TAMPA, FL (February 4, 2020)– Brandon Sheppard returned to victory lane at East Bay Raceway Park on Tuesday night during the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned, Wrisco Industries Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil. This win was Sheppard’s fourth career win at the “Clay by the Bay” and he becomes the third different winner in three series events so far in 2020.
Brandon Overton charged from his 13th starting spot to finish second, his second podium finish in three series races this season. Tim McCreadie gained seven positions to claim third at the finish. Tim Dohm, started on the pole and finished in fourth, while defending series champion, Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five.
Dohm and Sheppard started on the front row and had a spirited race for the lead in the early going. Sheppard led the first circuit before Dohm assumed the point a lap later. Sheppard regained the lead as he had to hold off a brief challenge from Overton to secure his 16th career series victory.
Sheppard was in contention for the win on Monday night until he and Kyle Bronson got together, he was not going to be denied victory lane in the second race of the week at East Bay. “I was surprised that he (Overton) was there. There are a lot of tough cars here and especially when I messed up down in that one corner. I started doing something different and I knew the top was going to go away as the race wore on. I probably squeezed Brandon off a little bit going into one there.”
“My guys have been doing a great job on the car, but I have been slacking off and it feels good to get back to victory lane with the house car. It is a relief for me for sure because I was beginning to wonder what I was doing out there.”
Overton was complimentary of the track. “What an awesome racetrack. I just got there a little too late when it cleaned up a little bit on the bottom. We had a really good race car again. Yesterday I just made the wrong adjustments on everything and I kind of figured it out tonight in our heat race, now on to tomorrow. This place is crazy, we just need to quit burying ourselves early in the night. We kind of have been using up our stuff to get to the front.”
McCreadie made a nice charge to finish third tonight, earning his second podium finish in three races. “You are forced to move out there a lot. We made some good changes on this Mega Plumbing ride. We made it way better in the feature. I did get every restart on the bottom there at the end, which helped. For a lot of years all I ever thought was winning is all that matters and everything else wasn’t a lot of fun, so you realize you are going to leave a lot of nights unhappy. Consistency is not a bad thing, because once you are consistent and you gain speed, the wins will come.”
The winner’s Mark Richards Racing Rocket 1 House Car is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches. Ace Metal Works, Sallack Well Service, Sunoco Race Fuels, Keyser Manufacturing, Integra, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, and Gunters Honey.
Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar, Josh Richards, Jeff Mathews, Devin Moran, and Billy Moyer.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Wrisco Industries Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil
Tuesday, February 4th, 2020
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Boom Briggs / 15.361 seconds
Fast Time Group B: Chase Junghans / 15.252 seconds (Overall)
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 6T-Tim Dohm[3]; 2. 99B-Boom Briggs[1]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[7]; 4. 50-Shanon Buckingham[2]; 5. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 6. 25W-Allen Weisser[9]; 7. 10B-David Breazeale[5]; 8. 40-Joel Callahan[4]; 9. 20B-Todd Brennan[11]; 10. 48-Colton Flinner[8]; 11. 11B-Stacy Boles[10]
FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[3]; 3. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[2]; 4. 81-Jason Riggs[4]; 5. 42-Chris Garnes[6]; 6. 2S-Stormy Scott[9]; 7. 16R-Justin Rattliff[10]; 8. 66C-Matt Cosner[8]; 9. 2W-Pearson Williams[5]; 10. 2D-Dan Stone[7]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 3. 9-Devin Moran[4]; 4. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 5. 89-GR Smith[6]; 6. 81E-Tanner English[7]; 7. 7M-Donald McIntosh[2]; 8. 51M-Joey Moriarty[8]; 9. 6S-Blake Spencer[9]; 10. 27-Joe Denby[10]
Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 2. 20F-Trever Feathers[3]; 3. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[4]; 4. 18J-Chase Junghans[1]; 5. 1V-Vic Hill[10]; 6. 22G-Gregg Oakes[9]; 7. 94M-Jason Miller[7]; 8. 17-Logan Roberson[6]; 9. 94-Charles Powell[5]; 10. 5T-John Tweed[8]
