2/28/2026
Brandon Sheppard Rules Wieland Winternationals Prelim at Ocala Speedway
Golden Isles Speedway Up Next for LOLMDS
SHINNISTON, W. VA. (Mar. 2, 2026) — Brandon Sheppard kept his early-season momentum rolling this past week, powering the Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Rocket Chassis to victory lane for the third time in February.
The latest triumph came Tuesday night at Ocala Speedway, where Sheppard captured a $7,000 Wieland Winternationals preliminary victory at the unique D-shaped Florida oval.
“I was running a different line in Turns 1 and 2 than I expected,” Sheppard said after Wednesday’s triumph. “I would enter on the bottom and slide across the middle. I kept waiting for it to change because I knew it might go away at some point. I felt good on both the bottom and the top and was just trying to maintain speed. With the front end being jacked up, it was wherever the car put me. Turns 3 and 4 were tougher because I needed to carve down the hill and come off lower and straighter, and I struggled with that late in the race.”
Rocket1 Racing opened the week with a runner-up finish in Tuesday’s opening round before breaking through for the preliminary victory on Wednesday. Sheppard outran Brandon Overton in heat race competition and then held off an early charge from Kyle Bronson in the feature to secure the victory.
The win marked Sheppard’s third of the 2026 campaign and the 37th Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph of his career.
While momentum remained strong, adversity followed later in the week. A flat tire in Thursday’s feature derailed a promising run and relegated Sheppard to an 18th-place finish. After Friday’s program was washed out by weather, he returned Saturday and locked into the $25,000-to-win Wieland Winternationals finale with a heat race victory.
Running inside the top three late in the 50-lap main event, Sheppard’s bid for another major payday was cut short by a flat right-rear tire on lap 43. He ultimately crossed the line 15th.
Despite the setbacks, Sheppard remains fourth in the latest Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship standings.
Complete results and updated LOLMDS standings are available at www.LucasDirt.com.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series now shifts to Golden Isles Speedway in Georgia for the final leg of the Wieland Winternationals. The four-night showcase concludes with a $25,000-to-win finale.
Full event details are available at www.GISDirt.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.
Article Credit: Photo by Heath Lawson
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