Sheppard Scores at Volusia

BARBERVILLE, FL – Brandon Sheppard was the third different winner in three races to start the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series season, and he dominated on Wednesday night at Volusia Speedway Park’s 48th Annual DIRTcar Nationals.

While “The Rocket Shepp” was in control, a wild race waged behind him. Don O’Neal had fallen as far as 16th before he hooked up and charged all the way to second while former DIRTcar Nationals champion Josh Richards hung tough all night in the top five and finished third.

But a perfect setup in the Morton Buildings Feature was exactly what Sheppard needed to hold off Scott Bloomquist and Dale McDowell in the early going, and then be able to move through traffic on the expertly prepared racing surface.

“I think our car was maneuverable enough that we could have passed cars if we needed to,” said Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL. “We passed a few lapped cars there. Like I said, our car was maneuverable. It was very balanced and fun to drive, and the track was fun to drive too. It was kind of a little bit different at both ends and you could move around on it, so it was fun.”

Sheppard started his night off with a hammer-down qualifying effort, clocking in at 16.097 – good enough for fifth overall. He grabbed the early lead in Heat 2 and redrew the pole, never looking back once through multiple restarts toward the end of the race. For he and his crew, Sheppard was just glad to pick up a victory at Volusia, as he was feeling the pressure after going winless in his first 14 starts this year from Arizona to Georgia and Florida.

“Sometimes, it takes a while to get the first win out of the way and get it off your back,” Sheppard said with a sigh of relief. “Everybody’s under a lot of pressure to get the first win.

“I knew as long as we could keep up front and keep running good that the wins would come. Usually, we’ve got one by now, so the pressure was on. For me, it’s a big relief to finally get the first one out of the way… I almost thought I forgot how to do it for a minute.”

After scoring 13 wins last season, the Mark Richards Racing, Rocket Chassis house car wound up second in the Series championship after a few unfortunate DNFs, creating a gap he was unable to make up in the end despite a victory in the World Finals at Charlotte. This year, Sheppard put all that behind him and has never been more focused on posting good, consistent finishes. And what start he’s gotten off to, taking the points lead after just three races.

“Truthfully, there’s less pressure because we didn’t win the championship last year,” Sheppard said. “I think we’ve 100 percent, in my mind, got a championship team. At the end of the day, we’re going to go out and concentrate on getting wins.”

O’Neal has certainly sprung to a great start at Volusia. After finishing fourth in Heat 1, placing him 13th on the starting grid, “The Real Deal” steadily picked off the traffic in front of him, lap-by-lap, earning him a runner-up finish. And what a charge he had, falling as far back as 16th on lap six.

“I stayed on the bottom for probably 15-to-20 laps and then I restarted on the outside after a caution,” O’Neal said. “Then I pretty much just slid on the top after that, and that’s when we got to rolling good.”

This second place sat well with the Clint Bowyer Racing pilot and will give him plenty to build off of going forward through the next three nights of action at Volusia.

“It’s a big thing to build off of, having a good run like we did the more we started,” O’Neal said. “[We’re] just working a little bit on this package we’ve got right here to see if we can’t fine-tune it a little bit.”

The field was full of big movers on the racy half-mile surface as Brian Shirley powered from 20th to eighth and Jonathan Davenport motored from 14th to fifth.

While Richards earned his second top-five this week at Volusia, Chase Junghans motored to his third top-five finish in three World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series races this season. Junghans is the only driver who has three top-five finishes in the first three points races.

He agreed this is something to build on throughout the weekend, saying “We’re just going to keep on working on this car, trying to fine-tune it and hopefully get a couple wins before we leave here.”

The Series is back in action Thursday night as it looks for its fourth consecutive different winner to start the season after Brandon Overton, Shane Clanton and Sheppard have taken the first three checkered flags.

Get your tickets here, or your Late Model Fast Pass on DIRTVision to watch every lap live!

Abbreviated Results (click here for full results)

Morton Buildings Feature (50 Laps) 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [1][$10,000]; 2. 5-Don O’Neal [13][$5,000]; 3. 14-Josh Richards [5][$3,000]; 4. 18-Chase Junghans [7][$2,500]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport [14][$2,000]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell [4][$1,700]; 7. 29-Darrell Lanigan [9][$1,400]; 8. 3s-Brian Shirley [20][$1,300]; 9. 25-Shane Clanton [11][$1,200]; 10. 44-Chris Madden [6][$1,100]; 11. 71-Hudson O’Neal [8][$1,050]; 12. 7r-Kent Robinson [3][$1,000]; 13. 9-Devin Moran [18][$950]; 14. 2-Brandon Overton [17][$900]; 15. 20-Jimmy Owens [12][$850]; 16. 40B-Kyle Bronson [19][$800]; 17. 36v-Kyle Hardy [16][$770]; 18. 28-Dennis Erb [22][$750]; 19. 83-Scott James [27][$110]; 20. B1-Brent Larson [24][$700]; 21. 72-Mike Norris [10][$700]; 22. 0-Scott Bloomquist [2][$700]; 23. 91-Tyler Erb [15][$700]; 24. 7-Ricky Weiss [26][$110]; 25. 6m-Mike Marlar [23][$700]; 26. 58-Ivedent Lloyd [21][$700]; 27. 6-Blake Spencer [25][$110] Hard Charger: 3s-Brian Shirley[+12] Lap Leaders – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – 1-50

