Bobby added another victory to his season on Wednesday night, winning the inaugural Dirt Cup at Muskingum County (OH) Speedway and pocketing the $20,000 top prize in the World of Outlaws vs. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showdown.
Starting fifth in the 50-lap feature, Bobby wasted little time moving forward. He advanced to fourth on the opening lap, climbed into third by lap three, and slid into second entering turn three just two laps later.
With 42 laps remaining, Bobby made his first bid for the lead, sliding in front entering turn one. However, a caution waved before the lap could be completed, erasing the pass and forcing him back to second.
The ensuing restart produced one of the race’s most intense moments.
With the top four drivers running under a blanket in a fierce battle for the lead, Bobby briefly slipped back to fourth before regrouping. By lap 13, he powered back into third with a momentum-fueled move down the backstretch.
Two laps later, Bobby pulled off one of the race’s most impressive maneuvers.
As the leaders battled side-by-side entering turn three, Bobby drove in low before sliding all the way to the top of the track in front of both cars. Although he was unable to secure the lead at the flagstand and settled into second, the move showcased the speed of the No. 32 machine.
The battle for the lead continued over the next couple laps as Bobby and the race leader traded sliders in an entertaining duel for the top spot.
Eventually, Bobby settled into second and patiently stalked the leader as lapped traffic came into play.
With 23 laps remaining, he made the winning move.
Bobby slid into the lead entering turn one and briefly lost the position down the backstretch before answering back entering turn three. Sliding in front of the leader once again, he secured the top spot for good and immediately began pulling away.
By lap 37, Bobby had built an advantage of more than two seconds before a caution regrouped the field.
Any hopes the competition had of challenging him disappeared on the restart.
Bobby rocketed away over the closing laps, stretching his lead to more than four seconds at the checkered flag to secure his first career victory at Muskingum County.
“This race car has been bad fast out of the gate,” Bobby said in Victory Lane. “Brand new car at Eldora. It feels awesome. First win here at Muskingum. We fought through that caution that came out. We just got the lead and fell back to fourth, but rallied back up through there.”
Bobby credited both the car and his crew for giving him the speed needed to battle through the highly competitive field.
“Right from the get-go, I had a good car,” he said. “The bottom of one and two was really good, and the top of three and four. Then that caution came out, and the top of both corners came in. The car was really good for the whole 50 laps. I’ve got to thank my crew for that. They worked their tails off.”
The victory marked Bobby’s first win at Muskingum County Speedway and added his name to the history books as the inaugural Dirt Cup champion.