Brandon Sheppard Takes Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Finale In East Bay’s Winternationals

Story By: JAMES ESSEX / LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – TAMPA, FL – Brandon Sheppard came from the 11th starting position to win Saturday Night’s Wrisco Industries Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park. It was Sheppard’s third win of the week in the annual Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event. He passed race leader Devin Moran with 12 laps to go, before driving on to victory.

Moran, in the Tye Twarog Longhorn finished second to Sheppard with Tyler Erb, Brian Shirley, and Shane Clanton completing the top five.

Pole sitter, Moran, took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Clanton hot on his heels. Moran and Clanton ran one-two for the first 12 laps of the race until Clanton passed Moran for the top spot on lap 13. Clanton held the point for six circuits until Moran was able to get back around the Georgia veteran.

Meanwhile, Sheppard was patiently working his way through the field and moved by Clanton for second on the 21st lap. Sheppard started working the top groove off turn two, closing the gap on Moran, but Moran kept his car glued to the bottom of the third mile oval. Moran continued to hold the top spot until Sheppard rapidly cut into Moran’s lead as he rocketed by him on lap 38.

Sheppard expanded his lead in the final ten laps and went on to record his sixth career win at East Bay and his 18th in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Sheppard continued the trend of Saturday Night East Bay finale winners, as the 27-year-old Illinois native became the 12th different winner in the last 12 years.

“The track was tricky tonight and got really slow. It was totally unexpected, but it was typical East Bay, where it didn’t give us the same thing twice this week. We had a different surface every night and that’s what makes it so much fun to come here. It’s a shame it’s going to be gone before long. Man, it was a lot of fun out there. I can’t thank my guys enough,” said Sheppard, who will maintain the Series points lead, as he will carry the Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler into All-Tech Raceway on Sunday Night.

Moran concluded a successful week at East Bay after scoring his first-ever win at “The Clay by the Bay” on Monday Night, with second-place finish in the finale. “I think this is deja-vu. Brandon’s done this to me here before, just all part of it. I don’t think anyone’s seen the racetrack like this for the feature. I don’t know what did it or why it did it, that little bit of traction strip made us stick down there (on the bottom). We aren’t the biggest or brightest team, but we had a great Speedweeks, and hopefully we can cap it off tomorrow at All-Tech.”

Erb won twice last year at East Bay, but is still winless in the Georgia-Florida Speedweeks. Tonight, Erb did recod a solid point finish as he rounded out the podium. “The track was a little bit crazy. You couldn’t get the top going, so just congrats to Sheppard, Devin, and everybody. It’s been a long week here and we got every race in. I really enjoy racing here although, it wasn’t the final night we were all kind of hoping for, but it was a good night for us and we’ll go on to All-Tech.”

The winner’s Mark Richards Racing Rocket 1 House Car is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Gunters Honey, Ace Metal Works, Integra, Sunoco, Keyser, and Rocket Pre-Owned Motors.

Completing the top ten were Rick Eckert, Tim McCreadie, Shanon Buckingham, Jonathan Davenport, and Billy Moyer Jr.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Wrisco Industries Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil
Saturday, February 8th, 2020
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL

Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 14.511 seconds
Fast Time Group B: Billy Moyer Jr. / 14.485 seconds (overall)

Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening[4]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 5. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[5]; 6. 15B-Brian Birkhofer[6]; 7. 81-Jason Riggs[9]; 8. 17-Logan Roberson[7]; 9. 5T-John Tweed[8]; 10. 1V-Vic Hill[10]

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 2. 89-GR Smith[8]; 3. 18J-Chase Junghans[4]; 4. 6T-Tim Dohm[3]; 5. 2D-Dan Stone[7]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[9]; 7. 311-Ken Monahan[1]; 8. 00-Jesse Stovall[5]; 9. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 14-Josh Richards[1]; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 0E-Rick Eckert[3]; 4. 50-Shanon Buckingham[4]; 5. 6S-Blake Spencer[6]; 6. 000-Kyle Lear[8]; 7. 18-David Seibers[5]; 8. 33J-Jeff Mathews[9]; 9. 2S-Stormy Scott[7]

Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 3. 20F-Trever Feathers[2]; 4. 66C-Matt Cosner[5]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[4]; 6. 22B-Austin Burns[7]; 7. 16R-Justin Rattliff[8]; 8. 11B-Stacy Boles[6]; 9. 25W-Allen Weisser[9]
Wrisco Industries Heat Race #5 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[4]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[6]; 5. 94-Charles Powell[7]; 6. 48-Colton Flinner[3]; 7. 51M-Joey Moriarty[8]; 8. KB0-Kerry King[9]; 9. J8-Jadon Frame[5]

MyRacePass Heat Race #6 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 3. 10B-David Breazeale[5]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 5. 2W-Pearson Williams[4]; 6. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 7. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 8. 42-Chris Garnes[7]; 9. 27-Joe Denby[9]

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[3]; 3. 15B-Brian Birkhofer[5]; 4. 6T-Tim Dohm[2]; 5. 81-Jason Riggs[7]; 6. 2D-Dan Stone[4]; 7. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 8. 5T-John Tweed[11]; 9. 311-Ken Monahan[8]; 10. (DNS) 17-Logan Roberson; 11. (DNS) 00-Jesse Stovall; 12. (DNS) 71-Hudson O’Neal; 13. (DNS) 1V-Vic Hill

FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 66C-Matt Cosner[2]; 2. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 3. 99B-Boom Briggs[4]; 4. 6S-Blake Spencer[3]; 5. 000-Kyle Lear[5]; 6. 18-David Seibers[7]; 7. 22B-Austin Burns[6]; 8. 11B-Stacy Boles[10]; 9. 33J-Jeff Mathews[9]; 10. (DNS) 16R-Justin Rattliff; 11. (DNS) 2S-Stormy Scott; 12. (DNS) 25W-Allen Weisser

Lucas Oil B-Main #3 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 81E-Tanner English[1]; 2. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[2]; 3. 48-Colton Flinner[5]; 4. 2W-Pearson Williams[4]; 5. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 6. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 7. 42-Chris Garnes[10]; 8. 94-Charles Powell[3]; 9. 27-Joe Denby[12]; 10. (DNS) J8-Jadon Frame; 11. (DNS) KB0-Kerry King; 12. (DNS) 51M-Joey Moriarty

Berry Barn Strawberry Dash – presented by DirtOnDirt.com Finish: 1. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[1]; 2. 99B-Boom Briggs[2]; 3. 000-Kyle Lear[8]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 5. 6T-Tim Dohm[7]; 6. 15B-Brian Birkhofer[4]; 7. 2W-Pearson Williams[9]; 8. 81-Jason Riggs[10]; 9. 18-David Seibers[11]; 10. 48-Colton Flinner[6]; 11. 6S-Blake Spencer[5]; 12. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[12]

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):