Sheppard Charges to DIRTcar Summer Nationals Victory at Lincoln Speedway
LINCOLN, Ill. – July 6, 2015 – Brandon Sheppard methodically worked his way from fourth to the lead on Monday night at Lincoln Speedway to earn his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory of the season.
Sheppard, of New Berlin, Ill., worked the low groove early then shifted his line to the top on lap 15 to surge past leader Billy Moyer Jr. Once in front, Sheppard, the 2013 DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion, survived a restart and pulled away to the $5,000 checkered flag in an event that was rain-delayed from June 28.
“We had a really good car,” Sheppard said. “I think picking the right spot in lapped traffic had a lot to do with it. My crew was showing me I had quite a bit of room so we must have had a pretty good car, you can’t ask for much more than that, and the track was really good tonight, really racy.”
Moyer Jr. tried to hold onto the runner-up position but Jason Feger, Brian Shirley, Wendell Wallace and Shannon Babb were able to drive into the top five, leaving Moyer Jr. in sixth. Points-leader Bobby Pierce was caught in an early incident and raced his way back to a 10th-place finish.
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour invades Vermilion County Speedway in Danville, Ill., on Tuesday night then rolls on Wednesday to Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., and back to Illinois on Thursday at Macon Speedway.
Follow the Summer Nationals and DIRTcar Summit Modified Nationals on Twitter @SummerNationals or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SummerNationals, or visit the series’ websites at www.TheHellTour.com and www.ModifiedNationals.com.
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Statistical Report; Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway; July 6, 2015
A-MAIN (40 LAPS) – 1. (B5) Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL; 2. (25) Jason Feger, Bloomington, IL; 3. (3S) Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL; 4. (6M) Wendell Wallace, Batesville, AR; 5. (18) Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL; 6. (21JR) Billy Moyer Jr., Batesville, AR; 7. (24) Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL; 8. (C8) Timothy Culp, Sheridan, AR; 9. (89F) Daren Friedman, Forrest, IL; 10. (32) Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL; 11. (10S) Scott Schmitt, Tonica, IL; 12. (45) Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL; 13. (124) John Hahler, New Florence, MO; 14. (38L) Ryan Little, Springfield, IL; 15. (33H) Billy Hough, Thomasboro, IL; 16. (33B) Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, IL; 17. (1W) Donny Walden, Towanda, IL; 18. (4G) Bob Gardner, East Peoria, IL; 19. (21B) Rich Bell, Sheffield, IL; 20. (25L) Steve Lance Jr., Cuba, IL; 21. (11E) Brandon Eskeu, Ashland, IL; 22. (1M) Jim Moon, New Florence, MO.
HEAT RACE WINNERS: Jason Feger, Billy Moyer Jr. and Jim Moon.
2015 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Schedule
June 10 | Wednesday | Brownstown Speedway | Dennis Erb. Jr. |
June 11 | Thursday | Kankakee Co. Speedway | Frank Heckenast Jr. |
June 12 | Friday | Cedar Lake Speedway | Jimmy Mars |
June 13 | Saturday | Cedar Lake Speedway | Jason Feger |
June 14 | Sunday | Wilmot Speedway | Rain |
June 15 | Monday | Off | |
June 16 | Tuesday | Jacksonville Speedway | Bobby Pierce |
June 17 | Wednesday | Farley Speedway | Billy Moyer Jr. |
June 18 | Thursday | Spoon River Speedway | Rain |
June 19 | Friday | Tri-City Speedway | Rain |
June 20 | Saturday | Fairbury Speedway | Shannon Babb |
June 21 | Sunday | Quincy Raceways | PPD rain to June 22 |
June 22 | Monday | Quincy Raceways | Rain |
June 23 | Tuesday | Peoria Speedway | Shannon Babb (2) |
June 24 | Wednesday | Belle-Clair Speedway | Bobby Pierce (2) |
June 25 | Thursday | Clarksville Speedway | Levi Kissinger |
June 26 | Friday | Paducah Int. Raceway | Rain |
June 27 | Saturday | Federated I-55 Raceway | Rain |
June 28 | Sunday | Lincoln Speedway | PPD rain to July 6 |
June 29 | Monday | Off | |
June 30 | Tuesday | I-96 Speedway | Rain |
July 1 | Wednesday | Daugherty Speedway | Jason Feger (2) |
July 2 | Thursday | LaSalle Speedway | Chris Simpson |
July 3 | Friday | Fayette Co. Speedway | Billy Moyer |
July 4 | Saturday | Highland Speedway | Jason Feger (3) |
July 5 | Sunday | Tri-State Speedway | Shannon Babb (3) |
July 6 | Monday | Lincoln Speedway | Brandon Sheppard |
July 7 | Tuesday | Vermilion Co. Speedway | Danville, IL |
July 8 | Wednesday | Florence Speedway | Union, KY |
July 9 | Thursday | Macon Speedway | Macon, IL |
July 10 | Friday | Farmer City Raceway | Farmer City, IL |
July 11 | Saturday | Oakshade Raceway | Wauseon, OH |
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals “Hell Tour” is brought to fans across the country by many important partners including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Provider), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tire), Racing Electronics (Official Communications Provider), VP Racing Fuel (Official Fuel); in addition to these fine Contingency Partners: Beyea Headers, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Mobil 1, MSD, QuarterMaster, Superflow Dynos, Summit Racing Equipment and Wrisco Aluminum; Promotional Partners include: Chevy Performance Parts, Indiana Decal and Petroff Towing.