AUTO RACING: Austin Pierce looks to stay hot at RCS

Austin Pierce has been the hottest sprint driver at River Cities Speedway the past few weeks.

And that’s saying a lot, considering Mark Dobmeier - a World of Outlaws winner this season - calls RCS his home track as well.

Pierce has won the last three RCS features and will seek a fourth straight tonight as a regular night of racing is planned at the quarter-mile bullring.

With his mid-season surge, Pierce has a healthy season points lead at RCS and also holds the top spot on the NOSA circuit this season as well.

His surge began with a NOSA win in Winnipeg earlier this month. Then, he won two features on the same night at RCS before dominating last week’s 25-lap main event.

“I didn’t expect it to happen like that,” said Pierce. “I figured I could win one, maybe two, in Grand Forks.”

But he has been the dominant car the past few weeks.

“My crew is doing an awesome job,” he said. “The car has been set up to my ability. And there has been better communication between myself and the crew.”

Pierce enters tonight’s RCS show after competing Thursday night at an All-Stars Circuit of Champions race in Williston, N.D.

An all-night drive back to Grand Forks will be followed by more maintenance on the car, making for a tough turnaround.

But the wins and success of the past two weeks should have helped the miles go by quickly.

While the wins have piled up, Pierce said he’s not looking too far into the future.

“We’re just taking things day-by-day,” he said. “I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself.”

Hall of Fame, bus races

The annual RCS Hall of Fame inductions will take place during tonight’s show.

This season’s inductees have turned in a lot of laps at RCS.

Mike Dobmeier and Brian Strand will enter the track’s HOF tonight.

Dobmeier, the father of Mark Dobmeier, raced a sprint at RCS for a number of seasons.

Strand, the father of late model racer Dustin Strand, drove late model at the track for a number of years as well.

Also tonight, a bus feature race will be held after the 25-lap sprint feature.

The buses made their annual appearance last month at RCS. But the feature was rained out. Track officials then decided to put the feature at the end of tonight’s show.