3/22/2025
Brandon Sheppard Salvages 11th-Place Finish in Buckeye Spring 50
Rocket1 Racing Eyes Atomic Speedway Return with World of Outlaws
SHINNSTON, W.Va. (03/25/25) – Brandon Sheppard overcame early adversity in Friday’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Buckeye Spring 50 at Atomic Speedway to claim an 11th-place finish.
The driver of the Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Rocket1 Racing / Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model resorted to a back-up car in the weekend opener after motor issues sidelined his primary car following a third-place finish in his heat race.
Sheppard drove from 26th to 11th to claim the Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race award.
“I am glad we were able to show off some speed in the feature and ended the night on a high note,” Sheppard said. “We still need to improve in qualifying, but after switching to our backup car for the feature, I knew we’d face some challenges. A big thank you to my team for their relentless effort and not giving up. While this weekend didn’t go as we had hoped, I am very proud of my team. I am hoping we can get this monkey off our back here soon.”
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 2025 campaign resumed for the Rocket1 Racing team on Friday afternoon with the Buckeye Spring 50 at Atomic Speedway.
With 33 Super Late Models on the grounds, Sheppard advanced into the opener after finishing third in his heat. However, after the team discovered engine issues with his primary car, he was forced to switch to his backup. Starting from the 13th row, Sheppard marched forward 15 positions to finish 11th, earning the Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race honors.
For the 28th annual Indiana Icebreaker on Saturday at Atomic Speedway, Brandon got collected in a lap-six tangle in his heat race that dropped him to eighth at the finish. Relying on a provisional into the $25,000-to-win weekend finale, Sheppard climbed five positions in the 50-lapper to finish 18th.
Brandon is currently ninth in the latest LOLMDS point standings.
Complete results from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series doubleheader weekend can be found at www.LucasDirt.com.
Sheppard and the Rocket1 Racing team are gearing up for a return to Atomic Speedway in two weeks for a doubleheader weekend with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. The action begins Friday, April 4th, with a $12,000-to-win opener, followed by the Fireball 50 weekend finale on Saturday, featuring a $15,000 top prize.
Full event details are available at www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Collins Brothers Towing Of St.Cloud, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, Five Star RaceCar Bodies, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Stiles Marine & Maintenance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Fox Racing Shox, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, On Time Body & Graphic, Franklin Enterprises, Bubba Army, Sweet Manufacturing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Accu-Force Shock Service, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, Bazell Race Fuels, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Brinn Transmissions, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, MSD, E3 Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, QuickCar Racing Products, MatMan Designs, Allgaier Performance Parts, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
Article Credit: Heath Lawson image
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