceway for Wednesday’s rain-postponed World of Outlaws Late Model Series-sanctioned 16th annual Connor Bobik Memorial and promptly drove to another big-money triumph. The 29-year-old star from Oakwood, Ill., added a $30,000 prize after outdueling Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., for the lead midway through the 60-lap feature and holding off O’Neal’s last-ditch bid in the closing circuits.

After briefly losing the top spot to the 25-year-old O’Neal for laps 24-25, Pierce regained control and never looked back. He beat O’Neal to the finish line by 0.761 of a second for his ninth WoO win of 2026 and the 51st of his career.

It was Pierce’s second consecutive victory in the Connor Bobik Memorial and also moved him back into the WoO points lead over Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., who fell 17 points behind after pitting to change a flat tire on lap 37 and finishing 13th.

Drake Troutman of Hyndman, Pa., finished third after running second for laps 37-55 but a loss of brakes late in the distance contributed to him losing a position to O’Neal. Polesitter Dustin Sorensen of Rochester, Minn., scored a season-best WoO finish of fourth while Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Max Blair of Centerville, Pa., advanced from the 12th starting spot complete the top five.

Pierce had to deal with O’Neal to make his long trip from Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., a winning one. He fended off O’Neal’s mid-race threat — when the pair traded slide jobs — and did it again following a final caution flag on lap 57 that allowed O’Neal, driving the K&L Rumley Enterprises No. 6, to offer one more shot.

“It’s tough when you’re in the lead, especially when you got Hudson behind you,” Pierce said. “He’s a heck of a wheelman. And I guess the last restart there he was hitting the top of (turns) one and two and getting a lot of gains on me off the corner, and I was blocking him every time in three.

“I think coming to the white flag, I saw him under me into three, and just thanks to him for racing me clean. He possibly could have sent it in there (to attempt a slider), but it would have been close.”

O’Neal charged to the bottom of turn three on each of the final two circuits but Pierce sensed the move coming, prompting him to enter lower and prevent O’Neal from surging ahead.

“I had some chances at him in lapped traffic (earlier) and it just didn’t quite work out,” O’Neal said. “I felt like I had a good run on the last two or three laps after the restart and I just didn’t do a very good job down here in three and four on that last lap.

“I knew that after showing him the nose the lap before he was probably gonna go in there and protect, and I should have just maybe anticipated that a little bit better and I didn’t. It just kind of completely took me out of the running after I had such a good run coming off of two. I’ll do better and I’ll be a better race car driver for it.”

Pierce, who received a wrestling-style belt as his trophy for winning the race, was complimentary of the 3/8-mile oval’s racing surface that produced competitive racing.

“When I got really clean air on that one restart before the last one, I got some clean air for a long time and felt like I kind of pulled away from second and was able to run my own race,” Pierce said. “But I caught them lapped cars, and those cars are running really low and they kicked up a lot of crumbs out in the middle. It felt like the middle got really crummy, so I think that’s what let the top of one and two get back going again.

“Just really congrats to Marion Center on a good racetrack. The banking now is really nice, it’s kind of flat on the bottom and then it equally kind of gets more banked as it went up. And as you saw right there, the top of one and two was there.”

Pierce was very satisfied to follow up his second straight and third overall Show-Me 100 triumph with a victory in the Keystone State to kick off a four-race stretch of WoO action.

“Just a fun race and awesome car I had tonight,” said Pierce, who recorded his 11th overall win of 2026. “Just awesome to come here after the momentum from the Show-Me and come here and win this race too.”

Five cautions slowed the action, including four between laps 33-37.

The first appeared on the 33rd lap for a Michael Norris spin that collected Daulton Wilson and Dennis Erb Jr. On the 34th lap, Eli Johnson slowed after a turn-four scramble, and two circuits later Jared Miley briefly lost control exiting turn two to trigger an incident that involved Hoffman, Mason Zeigler, Dennis Erb Jr. and Logan Zarin, who got the worst of the damage. Hoffman slowed with a lap-37 flat tire and the final caution flew on the 57th lap for a slowing Brent Larson.

Notes: Pierce became the first multiple-time winner of the Connor Bobik Memorial, a race hosted by multiple Pennsylvania tracks. It’s run in memory of a 5-year-old who died in 2011 from brain cancer. … With his next WoO victory, Pierce will clinch his fourth consecutive season reaching double-figures in wins on the national tour. … Hoffman failed to finish in the top 10 for the first time in his last 42 feature starts overall dating back to last season. … Ryan Gustin made his first WoO start in the new Longhorn Chassis that his Todd Cooney Motorsports team debuted over Memorial Day weekend in a pair of MARS-sanctioned event. His team added the Longhorn to their stable of Infinity Chassis. … The 36-minute feature concluded at 10:02 p.m. ... The event was a makeup of a May 16 rainout.