Wrisco Industries Heat Race #5 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 3. 33J-Jeff Mathews[9]; 4. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 5. B1-Brent Larson[4]; 6. 00-Jesse Stovall[6]; 7. 22B-Austin Burns[7]; 8. 18-David Seibers[10]; 9. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 10. 311-Ken Monahan[8]
MyRacePass Heat Race #6 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 14-Josh Richards[5]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 4. 25-Shane Clanton[7]; 5. 000-Kyle Lear[10]; 6. 1ST-Johnny Scott[8]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[4]; 8. F1-Coleby Frye[6]; 9. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[9]; 10. 2-Allen Murray[3]
Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 2. 10B-David Breazeale[7]; 3. 81-Jason Riggs[2]; 4. 25W-Allen Weisser[5]; 5. 66C-Matt Cosner[10]; 6. 2D-Dan Stone[14]; 7. 40-Joel Callahan[9]; 8. 11B-Stacy Boles[15]; 9. 2W-Pearson Williams[12]; 10. 16R-Justin Rattliff[8]; 11. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[3]; 12. 48-Colton Flinner[13]; 13. 2S-Stormy Scott[6]; 14. 20B-Todd Brennan[11]; 15. 42-Chris Garnes[4]
FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 18J-Chase Junghans[2]; 2. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 3. 89-GR Smith[3]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[5]; 5. 22G-Gregg Oakes[6]; 6. 1V-Vic Hill[4]; 7. 6S-Blake Spencer[11]; 8. 94M-Jason Miller[8]; 9. 51M-Joey Moriarty[9]; 10. 94-Charles Powell[12]; 11. 27-Joe Denby[13]; 12. 5T-John Tweed[14]; 13. 17-Logan Roberson[10]; 14. 7M-Donald McIntosh[7]
Lucas Oil B-Main #3 Finish (12 Laps, Winner Transfers): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 3. B1-Brent Larson[3]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[8]; 5. 00-Jesse Stovall[5]; 6. F1-Coleby Frye[10]; 7. 22B-Austin Burns[7]; 8. 3S-Brian Shirley[11]; 9. 1ST-Johnny Scott[6]; 10. 2-Allen Murray[14]; 11. 000-Kyle Lear[4]; 12. 18-David Seibers[9]; 13. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[12]; 14. 311-Ken Monahan[13]
Berry Barn Strawberry Dash Presented by DirtonDirt.com Finish: 1. 10B-David Breazeale[1]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 3. B1-Brent Larson[5]; 4. 25W-Allen Weisser[6]; 5. 22G-Gregg Oakes[10]; 6. 81-Jason Riggs[3]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[8]; 8. 66C-Matt Cosner[9]
Lucas Oil Feature Finish (30 Laps):
| Pos | Start | Car | Driver | Hometown | Money Earned |
| 1 | 2 | 1S | Brandon Sheppard | New Berlin, IL | $5,000.00 |
| 2 | 13 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | $3,000.00 |
| 3 | 10 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | $2,000.00 |
| 4 | 1 | 6T | Tim Dohm | Charleston, WV | $1,500.00 |
| 5 | 3 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $1,000.00 |
| 6 | 6 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | $800.00 |
| 7 | 12 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $750.00 |
| 8 | 16 | 33J | Jeff Mathews | Brandon, FL | $700.00 |
| 9 | 17 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | $750.00 |
| 10 | 9 | 21M | Billy Moyer Sr | Batesville, AR | $600.00 |
| 11 | 26 | 25Z | Mason Zeigler | Chalk Hill, PA | $550.00 |
| 12 | 14 | 21 | Billy Moyer Jr | Batesville, AR | $500.00 |
| 13 | 28 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | Decorah, IA | $500.00 |
| 14 | 5 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | $500.00 |
| 15 | 21 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | $500.00 |
| 16 | 8 | 20F | Trever Feathers | Winchester, VA | $500.00 |
| 17 | 22 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | $500.00 |
| 18 | 15 | 28E | Dennis Erb Jr | Carpentersville, IL | $500.00 |
| 19 | 18 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | $500.00 |
| 20 | 19 | 50 | Shanon Buckingham | Morristown, TN | $500.00 |
| 21 | 4 | 1T | Tyler Erb New | Waverly, TX | $500.00 |
| 22 | 23 | 2S | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | $500.00 |
| 23 | 27 | 42 | Chris Garnes | Evans, WV | $500.00 |
| 24 | 25 | 10B | David Breazeale | Four Corners, MS | $500.00 |
| 25 | 24 | 3S | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | $500.00 |
| 26 | 7 | 99B | Boom Briggs | Bear Lake, PA | $500.00 |
| 27 | 30 | 1ST | Johnny Scott | Las Cruces, NM | $500.00 |
| 28 | 29 | 89 | G.R. Smith | Statesville, NC | $500.00 |
| 29 | 20 | 18J | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | $500.00 |
| 30 | 11 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | $500.00 |
Race Statistics
Entrants: 61
Lap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1); Tim Dohm (Lap 2); Brandon Sheppard (Laps 3- 30)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Brandon Sheppard
