CONCORD , NC – Nov. 27, 2007 – He’s young. He’s X-Games cool. And of course, he’s fast too.
Wrap those traits together, and Brian Shirley is a leader of dirt Late Model racing’s Generation Next.
During the 2007 campaign, just about every segment of the dirt Late Model scene got a chance to see Shirley’s unique blend of youth, style and speed first-hand.
Shirley, 26, of Chatham , Ill. , took another step with his burgeoning full-fender career in 2007, deciding after the season had already started to chase the tough World of Outlaws Late Model Series. He fell short of winning the tour’s Rookie of the Year award, but there’s no question he earned a great racing education – and further established himself as a serious national contender – with his far-flung travels.
A former flat-track motorcycle champion who has driven dirt Late Models only since 2002, Shirley took his share of frustrating lumps as a first-year WoO LMS follower. But he also became just the second driver in WoO LMS history to win an A-Main as a rookie and rang up four runner-up finishes, giving him plenty to hang his hat on for the future.
“I’m definitely not disappointed in our year,” Shirley said as the ’07 WoO LMS schedule wound down. “I get a little frustrated at times, but I’ve gotta understand what we were doing this year and look at the big picture. We went to 40-some racetracks this year that I’d never been to before!
“I feel like we have a lot of good things happening. I’m looking forward to coming back stronger and competing (against the country’s best drivers) next year.”
Hot off a 12-win 2006 season that featured a star-making victory in the Knoxville (Iowa) Late Model Nationals, Shirley and veteran Midwest car owner Ed Petroff sketched an ’07 plan of attack filled with more road trips and major events. They didn’t enter February’s DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville , Fla. , instead choosing to launch their campaign one month later with the WoO LMS ‘March Through Dixie’ events at Columbus ( Miss. ) Speedway and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia , Ala.
Bad luck left Shirley a non-qualifier at both Columbus and North Alabama , but it got him rolling down the WoO LMS highway. He hauled east with the tour in mid-April and then became a virtual regular, missing only five of the season’s remaining 38 events with the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel/Jayco Construction No. 3s.
With Shirley approved as a Rookie of the Year contender by a panel of WoO LMS drivers and media members, he had something extra to pursue. But while he would have liked to add the Rookie crown to his resume – he finished second to Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., by 162 points (3,924-3,762) in a race that was determined using each driver’s best 30 finishes – it was the experience he gained out on the trail that meant the most to him.
“It’s just a whole different deal,” Shirley said of following the WoO LMS. “People don’t realize that. I didn’t realize it, to be honest.
“There’s a million things you gotta learn – the tires, the shocks, the setups, the tracks. Even the cars – I haven’t run these types of (Rocket) cars that I got in this year. I came from a totally different type of car, a swing-arm (Rayburn) car, to running these (Rockets). There’s a million things you can do to them, but luckily Mark (Richards of Rocket Chassis) has been there for me and ( Steve ) Francis has helped me out a bunch.”
The assistance of Richards, Francis and the rest of the Rocket standard-bearers was a godsend to Shirley, who traveled most of the WoO LMS with just his good buddy Zach Pointer, a novice when it comes to dirt Late Model mechanics. Petroff purchased Rocket Chassis mounts for Shirley this year, giving Shirley access to the tight Rocket group’s setup and testing information.
“The Rocket team is coming together,” said Shirley. “I agree with Francis 100 percent – I think the bond that’s happening among the Rocket teams out on the road, the sharing of information – it’s gonna bring big things in the future. I know it helps me.”
Shirley ran both Rocket and Rayburn cars on the WoO LMS, adding another variable to his season. He drove the Rayburn to his first career tour feature win, on May 13 at Lincoln ( Ill. ) Speedway , and second-place finishes on July 3 at Missouri ’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Sept. 14 at Paducah ( Ky. ) International Raceway, and he was behind the wheel of the Rocket when he finished second on June 17 at the Belleville ( Kans. ) High Banks and Sept. 22 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Shirley also nearly won the June 16 event at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City , Kans. , in a Rocket, losing the lead with four laps remaining due to a busted radiator fan.
In all, Shirley entered 37 WoO LMS events and scored five top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He earned one National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award – on June 23 at Quebec ’s Autodrome Drummond after making a banzai, all-night haul from central Illinois to Canada that proved his dedication to the series – and earned $64,004 en route to a ninth-place finish in the points standings.
“There were a lot of variables that happened this year,” said Shirley, “and considering I’ve traveled the whole tour with one guy who didn’t know anything about racing, I’d give us a ‘B’ (grade) for the season.
“I think next year we’ll struggle at times, just like we did this year. But after learning so much this year about racing on the road, we’ll be more big-picture consistent – not just get top 10s, but maybe more top fives.”
Shirley, who was one of two WoO LMS regulars under the age of 30 in 2007 (19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston , W.Va. , was the other), is excited about his future as a dirt Late Model driver.
“I have a lot of people behind me support-wise,” said Shirley. “They know we’re not winning every race out here, but they’re still totally behind me.
“I was feeling like I let my fans down a little bit this year, that they’d be disappointed because I didn’t race close to home very much. But they all reassured me that they’re behind me 100 percent, and that makes me feel good about what we’re trying to do.
“You know, I feel the disappointment of not doing good every race, but (the fans) must see the big picture and are happy that I’m out here working to get better with the best drivers.”