Feature lineup

(60 laps)

Row 1: Dustin Sorensen, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Hudson O'Neal, Jared Miley
Row 3: Nick Hoffman, Mason Zeigler
Row 4: Mike Marlar, Drake Troutman
Row 5: Gregg Satterlee, Michael Norris
Row 6: Tristan Chamberlain, Max Blair
Row 7: Ryan Montgomery, Tim McCreadie
Row 8: Eli Johnson, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 9: Daulton Wilson, Logan Zarin
Row 10: Ryan Gustin, Alex Ferree
Row 11: Tyler Erb, Ethan Dotson
Row 12: Trey Mills, Brent Larson
Row 13: Ken Schaltenbrand

Consolation results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation: Daulton Wilson, Ryan Gustin, Tyler Erb, Brock Pinkerous, Tyler Wyant, Jon Lee, Gary Lyle, Dennis Fenton, Ken Schaltenbrand, John Weaver.

Second consolation: Logan Zarin, Alex Ferree, Ethan Dotson, Brent Larson, Levi Yetter, Trey Mills, Braeden Dillinger, Del Rougeux, Rodney Phillips, Charles Powell III. Scratched: Kenny Schaeffer.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat: Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Gregg Satterlee, Ryan Montgomery, Ryan Gustin, Daulton Wilson, Brock Pinkerous, Paul Kot, John Weaver, Dennis Fenton

Second heat: Dustin Sorensen, Mason Zeigler, Tristan Chamberlain, Eli Johnson, Tyler Erb, Jon Lee, Ken Schaltenbrand, Tyler Wyant, Gary Lyle.

Third heat: Hudson O'Neal, Mike Marlar, Michael Norris, Tim McCreadie, Logan Zarin, Alex Ferree, Trey Mills, Braeden Dillinger, Kenny Schaffer, Rodney Phillips.

Fourth heat: Jared Miley, Drake Troutman, Max Blair, Dennis Erb Jr., Ethan Dotson, Brent Larson, Levi Yetter, Del Rougeux, Charles Powell III.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., 14.468
2. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 14.523
3. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 14.524
4. Dustin Sorensen (19), Rochester, Minn., 14.582
5. Ryan Montgomery (12), Fairmont, W.Va., 14.677
6. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 14.706
7. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 14.798
8. Eli Johnson (55E), Clewiston, Fla., 14.801
9. Brock Pinkerous (555), Ellenville, N.Y., 14.813
10. Ken Schaltenbrand (29), Sarver, Pa., 14.827
11. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 14.832
12. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 14.839
13. Daulton Wilson (58v), Fayetteville, N.C., 14.888
14. Jon Lee (5L), Summerville, Pa., 14.939
15. Paul Kot (36), Brockway, Pa., 14.968
16. Tyler Wyant (24), Oil City, Pa., 15.002
17. John Weaver (w3), Commodore, Pa., 15.207
18. Gary Lyle (10), Hyde, Park, Pa., 15.290
19. Denny Fenton (55F), Clearfield, Pa., 15.298
Group B
1. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 14.751
2. Jared Miley (10m), Pittsburgh, Pa., 14.763
3. Hudson O’Neal (6), Martinsville, Ind., 14.793
4. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 14.824
5. Michael Norris (72), Sarver, Pa., 14.838
6. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.855
7. Tim McCreadie (9m), Watertown, N.Y., 14.895
8. Brent Larson (B1), Lake Elmo, Minn., 14.898
9. Logan Zarin (1z), Moon Township, Pa., 14.911
10. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 14.936
11. Alex Ferree (1c), Saxonburg, Pa., 15.005
12. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 15.017
13. Trey Mills (14), St. Augustine, Fla., 15.197
14. Levi Yetter (10*), Cabot, Pa., 15.218
15. Kenny Schaffer (13x), DuBois, Pa., 15.326
16. Del Rougeux (28D), Frenchville, Pa., 15.413
17. Braeden Dillinger (1D), Dawson, Pa., 15.558
18. Charles Powell (76), Brookville, Pa., 15.563
19. Rodney Phillips (hr1), Punxsutawney, Pa., 16.121

Wednesday’s schedule

(All times local)
Noon - Pits open
3 p.m. - Grandstands open
6 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Strictly stock heats (6 laps)
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Semi Late Model heats (8 laps)
Intermission/WoO redraw
- Super Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Strictly stocks (20 laps)
- Super Late Models (60 laps)
- Semi Late Models (25 laps)