2/1/2025
Brandon Sheppard Drives to Seventh in Winternationals Preliminary at All-Tech
Rocket1 Racing Heads to Ocala Speedway Next
SHINNSTON, W.Va. (02/03/25) – After a slow start to the Wieland Winternationals on Thursday at All-Tech Raceway, Brandon Sheppard capped off the tripleheader weekend with a pair of top-10 finishes in the Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Rocket1 Racing / Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
The New Berlin, Illinois native was forced to rely on his backup car Friday night after contact with the turn-one wall left him on his roof. However, Sheppard made a strong recovery, charging through the field to 20 positions to claim a seventh-place finish and the Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race honors.
“We recovered well,” Sheppard said. “Can’t say enough about my guys and everyone that pitches in. The track conditions were very tricky in our heat race; it’s hard to tell when it's slimy and when it’s not. Just thankful for the track crew after my wreck and everyone on our team that builds a safe car. I am getting more and more comfortable every night in this thing. We’re definitely not where we want to be but we’re creeping in that direction.”
Action with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) picked back up for Rocket1 Racing and Brandon Sheppard over the weekend with three-day Wieland Winternationals at All-Tech Raceway (Lake City, Fla.).
As 45 entries took to the half-mile oval, Sheppard’s path into Thursday’s opener was secured with a runner-up finish in his B-Main after a slow start in qualifying. With a $10,000 preliminary payday up for grabs, Brandon climbed seven positions to finish 13th.
On Friday, Brandon made contact with the turn-one wall on the second lap of his heat that left him on his lid. Resorting to a provisional into the feature, Sheppard piloted the team’s backup car to an impressive seventh-place finish. He passed 20 cars in the 50-lap affair to come home seventh.
Sheppard’s weekend concluded on Saturday with a top-10 run in the $15,000-to-win Wieland Winternationals finale. After going third-to-first in his consolation race, Brandon improved eight positions in the finale to place 10th.
Full results from the weekend at All-Tech can be found at www.LucasDirt.com.
The Rocket1 Racing team will return to action with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series on Tuesday at Ocala Speedway, kicking off five consecutive nights of racing. The D-shaped oval has expanded its format after being selected as the Speedweeks replacement for the recently closed East Bay Raceway Park.
Full event details at www.OcalaSpeedway.com.
Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, 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 Website & Marketing Services.
Article Credit: Heath Lawson image
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