BRADFORD — Just call him Professor Adam Pierson.

The Fairlee driver made it two wins in a row in the Sportsman Modified division at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday night, taking rookie Justin Comes to school in the process.

Pierson and Jason Gray split leader Comes three-wide on a restart with three laps remaining in the 25-lap feature, with Pierson riding the outside rim of the track to take the lead.

Comes, 18, skipped a graduation activity at Middlebury Union High School to compete.

“This lesson is a lot better than anything you could learn in school,” Comes laughed. “It’s a lot more fun, too.”

Pierson, the point leader, brought the rest of the 13-car field to class, too, starting last on the grid an taking the win.

“The track was a little dry and I just had to be a patient with things and not try to make a hole because someone was eventually going to slip up. That’s essentially what I did, and I’ll take it,” Pierson said. “[Comes] did a good job, he wanted to keep it tight to the bottom, and I knew if I was on the outside I was going to drive it in hard. I saw Jason Gray on the very bottom and it was pretty tight for a little bit, but it was good racing.”

Gray spun on lap 23, which gave Bryan King third place behind Comes. Mike Dunn and Jim Morgan completed the top five, with Gray recovering for sixth. Jimmy Ryan, Billy Schultz, Ryan Dutton, and Jack Cook rounded out the top ten.

Pierson’s main rival for the championship, Gary Siemons, was taken out in a crash on the second lap, allowing Pierson to open his lead. Unofficially, Pierson now leads Gray by 22 points, with Siemons 24 behind.

Gene Pierson, Adam Pierson’s father, earned his second-straight and third overall Sportsman Coupe victory of the season after a crash-laden 25-lap feature. Gene Pierson, of East Corinth, was one of five drivers involved in a lap-5 wreck, but was able to continue. He picked his way through traffic to get to leader Shane Race and take control on lap 16. Race, a rookie from South Strafford, posted a career-best runner-up finish. Melvin Pierson, the winner’s brother, was third. Kane Pike and rookie Steve Bell completed the top five.

Jeremy Hodge of Newbury was the overall winner of the three-segment Limited Late Model feature, defeating T.C. Forward, Robbie Williams, Will Hull, and Mike Greene, III. Josh Sunn of White River Junction remained undefeated with his eighth Fast Four victory, and Tom Placey of Bradford won his fourth Hornet race of the year.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — The Home Depot/Noise-R-Us Fireworks Night
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt.
Saturday, July 3, 2010

(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)
# – denotes rookie

Sportsman Modified
1. Adam Pierson, Fairlee
2. # Justin Comes, Middlebury
3. Bryan King, Corinth
4. Mike Dunn, North Haverhill, N.H.
5. Jim Morgan, Woodstock
6. Jason Gray, East Thetford
7. Jimmy Ryan, Whiting
8. Billy Schultz, Norton, Mass.
9. # Ryan Dutton, Bradford
10. Jack Cook, Moultonboro, N.H.

Sportsman Coupe
1. Gene Pierson, Jr., East Corinth
2. # Shane Race, South Strafford
3. Melvin Pierson, East Corinth
4. Kane Pike, Thetford
5. # Steve Bell, St. Johnsbury

Limited Late Model
1. Jeremy Hodge, Newbury
2. T.C. Forward, Lyme, N.H.
3. Robbie Williams, Plainfield, N.H.
4. Will Hull, East Montpelier
5. Mike Greene, III, Haverhill, N.H.

Fast Four
1. Josh Sunn, White River Junction
2. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury
3. Andy Johnson, Wilder
4. Josh Connors, White River Junction
5. Robert Tilden, East Thetford

Hornet
1. Tom Placey, Bradford
2. Eric Lang, Groton
3. Don Reynolds
4. Mike Chapin, Chelsea
5. Mark Nickles, Piermont, N.H.