Bobby picked up his fifth career Slocum 50 victory in dramatic fashion Saturday night at 34 (IA) Raceway.
Starting third in the 50-lap, $10,555-to-win MARS-sanctioned event, it didn’t take long for Bobby to surge to the front, taking command on lap five. From there, he dominated the race, building a lead of over three seconds before encountering heavy lapped traffic.
With just 10 laps remaining, slower cars clogged the preferred low groove, erasing Bobby’s advantage and setting up a dramatic finish. As the laps wound down, traffic tightened the race, and with two to go, a bold move to the middle in turn three opened the door for the second-place car to challenge on the inside.
Side-by-side down the backstretch on the final lap, Bobby drifted high, momentarily losing the lead, but refused to back down. In a daring move, he sailed into the final corner up against the wall — a line most had abandoned early in the race — using every ounce of momentum to rocket past his challenger and take the checkered flag.
“I was kind of a sitting duck there, I guess, with the lapped cars,” Bobby said. “It made it interesting. I knew how much slower I got when I got stuck behind them guys, but I just didn’t know what to do there and I was just waiting for that checkered flag. It couldn’t come soon enough.”
The victory was extra meaningful for Bobby, who reflected on the significance of the night.
“To know that we’ve won the Slocum 50 five times now is awesome!” he said. “To win it in dramatic fashion is really special! To everyone with the Brent Slocum Foundation, THANK YOU so much for having this race!”