GATOR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

SPOT	CAR #	NAME	NAME	11-Feb	13-Feb	TOTAL
1	14	JOSH	RICHARDS	65	70	135
2	29	DARRELL	LANIGAN	75	53	128
3	1	BRANDON	SHEPPARD	45	80	125
4	18	CHASE	JUNGHANS	53	65	118
5	6m	MIKE	MARLAR	80	31	111
6	25	SHANE	CLANTON	60	49	109
7	5	DON	O’NEAL	33	75	108
8	17M	DALE	MCDOWELL	51	55	106
9	0	SCOTT	BLOOMQUIST	70	34	104
10	2	BRANDON	OVERTON	47	42	89
11	44	CHRIS	MADDEN	41	47	88
12	9	DEVIN	MORAN	44	43	87
13	72	MIKE	NORRIS	49	35	84
14	39	TIM	MCCREADIE	55	28	83
15	40B	KYLE	BRONSON	43	40	83
16	3s	BRIAN	SHIRLEY	32	51	83
17	7k	KENT	ROBINSON	34	44	78
18	36v	KYLE	HARDY	35	39	74
19	7	RICKY	WEISS	39	32	71
20	28	DENNIS	ERB	29	38	67
21	B1	BRENT	LARSON	30	36	66
22	97	CADE	DILLARD	40	25	65
23	12	JASON	JAMESON	38	27	65
24	16	TYLER	BRUENING	36	26	62
25	49	JONATHAN	DAVENPORT		60	60
26	99B	BOOM	BRIGGS	37	22	59
27	7m	DONALD	MCINTOSH	30	28	58
28	58	IVEDENT	LLOYD	28	30	58
29	6	BLAKE	SPENCER	26	29	55
30	2s	DAN	STONE	31	24	55
31	7F	JASON	FITZGERALD	28	26	54
32	11B	STACY	BOLES	29	23	52
33	76	BLAIR	NOTHDURFT	24	25	49
34	99jr	FRANK	HECKENAST	27	20	47
35	CO2	TYLER	CLEM	23	23	46
36	53	HILLARD	MILLER	24	22	46
37	71	HUDSON	O’NEAL		45	45
38	16H	MIKE	HAMMERLE	22	21	43
39	116	TANNER	ENGLISH	42		42
40	20	JIMMY	OWENS		41	41
41	83	SCOTT	JAMES		37	37
42	91	TYLER	ERB		33	33
43	48	COLTON	FLINNER	31		31
44	33	JEFF	MATTHEWS	27		27
45	51m	JOEY	MORIARTY		27	27
46	942	STEVE	ISENBERG	26		26
47	1x	CHUB	FRANK	25		25
48	22x	G R	SMITH	25		25
49	1P	EARL	PEARSON		24	24
50	25h	CHUCK	HUMMER		21	21

[Read More]

DIRTcar Nationals
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Volusia Speedway Park
1500 East State Road 40
Barberville, Florida 32130 

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Late Model Series

Support Divisions
Super DIRTcar Series

To Win Amount
$10,000.00

Grandstand Type
Bleachers, Chairbacks

Handicapped Seating Location
All Handicap seating is the first rows of each section

Pit Age Requirement
There is no age restriction in the pits. Anyone 17 years of age or younger will need to fill out a minor waiver form and be accompanied by an adult.

Pit Gate Location
East or West side of the Track.

Parking Cost
General Parking Free

Handicapped Parking Location
Handicap parking spots available. All spots are first come first serve.

Camping Availability
Electric Hookup, Non-Electric, Onsite, Sanitary Facility, Showers

Camping Cost
Single Day Dry Camp $30
Single Day Water/Electric $75 (Special Event $80)
Single Day Full Hook Up $100
Weekend Dry Camp $60
Weekend Electric/Water $150
Weekend Full Hook Up $200

Support Divisions
Super DIRTcar Series

To Win Amount
$10,000.00

Type of Grandstand
Bleachers, Chairbacks

Stadium Seating
Stadium seats are allowed as long as they don't conflict with the aisle behind you.

Handicapped Seating
All Handicap seating is the first rows of each section

Handicapped Parking
Handicap parking spots available. All spots are first come first serve.

Pit Age Limit
There is no age restriction in the pits. Anyone 17 years of age or younger will need to fill out a minor waiver form and be accompanied by an adult.

Pit Gate Location
East or West side of the Track.

Personal Coolers
Six-pack maximum cooler size. No alcohol. No glass.

ATMs
1

Alcohol Sales
Beer is available for purchase at the track.

Smoking Policy
No smoking in the Grandstands.


Parking Cost
General Parking Free

Camping Availability
Electric Hookup, Non-Electric, Onsite, Sanitary Facility, Showers

Camping Cost
Single Day Dry Camp $30
Single Day Water/Electric $75 (Special Event $80)
Single Day Full Hook Up $100
Weekend Dry Camp $60
Weekend Electric/Water $150
Weekend Full Hook Up $200

Volusia Speedway Park
1500 East State Road 40
Barberville, Florida 32130 

Track Phone
(386) 985-4402

Track Email
[email protected]

Track Size
0.482

Track Type
D-shaped oval

Sprint Car Track Record
12.569s by Paul McMahan on 2-10-11; 360 Sprint Car: 14.160 sec. by Brenham Crouch on Jan. 27, 2023; Non-Wing: 16.362s by Thomas Meseraull on Feb. 14, 2023

Late Model Track Record
Super: 15.100 sec. by Bobby Pierce on Jan. 19, 2024

Closest Airport
Daytona International Airport

Other Airport
Orlando Sanford

Pit Gate Location
East or West side of the Track.

Track Map

Competitor Downloads
 https://www.dirtcarmembers.com/downloads.php