MARS Labor Day Weekend Tripleheader Next
CHILTON, Wis. (09/01/20) – Not one, but two trips to Victory Lane for Brian Shirley over the weekend in his Bob Cullen Racing No. 3s Hoker Trucking/ Thomason Express/ J&J Ventures Gaming/ Rocket Chassis/ Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
Shirley conquered the MARS Racing Series presented by Rip It Energy Fuel events on Friday and Saturday at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway. He earned a combined $10,000 for his efforts and increased his season win tally to 12.
In a field of 33 cars on Friday, Shirley finished second in his heat race behind Jeremiah Hurst, sending him to the redraw where he received the fifth spot on the feature grid.
Taking the lead from Frank Heckenast Jr. on lap 17, Shirley never looked back, driving away to a more than three-second advantage over second-running, Ryan Gustin. However, in the final ten laps Gustin was able to close the gap on Shirley.
Gustin made a charge on the high side on the final circuit but it was Shirley who crossed the finish line first by just 0.114 seconds. Gustin finish second, with Heckenast, Dennis Erb Jr. and Ryan Unzicker rounding out the Top-5. Brian earned $5,000 for the win.
“These little bullrings and stuff are pretty tricky and lap traffic always comes into play,” Shirley said. “So, all in all, I’m just thankful to get the win. Frankie was trying to run that guy on the top. I was lucky and able to get some good grip on the bottom and was able to get by him there. At the end it just come down to not knowing which lane to be in and I should have done a better job.”
Returning on Saturday, Shirley grabbed a heat race win and went on to draw the pole position for the $5,000-to-win main event. In the 50-lapper, Shirley took command and the drop of the green flag and went unchallenged to complete the weekend sweep. Completing the Top-5 were Jeff Herzog, Erb, Todd Bennett, and Jason Feger.
The Labor Day weekend will see the Bob Cullen Racing team entering a trio of events with the MARS Racing Series. The action kicks off with a doubleheader on Thursday-Friday, September 3-4 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, each paying $5,000-to-win. The weekend concludes with a $10,000-to-win event on Saturday, September 5 at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway.
Brian Shirley and Frank Heckenast Jr. are now tied for the MARS Racing Series championship points lead. For complete results or to learn more about upcoming events, please visit www.MARSRacingSeries.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.