Shirley will join his fellow WoO LMS drivers in celebrating the 2007 season when he attends the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Thurs., Dec. 6, at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando , Fla.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Wrap those traits together, and Brian Shirley is a leader of dirt Late Model racing’s Generation Next.
During the 2007 campaign, just about every segment of the dirt Late Model scene got a chance to see Shirley’s unique blend of youth, style and speed first-hand.
Shirley, 26, of Chatham , Ill. , took another step with his burgeoning full-fender career in 2007, deciding after the season had already started to chase the tough World of Outlaws Late Model Series. He fell short of winning the tour’s Rookie of the Year award, but there’s no question he earned a great racing education – and further established himself as a serious national contender – with his far-flung travels.
A former flat-track motorcycle champion who has driven dirt Late Models only since 2002, Shirley took his share of frustrating lumps as a first-year WoO LMS follower. But he also became just the second driver in WoO LMS history to win an A-Main as a rookie and rang up four runner-up finishes, giving him plenty to hang his hat on for the future.
“I’m definitely not disappointed in our year,” Shirley said as the ’07 WoO LMS schedule wound down. “I get a little frustrated at times, but I’ve gotta understand what we were doing this year and look at the big picture. We went to 40-some racetracks this year that I’d never been to before!
“I feel like we have a lot of good things happening. I’m looking forward to coming back stronger and competing (against the country’s best drivers) next year.”
Hot off a 12-win 2006 season that featured a star-making victory in the Knoxville (Iowa) Late Model Nationals, Shirley and veteran Midwest car owner Ed Petroff sketched an ’07 plan of attack filled with more road trips and major events. They didn’t enter February’s DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville , Fla. , instead choosing to launch their campaign one month later with the WoO LMS ‘March Through Dixie’ events at Columbus ( Miss. ) Speedway and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia , Ala.
Bad luck left Shirley a non-qualifier at both Columbus and North Alabama , but it got him rolling down the WoO LMS highway. He hauled east with the tour in mid-April and then became a virtual regular, missing only five of the season’s remaining 38 events with the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel/Jayco Construction No. 3s.
With Shirley approved as a Rookie of the Year contender by a panel of WoO LMS drivers and media members, he had something extra to pursue. But while he would have liked to add the Rookie crown to his resume – he finished second to Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., by 162 points (3,924-3,762) in a race that was determined using each driver’s best 30 finishes – it was the experience he gained out on the trail that meant the most to him.
“It’s just a whole different deal,” Shirley said of following the WoO LMS. “People don’t realize that. I didn’t realize it, to be honest.
“There’s a million things you gotta learn – the tires, the shocks, the setups, the tracks. Even the cars – I haven’t run these types of (Rocket) cars that I got in this year. I came from a totally different type of car, a swing-arm (Rayburn) car, to running these (Rockets). There’s a million things you can do to them, but luckily Mark (Richards of Rocket Chassis) has been there for me and ( Steve ) Francis has helped me out a bunch.”
The assistance of Richards, Francis and the rest of the Rocket standard-bearers was a godsend to Shirley, who traveled most of the WoO LMS with just his good buddy Zach Pointer, a novice when it comes to dirt Late Model mechanics. Petroff purchased Rocket Chassis mounts for Shirley this year, giving Shirley access to the tight Rocket group’s setup and testing information.
“The Rocket team is coming together,” said Shirley. “I agree with Francis 100 percent – I think the bond that’s happening among the Rocket teams out on the road, the sharing of information – it’s gonna bring big things in the future. I know it helps me.”
Shirley ran both Rocket and Rayburn cars on the WoO LMS, adding another variable to his season. He drove the Rayburn to his first career tour feature win, on May 13 at Lincoln ( Ill. ) Speedway , and second-place finishes on July 3 at Missouri ’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Sept. 14 at Paducah ( Ky. ) International Raceway, and he was behind the wheel of the Rocket when he finished second on June 17 at the Belleville ( Kans. ) High Banks and Sept. 22 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Shirley also nearly won the June 16 event at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City , Kans. , in a Rocket, losing the lead with four laps remaining due to a busted radiator fan.
In all, Shirley entered 37 WoO LMS events and scored five top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He earned one National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award – on June 23 at Quebec ’s Autodrome Drummond after making a banzai, all-night haul from central Illinois to Canada that proved his dedication to the series – and earned $64,004 en route to a ninth-place finish in the points standings.
“There were a lot of variables that happened this year,” said Shirley, “and considering I’ve traveled the whole tour with one guy who didn’t know anything about racing, I’d give us a ‘B’ (grade) for the season.
“I think next year we’ll struggle at times, just like we did this year. But after learning so much this year about racing on the road, we’ll be more big-picture consistent – not just get top 10s, but maybe more top fives.”
Shirley, who was one of two WoO LMS regulars under the age of 30 in 2007 (19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston , W.Va. , was the other), is excited about his future as a dirt Late Model driver.
“I have a lot of people behind me support-wise,” said Shirley. “They know we’re not winning every race out here, but they’re still totally behind me.
“I was feeling like I let my fans down a little bit this year, that they’d be disappointed because I didn’t race close to home very much. But they all reassured me that they’re behind me 100 percent, and that makes me feel good about what we’re trying to do.
“You know, I feel the disappointment of not doing good every race, but (the fans) must see the big picture and are happy that I’m out here working to get better with the best drivers.”
Shirley will join his fellow WoO LMS drivers in celebrating the 2007 season when he attends the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Thurs., Dec. 6, at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando , Fla.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
