---

Podium Finishes for Sheppard in WoO Southern Swing

Brandon Sheppard continued his journey toward a third World of Outlaws Late Model Series title with a pair of podium appearances over the weekend.

Sheppard drove the Valvoline No. 1 Seubert Calf Ranches/ Durham Racing Engines-powered Rocket Chassis to a runner-up performance Friday at Cherokee Speedway. He wrapped up the weekend with a third-place outing Saturday at 411 Motor Speedway.

Rocket1 was one of 39 entries to kick off the doubleheader weekend at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C. Friday. After qualifying second in his time trial group, Brandon grabbed a heat race win, sending him to the redraw where he received the second spot on the feature grid.

With $10,000 on the line, Sheppard wrestled the lead away from polesitter Ross Bailes on lap 16 and pulled away to nearly a two second advantage in the following laps. Shortly after, Sheppard was fighting lap traffic and allowed Brandon Overton to close the gap.

With Sheppard using the middle and high lines to attempt to lap a slower car, Overton used the low groove to slip ahead on lap 34. Sheppard moved down behind Overton the next lap but was never able to mount a serious charge to retake the point.

Overton took the checkers 0.734 of a second ahead of Sheppard. Chris Madden, Kyle Strickler, and Ross Bailes rounded out the Top-5 finishers.

“We had a really fast car again tonight here,” said Sheppard. “Brandon done a really good job there. I moved to the middle one lap too many down here in (turns) one and two trying to get by them lappers. That let him slip by me, and then we never got out of the bottom. It latched up down there and that was all she had.”

The following night, the tour moved to Seymour, Tennessee’s 411 Motor Speedway for another $10,000 contest. In a field of 36, Sheppard registered a second-place finish in his heat race and later drew the fifth starting position for the 50-lap main event.

Sheppard ran as high as second at times in the feature before crossing the finish line in third behind Chris Madden and Ricky Weiss to collect his 25th World of Outlaws Late Model Series podium of the season. Cory Hedgecock and Ross Bailes completed the Top-5.

“We could maneuver all over the racetrack and I was good all over,” Sheppard said of his Rocket Chassis house car. “But just past halfway I got to where I couldn’t run the bottom as good as I needed to because I got a little bit tight. I don’t think I could’ve passed (Madden), but we had a good car all night long so we’re not going to complain with third. We’ll take it and take some notes and move on.”

Brandon Sheppard holds a 294-point advantage in the latest World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship standings.

Back to News