Sheppard snags Gopher 50 prelim at Deer Creek Speedway

7/6/2024

Brandon Sheppard

Sheppard snags Gopher 50 prelim at Deer Creek Speedway

Opening his month of July with the XR Super Series, Brandon Sheppard was back in action on Monday at Proctor (Minn.) Speedway aboard his Longhorn Factory Team No. B5 Late Model for the first round of the Superior Showcase.

In a consistent outing in his heat race and feature, Sheppard backed up a runner-up heat performance with a sixth-place finish in the 40-lap opener.

On Tuesday at Gondik Law Speedway (Superior, Wis.), Brandon’s fourth-place finish in his heat positioned him on the fifth row for the A-Main. Gunning for the $15,000 top prize, Sheppard muscled forward four spots to finish sixth.

Sheppard’s stint with the XR Super Series concluded on Wednesday with Minnesota Mega at Ogilvie (Minn.) Raceway. With a runner-up finish locking him into the $50,000-to-win main event, Brandon was an early retiree from the 50-lapper with 14 circuits remaining.

After Thursday’s preliminary night fell to wet weather, Brandon returned the World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series at Deer Creek Speedway (Spring Valley, Minn.) on Friday to kick off the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 weekend with a pair of prelim features. Rallying from the tail in Thursday’s rescheduled preliminary following a flat tire on lap 27, Sheppard salvaged a 17th-place outing.

Later Thursday night, Sheppard stormed into the A-Main with a flag-to-flag victory in his heat race. Starting on the pole, Brandon fended off Ryan Gustin’s late charge to capture his fifth win of the season and the $7,000 winner’s payday. He recorded his 86th career WoO victory ahead of Bobby Pierce, Gustin, Tyler Erb, and Kyle Bronson.

Brandon’s busy week wrapped up with a runner-up performance in Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win Gopher 50 finale. He led the opening 58 circuits before ultimately crossing the line in second.

Sheppard holds an 18-point advantage atop the latest World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series point standings.

Full results from the events are available at www.XRSuperSeries.com and www.WoOLMS.com.