Margin of Victory: 0.916 seconds
Cautions: Johnny Scott, Chase Junghans (Lap 1); Kyle Bronson (Lap 8); G.R. Smith (Lap 16); Jimmy Owens (Lap 18); Tyler Erb (Lap 23); David Breazeale, Brian Shirley (Lap 25)
Series Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr.; Stormy Scott
Wrisco Industries Fast Time Provisional:Brian Shirley
Berry Barn Strawberry Dash Provisionals:David Breazeale; Mason Zeigler
Series Emergency Provisionals: Chris Garnes; Tyler Bruening; G.R. Smith; Johnny Scott
Big River Steel Podium Top 3:Brandon Sheppard; Brandon Overton; Tim McCreadie
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Mason Zeigler (Advanced 15 Positions)
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin Moran
Allstar Performance Most Laps Led: Brandon Sheppard (29 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon Sheppard
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: n/a
Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny White (Brandon Sheppard)
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Sheppard (Lap #29 – 14.8881 seconds)
Hot Rod Processing Tough Break of the Race: Tyler Erb
PFC Brakes Pole Award: Tim Dohm
Time of Race: 28 minutes 03 seconds
Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:
| Pos | Car | Driver | Hometown | Points | Money Earned |
| 1 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | 685 | $15,550 |
| 2 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | 655 | $8,250 |
| 3 | 1s | Brandon Sheppard | Berlin, IL | 650 | $9,100 |
| 4 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | 620 | $5,850 |
| 5 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | 595 | $4,200 |
| 6 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | 585 | $9,000 |
| 7 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | 550 | $5,700 |
| 8 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | 520 | $4,275 |
| 9 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | 515 | $3,075 |
| 10 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | 500 | $2,100 |
| 11 | 21M | Billy Moyer Jr | Batesville, AR | 495 | $3,000 |
| 12 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | 490 | $2,900 |
| 13 | 28E | Dennis Erb Jr | Carpentersville, IL | 470 | $1,800 |
| 14 | 25z | Mason Zeigler | Farmington, PA | 460 | $2,050 |
| 15 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | 450 | $3,100 |
| 16 | 42 | Chris Garnes | Evans, WV | 440 | $1,200 |
| 17 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | 440 | $1,900 |
| 18 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | Decorah, IA | 440 | $1,200 |
| 19 | 3s | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | 435 | $2,050 |
| 20 | 18J | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | 415 | $2,000 |
| 21 | 50 | Shanon Buckingham | Morristown, TN | 390 | $2,700 |
| 22 | 22* | G.R. Smith | Statesville, NC | 385 | $1,600 |
| 23 | 1st | Johnny Scott | Las Cruces, NM | 375 | $1,600 |
| 24 | 2s | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | 375 | $1,400 |
| 25 | 0F1 | Coleby Frye | Dover, PA | 355 | $300 |
Wrisco Industries Speedweeks Point Standings:
| Pos | Car | Driver | Hometown | Points |
| 1 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | 685 |
| 2 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | 655 |
| 3 | 1s | Brandon Sheppard | Berlin, IL | 650 |
| 4 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | 620 |
| 5 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | 595 |
| 6 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | 585 |
| 7 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | 550 |
| 8 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | 520 |
| 9 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | 515 |
| 10 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | 500 |
| 11 | 21M | Billy Moyer Jr | Batesville, AR | 495 |
| 12 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | 490 |
| 13 | 28E | Dennis Erb Jr | Carpentersville, IL | 470 |
| 14 | 25z | Mason Zeigler | Farmington, PA | 460 |
| 15 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | 450 |
| 16 | 42 | Chris Garnes | Evans, WV | 440 |
| 17 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | 440 |
| 18 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | Decorah, IA | 440 |
| 19 | 3s | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | 435 |
| 20 | 18J | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | 415 |
| 21 | 50 | Shanon Buckingham | Morristown, TN | 390 |
| 22 | 22* | G.R. Smith | Statesville, NC | 385 |
| 23 | 1st | Johnny Scott | Las Cruces, NM | 375 |
| 24 | 2s | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | 375 |
| 25 | 0F1 | Coleby Frye | Dover, PA | 355 |