Lucas Oil Season Opener Up Next
CHILTON, Wis. (01/21/20) – Brian Shirley and Bob Cullen Racing wrapped up a very successful 14th Annual Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout over the weekend at FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, Ariz.).
Shirley ended the six-night miniseries having never finished outside the Top-10. The Illinois driver piloted his No. 3s Hoker Trucking/ Thomason Express/ J&J Ventures Gaming/ XR1 Rocket Chassis/ Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model to three wins, a pair of fourth-place finishes, and one seventh-place finish.
“All in all, [I’m] just proud of my team, proud of these guys,” said Shirley. “From where we were at Vado [N.M., Speedway Park earlier in January], to come here, rebound, figure out some things that were wrong and did do what we were supposed to do. The whole point of us coming here was this – so everybody could get to know each other, work together and figure out how we’re going to get better as the year goes on.”
On Friday, Shirley followed up the fastest lap in his time trial group with a second-place finish in his heat race. After starting seventh in the 30-lap feature, Brian took the lead from polesitter Chris Simpson on the 21st lap and led the rest of the way for his second $5,000 victory of the week. Brandon Sheppard, Simpson, Ricky Weiss, and Ricky Thornton Jr. trailed him to the checkered flag.
Returning on Saturday afternoon, Shirley secured his spot into the $5,000-to-win main event with a convincing heat race victory. In the 40-lapper, Brian overtook outside front-row starter Johnny Scott on the 10th lap and led the rest of the way to capture another $5,000 victory. With his third miniseries victory, Shirley also grabbed a $10,000 bonus.
Wrapping up the 14th edition of the Wild West Shootout on Sunday, Brian earned the 17th starting spot on the feature grid after contact with the turn-three wall in time trials ruined his preliminary efforts. With $15,000 on the line, Shirley broke into the Top-5 after just 14 laps and slipped into the lead for a single lap just past the halfway point in the 50-lapper.
On a lap 33 restart, he got too high and briefly fell to fifth before returning to a solid fourth place at the finish behind race winner Brandon Sheppard, Johnny Scott, and Ricky Weiss. Bobby Pierce rounded out the Top-5.
Despite the way the week ended, Shirley’s performance that included three victories and a $10,000 bonus gave him nearly $30,000 in earnings. He said he “couldn’t be happier for everybody on this team that we put in a solid week.”
For full results from the miniseries, please visit www.WildWestShootout.net.
“I want to express our gratitude to our sponsors, track personnel, friends, and our families,” Shirley added amid a 50-day racing trip. “It was great to have two of our major partners, Thomason Express, and Hoker Trucking, be there to celebrate three wins with us.”
The team now treks east to kickstart the 2020 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) campaign. The Speedweeks action begins at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. on January 31 and February 1. From there, the team will head to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. for six straight nights (February 3-8) of competition. The LOLMDS Speedweeks will conclude on Sunday, February 9 at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Fla. For a complete schedule, visit www.LucasDirt.com.
Brian Shirley and Bob Cullen Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners which include: Hoker Trucking, Thomason Express, J&J Ventures Gaming, Kid’s Castle Learning Center, KBC Graphix, Cheap Cars, Bass Livestock Nutrition, Allgaier Motorsports, Integra Shocks, East Central Coin, Cheers, Cen-Pe-Co Racing Oil, Durham Racing Engines, Rocket Chassis, Jayco Construction, Larry’s Distributing, Hope For A Cure, Midwest Sheet Metal, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint & Body Shop, Peterson Fluid Systems, Hooker Harness, Willy’s Carburetor, Fast Shafts, Keyser Manufacturing, Dyers Top Rods, Wehrs Machine, Sweet Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Allstar Performance, The Joie of Seating, Simpson, Hoosier Racing Tire, Quarter Master, Wilwood Disc Brakes, KKM, Speedwerx, Daugherty Motorsports, Multi Fire, Strange Oval, FK Rod Ends, and MSR Mafia Marketing Services.
For the latest team news and updates on Bob Cullen Racing, please visit www.BobCullenRacing.com.