Sheppard takes Winternationals finale at East Bay

[NickHolt]

Sheppard takes Winternationals finale at East Bay

 

TAMPA, FL (February 8, 2020)- Brandon Sheppard came from the 11th starting position to win Saturday Night's Wrisco Industries Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park. It was Sheppard's third win of the week in the annual Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event. He passed race leader Devin Moran with 12 laps to go, before driving on to victory.

 

Moran, in the Tye Twarog Longhorn finished second to Sheppard with Tyler Erb, Brian Shirley, and Shane Clanton completing the top five.

 

Pole sitter, Moran, took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Clanton hot on his heels. Moran and Clanton ran one-two for the first 12 laps of the race until Clanton passed Moran for the top spot on lap 13. Clanton held the point for six circuits until Moran was able to get back around the Georgia veteran.

 

Meanwhile, Sheppard was patiently working his way through the field and moved by Clanton for second on the 21st lap. Sheppard started working the top groove off turn two, closing the gap on Moran, but Moran kept his car glued to the bottom of the third mile oval. Moran continued to hold the top spot until Sheppard rapidly cut into Moran's lead as he rocketed by him on lap 38.

 

Sheppard expanded his lead in the final ten laps and went on to record his sixth career win at East Bay and his 18th in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Sheppard continued the trend of Saturday Night East Bay finale winners, as the 27-year-old Illinois native became the 12th different winner in the last 12 years.

 

"The track was tricky tonight and got really slow. It was totally unexpected, but it was typical East Bay, where it didn't give us the same thing twice this week. We had a different surface every night and that's what makes it so much fun to come here. It's a shame it's going to be gone before long. Man, it was a lot of fun out there. I can't thank my guys enough," said Sheppard, who will maintain the Series points lead, as he will carry the Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler into All-Tech Raceway on Sunday Night.

 

Moran concluded a successful week at East Bay after scoring his first-ever win at "The Clay by the Bay" on Monday Night, with second-place finish in the finale. "I think this is deja-vu. Brandon's done this to me here before, just all part of it. I don't think anyone's seen the racetrack like this for the feature. I don't know what did it or why it did it, that little bit of traction strip made us stick down there (on the bottom). We aren't the biggest or brightest team, but we had a great Speedweeks, and hopefully we can cap it off tomorrow at All-Tech."

 

Erb won twice last year at East Bay, but is still winless in the Georgia-Florida Speedweeks. Tonight, Erb did recod a solid point finish as he rounded out the podium. "The track was a little bit crazy. You couldn't get the top going, so just congrats to Sheppard, Devin, and everybody. It's been a long week here and we got every race in. I really enjoy racing here although, it wasn't the final night we were all kind of hoping for, but it was a good night for us and we'll go on to All-Tech."

 

The winner's Mark Richards Racing Rocket 1 House Car is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Gunters Honey, Ace Metal Works, Integra, Sunoco, Keyser, and Rocket Pre-Owned Motors.

 

Completing the top ten were Rick Eckert, Tim McCreadie, Shanon Buckingham, Jonathan Davenport, and Billy Moyer Jr.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
Wrisco Industries Winternationals - presented by Lucas Oil
Saturday, February 8th, 2020
East Bay Raceway Park - Tampa, FL

Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 14.511 seconds 
Fast Time Group B: Billy Moyer Jr. / 14.485 seconds (overall)

Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer):  1. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening[4]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 5. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[5]; 6. 15B-Brian Birkhofer[6]; 7. 81-Jason Riggs[9]; 8. 17-Logan Roberson[7]; 9. 5T-John Tweed[8]; 10. 1V-Vic Hill[10]

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer):  1. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 2. 89-GR Smith[8]; 3. 18J-Chase Junghans[4]; 4. 6T-Tim Dohm[3]; 5. 2D-Dan Stone[7]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[9]; 7. 311-Ken Monahan[1]; 8. 00-Jesse Stovall[5]; 9. 71-Hudson O'Neal[6]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 14-Josh Richards[1]; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 0E-Rick Eckert[3]; 4. 50-Shanon Buckingham[4]; 5. 6S-Blake Spencer[6]; 6. 000-Kyle Lear[8]; 7. 18-David Seibers[5]; 8. 33J-Jeff Mathews[9]; 9. 2S-Stormy Scott[7]

Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 3. 20F-Trever Feathers[2]; 4. 66C-Matt Cosner[5]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[4]; 6. 22B-Austin Burns[7]; 7. 16R-Justin Rattliff[8]; 8. 11B-Stacy Boles[6]; 9. 25W-Allen Weisser[9]

Wrisco Industries Heat Race #5 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[4]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[6]; 5. 94-Charles Powell[7]; 6. 48-Colton Flinner[3]; 7. 51M-Joey Moriarty[8]; 8. KB0-Kerry King[9]; 9. J8-Jadon Frame[5]

