2/14/2026
Brandon Sheppard Tops DIRTcar Nationals Finale at Volusia Speedway Park
Rocket1 Racing Turns Focus to Lucas Oil Opener at All-Tech Raceway
SHINNISTON, W. VA (Feb. 16, 2026) — An already successful week at the DIRTcar Nationals reached new heights for Brandon Sheppard on Saturday night, as the Rocket1 Racing driver powered to a $20,000 victory in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series finale at Volusia Speedway Park.
Piloting the Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Rocket Chassis Late Model, Sheppard outdueled eventual DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator trophy winner Nick Hoffman in the 50-lap main event to secure his 88th career World of Outlaws triumph.
“I was able to run second for a long time there, kind of see what Nick was doing,” Sheppard said. “Where he was struggling at compared to what I was doing and where I was struggling at. Just kind of compensate for that, and I was able to find a couple lines that I could make a little time on him. I kind of waited and got him to move around a little bit by showing him the nose. I felt really good through [Turns] 1 and 2, so we were just able to capitalize.”
The six-race stretch marking the 55th anniversary of the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals began on Monday with a 15th-place finish for Sheppard, followed by a sixth-place run on Tuesday. He added a sixth-place result in Wednesday’s preliminary, which featured a 59-car field split into three groups.
When competition shifted to World of Outlaws sanctioning Thursday through Saturday, Sheppard recorded preliminary finishes of eighth and 11th before delivering his strongest performance when it mattered most.
After winning his heat race Saturday night over Dan Ebert, Sheppard rolled off from the second row for the 50-lap finale. He overtook Hoffman on lap 33 and paced the final 17 circuits, crossing the finish line 0.543 seconds ahead of runner-up Bobby Pierce.
Complete results from the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals can be found at www.DIRTcar.com or www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
Sheppard and the Rocket1 Racing team will next turn their attention to the opening weekend of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season, with a three-night program scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at All-Tech Raceway.
Full event details are available at www.LucasDirt.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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