Bobby scored his third consecutive World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory Thursday night, capturing the $10,000-to-win Dairyland Showdown opener at Mississippi Thunder (WI) Speedway.
Starting fourth in the 30-lap main event, Bobby was briefly shuffled back on the initial start before a caution reset the field for a complete restart. On the second attempt, he settled into fourth and began working his way forward.
By lap 10, Bobby made his move into third, sliding in front entering turn three. Two laps later, he found himself in the middle of a thrilling three-car battle for second, powering off the backstretch and sliding into the runner-up position in turn three.
After finally clearing the battle by lap 15, Bobby turned his focus to the leader, who held roughly a one-second advantage.
Ripping the top groove, Bobby carried momentum around the outside and quickly reeled in the leader. On lap 19, he made the winning move, sliding in front entering turn three to take control of the race.
“It had me worried being the tire we were on to run the top,” Bobby said. “It being a little crummy up there, but hidden under that crumb was a little bit of traction, I guess, from the water they put down. And just the momentum — they’d go down to the bottom and have to get the car pinched off a little bit, and I just kept that momentum up there and started getting some good runs.”
Once out front, Bobby maintained the lead over the final laps despite navigating lapped traffic, ultimately crossing the line 1.3 seconds ahead of the field.
“I feel like that race, I could have ended up first, could have ended up fifth or worse,” he added. “With about 10 to go, I really stalled out. I was the same speed as the lap traffic. We had just enough to get the job done. Luckily, no cautions came out at the end.”
The race featured several key moments as Bobby worked his way through the field, including a pivotal sequence during the battle for position early on.
“It was some fun racing for sure,” Bobby said. “Started with Gustin and getting by him there. I kind of had to shoot it in there and get going. When I caught Troutman for the lead, I think he was starting to maybe try to switch around. And I knew I had to get the lead before he changed his line too much and found that top side out.”
The victory marked Bobby’s 49th career World of Outlaws Late Model Series win, moving him into fourth on the tour’s all-time wins list.
“I want to say a huge shout out to the Megan’s Mission Foundation,” Bobby said. “Today would have been Megan’s 25th birthday. The whole Megan’s Mission Foundation, it’s a good deal for childhood cancer that they do to help that out.”