Persistence Pays Off: Chad Pierce Wins First Of ’17 At Lebanon Valley

Story By: BOBBY CHALMERS / CP RACING – EAGLE BRIDGE, NY – While his season may have had a rough start, Chad Pierce got things headed in the right direction with a convincing wire-to-wire win Saturday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway.

Pierce, the 2012 Sportsman Track Champion, won his heat race and used a pole starting position to get out front of the 21-car field and never looked back as he went on to grab his first win since 2015.

“It seems like you were able to get out and cruise early on in the event,” Pierce said. “Our car was certainly very good. My guys put an amazing car under me and it was our type of track tonight.”

After two straight finishes outside the top 10, the win Saturday night was a big shot in the arm for the entire CP Racing team.

“It feels so great considering we have been so bad the first two weeks,” he said. “We struggled all last year and were off to a slow start this year so I was concerned. But, this is a big weight off our shoulders.”

Bad luck in the first two events of 2017 meant Pierce had a good starting position for the feature event and he made good use of it.

“I knew our upfront starting position and the slick track conditions were key,” he said. “However, I still had to drive the car and have good restarts. This win certainly is a confidence booster.”

As Pierce and his team look to build on their win, they prepare for their next event. That will be this coming Saturday when Lebanon Valley holds Military Night on the high banks. All members of The United States Armed Forces get in free at the front gate (with Military ID). Gates open at 5pm.