MyRacePass Heat Race #6 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 3. 10B-David Breazeale[5]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 5. 2W-Pearson Williams[4]; 6. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 7. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 8. 42-Chris Garnes[7]; 9. 27-Joe Denby[9]

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[3]; 3. 15B-Brian Birkhofer[5]; 4. 6T-Tim Dohm[2]; 5. 81-Jason Riggs[7]; 6. 2D-Dan Stone[4]; 7. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 8. 5T-John Tweed[11]; 9. 311-Ken Monahan[8]; 10. (DNS) 17-Logan Roberson; 11. (DNS) 00-Jesse Stovall; 12. (DNS) 71-Hudson O'Neal; 13. (DNS) 1V-Vic Hill

FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 66C-Matt Cosner[2]; 2. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 3. 99B-Boom Briggs[4]; 4. 6S-Blake Spencer[3]; 5. 000-Kyle Lear[5]; 6. 18-David Seibers[7]; 7. 22B-Austin Burns[6]; 8. 11B-Stacy Boles[10]; 9. 33J-Jeff Mathews[9]; 10. (DNS) 16R-Justin Rattliff; 11. (DNS) 2S-Stormy Scott; 12. (DNS) 25W-Allen Weisser

Lucas Oil B-Main #3 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 81E-Tanner English[1]; 2. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[2]; 3. 48-Colton Flinner[5]; 4. 2W-Pearson Williams[4]; 5. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 6. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 7. 42-Chris Garnes[10]; 8. 94-Charles Powell[3]; 9. 27-Joe Denby[12]; 10. (DNS) J8-Jadon Frame; 11. (DNS) KB0-Kerry King; 12. (DNS) 51M-Joey Moriarty

Berry Barn Strawberry Dash - presented by DirtOnDirt.com Finish: 1. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[1]; 2. 99B-Boom Briggs[2]; 3. 000-Kyle Lear[8]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 5. 6T-Tim Dohm[7]; 6. 15B-Brian Birkhofer[4]; 7. 2W-Pearson Williams[9]; 8. 81-Jason Riggs[10]; 9. 18-David Seibers[11]; 10. 48-Colton Flinner[6]; 11. 6S-Blake Spencer[5]; 12. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[12]

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps): 

Pos	Start	Car #	Competitor	Hometown	Earnings
1	11	1S	Brandon Sheppard	New Berlin, IL	$12,100
2	1	9	Devin Moran	Dresden, OH	$6,200
3	8	1T	Tyler Erb	New Waverly, TX	$4,200
4	6	3S	Brian Shirley	Chatham, IL	$2,750
5	3	25	Shane Clanton	Zebulon, GA	$2,250
6	17	0E	Rick Eckert	York, PA	$1,800
7	7	39	Tim McCreadie	Watertown, NY	$2,200
8	23	50	Shanon Buckingham	Morristown, TN	$2,000
9	19	49	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville, GA	$2,200
10	2	21	Billy Moyer Jr	Batesville, AR	$1,800
11	27	28E	Dennis Erb Jr	Carpentersville, IL	$175
12	28	2W	Pearson Williams	Dublin, GA	$150
13	15	18J	Chase Junghans	Manhattan, KS	$1,025
14	4	20	Jimmy Owens	Newport, TN	$1,800
15	5	14	Josh Richards	Shinnston, WV	$1,800
16	21	81E	Tanner English	Benton, KY	$1,000
17	29	94	Charles Powell	Brookville, PA	$100
18	13	16	Tyler Bruening	Decorah, IA	$1,000
19	14	20F	Trever Feathers	Winchester, VA	$1,000
20	26	99B	Boom Briggs	Bear Lake, PA	$1,000
21	18	10B	David Breazeale	Four Corners, MS	$1,000
22	25	21M	Billy Moyer Sr	Batesville, AR	$1,000
23	9	89	G.R. Smith	Statesville, NC	$1,000
24	20	66C	Matt Cosner	Ridgeley, WV	$1,000
25	10	40B	Kyle Bronson	Brandon, FL	$1,700
26	30	2D	Dan Stone	Thompson, PA	$100
27	24	311	Ken Monahan	Lakeland, FL	$1,000
28	12	25Z	Mason Zeigler	Chalk Hill, PA	$1,000
29	16	157	Mike Marlar	Winfield, TN	$1,000
30	22	1	Earl Pearson Jr	Jacksonville, FL	$1,800

