8/23/2025
Brandon Sheppard Races to Lucas Oil Podium at Port Royal
Third and Fourth in Rumble by the River
SHINNSTON, W.Va. (08/25/25) – Brandon Sheppard’s strong second half of the 2025 season continued this past weekend as the Illinois native recorded a pair of top-five finishes with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) at Port Royal Speedway aboard his Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Rocket1 Racing / Ace Metal Works Super Late Model.
The annual Rumble by the River opened Friday with Sheppard landing on the podium in third, before finishing fourth in Saturday’s $50,000-to-win finale. The consistent weekend helped him close the gap in his pursuit of the Big River Steel Big Four in the latest LOLMDS point standings.
“We had a really solid night for sure,” Sheppard said. “We were just two spots short tonight, you know. It’s one of those deals where it was like stages, and we were really good, so we’re just going to jot it down in the old notebook and give it our best shot tomorrow night. I’ve got a good car and something to work with. When you’re running well and gaining some consistency, that’s what we want.”
Sheppard came out strong at the half-mile oval on Friday, outrunning Devin Moran to win his heat race. In the 40-lap feature, he finished third behind winner Ricky Thornton Jr. and runner-up Jonathan Davenport.
In Saturday’s 50-lap finale, Sheppard advanced three positions to secure a fourth-place finish, narrowly missing back-to-back podiums.
Sheppard remains in fifth in the LOLMDS chase.
Complete results from the Rumble by the River are available at www.LucasDirt.com.
Rocket1 Racing heads back to Pennsylvania this weekend as Lernerville Speedway assumes hosting duties for the Hillbilly Hundred. The doubleheader kicks off Friday with a $10,000-to-win preliminary, leading into Saturday’s $30,000-to-win finale.
Sheppard is still chasing his first Hillbilly Hundred triumph, with a runner-up finish to Kyle Larson in 2022 standing as his best result to date.
Full event details are available at www.Lernerville.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.
For the latest news and team updates, visit Rocket1 Racing’s official website at www.Rocket1Racing.com. Fans can also stay connected by subscribing to the official Rocket1 Racing mailing list at https://pages/Rocket1Racing.
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