Race Statistics
Entrants: 55
Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Laps 1 - 12); Shane Clanton (Laps 13 - 17); Devin Moran (Laps 18 - 37); Brandon Sheppard (Laps 38 - 50)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Brandon Sheppard
Margin of Victory: 3.329 seconds
Cautions: Mason Zeigler, Ken Monahan (Lap 1); Mike Marlar (Lap 1); Pearson Williams, G.R. Smith (Lap 2); G.R. Smith (Lap 19); Boom Briggs (Lap 23); Tanner English (Lap 42)
Series Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr.; Shanon Buckingham
Wrisco Industries Fast Time Provisional: Ken Monahan
Berry Barn Strawberry Dash - presented by DirtOnDirt.com Provisionals: Billy Moyer; Boom Briggs
Series Emergency Provisionals: Dennis Erb Jr.; Pearson Williams; Charles Powell; Dan Stone
Big River Steel Podium Top 3:Brandon Sheppard; Devin Moran; Tyler Erb
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Dennis Erb Jr. (Advanced 16 Positions) 
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon Sheppard
Allstar Performance Most Laps Led: Devin Moran (32 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon Sheppard
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: n/a
Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Randall Edwards (Tyler Erb)
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Devin Moran (Lap #2 - 16.497 seconds)
Hot Rod Processing Tough Break of the Race: Mike Marlar
PFC Brakes Pole Award: Devin Moran
Time of Race: 46 minutes 55 seconds

Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

Pos	Car #	Competitor	Hometown	Points	Pay
1	1s	Brandon Sheppard	New Berlin, IL	1190	$33,800
2	39	Tim McCreadie	Watertown, NY	1140	$27,050
3	9	Devin Moran	Dresden, OH	1100	$18,125
4	1T	Tyler Erb	New Waverly, TX	1050	$13,675
5	49	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville, GA	1020	$11,600
6	157	Mike Marlar	Winfield, TN	980	$8,200
7	3s	Brian Shirley	Chatham, IL	960	$8,500
8	40B	Kyle Bronson	Brandon, FL	955	$14,400
9	21	Billy Moyer Jr	Batesville, AR	945	$8,400
10	20	Jimmy Owens	Newport, TN	930	$8,750
11	25	Shane Clanton	Zebulon, GA	900	$7,200
11	14	Josh Richards	Shinnston, WV	900	$10,075
13	25z	Mason Zeigler	Chalk Hill, PA	890	$16,600
14	71	Hudson O'Neal	Martinsville, IN	850	$6,275
15	28E	Dennis Erb Jr	Carpentersville, IL	840	$4,475
16	16	Tyler Bruening	Decorah, IA	790	$2,775
17	18J	Chase Junghans	Manhattan, KS	755	$5,375
18	50	Shanon Buckingham	Morristown, TN	735	$7,100
19	1	Earl Pearson Jr	Jacksonville, FL	720	$5,550
20	99B	Boom Briggs	Bear Lake, PA	715	$3,600
21	81E	Tanner English	Benton, KY	705	$2,800
22	22*	G.R. Smith	Statesville, NC	680	$3,650
23	2S	Stormy Scott	Las Cruces, NM	655	$3,350
24	2W	Pearson Williams	Dublin, GA	635	$650
25	94	Charles Powell	Brookville, PA	595	$1,600

 

Wrisco Industries Speedweeks Point Standings:

Pos	Car #	Competitor	Hometown	Points
1	1s	Brandon Sheppard	New Berlin, IL	1190
2	39	Tim McCreadie	Watertown, NY	1140
3	9	Devin Moran	Dresden, OH	1100
4	1T	Tyler Erb	New Waverly, TX	1050
5	49	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville, GA	1020
6	157	Mike Marlar	Winfield, TN	980
7	3s	Brian Shirley	Chatham, IL	960
8	40B	Kyle Bronson	Brandon, FL	955
9	21	Billy Moyer Jr	Batesville, AR	945
10	20	Jimmy Owens	Newport, TN	930
11	25	Shane Clanton	Zebulon, GA	900
11	14	Josh Richards	Shinnston, WV	900
13	25z	Mason Zeigler	Chalk Hill, PA	890
14	71	Hudson O'Neal	Martinsville, IN	850
15	28E	Dennis Erb Jr	Carpentersville, IL	840
16	16	Tyler Bruening	Decorah, IA	790
17	18J	Chase Junghans	Manhattan, KS	755
18	50	Shanon Buckingham	Morristown, TN	735
19	1	Earl Pearson Jr	Jacksonville, FL	720
20	99B	Boom Briggs	Bear Lake, PA	715
21	81E	Tanner English	Benton, KY	705
22	22*	G.R. Smith	Statesville, NC	680
23	2S	Stormy Scott	Las Cruces, NM	655
24	2W	Pearson Williams	Dublin, GA	635
25	94	Charles Powell	Brookville, PA	595

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*