Post by LMR on 06/26/16 at 1:46am
DIRTcar Summer Nationals
Fairbury Speedway
June 25, 2016
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Brandon Sheppard Earns Hard Fought Win at Fairbury Speedway
Pierce continues to expand his Summer Nationals points lead
by Aaron Fiedler
FAIRBURY, Ill. (June 25) - It was not an easy win, but Brandon Sheppard held tough and fought back challenges Saturday night at Fairbury American Legion Speedway to claim his first Summer Nationals victory of the season.
Sheppard started the feature on the outside pole with veteran Billy Moyer next to him. Moyer jumped out to an early lead. Sheppard got around him on lap three but Moyer battled back. He cruised through the next 20 laps with Sheppard glued to the high-side of the track and fighting to maintain his second place position, which he lost briefly at the midpoint of the feature.
Sheppard found another opening on lap 26 and held the top spot for two laps but Moyer again battled back to the lead. This time, Shannon Babb was on the move and took the top spot from Moyer - but again, only briefly. On a lap 35 restart, Sheppard, who at that point was in fourth, blasted forward retaking third from Jimmy Mars, then second from Moyer. Using that high line, Sheppard then fought past Babb to retake the lead.
It was smooth sailing to the end.
"I knew I just had to hit my marks and not bobble," Sheppard said. "The cushion was like a one-foot brick wall all the way around the top. It was really hard. And the tire rule that we're on, my left-rear (tire) would die after about five laps and I'd just have to run sideways all the way around the corner and hope not to push, because my right-front wouldn't steer either. We just tried to hit our marks and keep everything together, and we did."
Moyer finished second and Jimmy Mars in third. Bobby Pierce, who finished eighth, continues to hold a strong points lead over second place Mike Marlar.
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals returns to action on Sunday at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
A-Main
1 2 B5 Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL
2 1 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR
3 5 28M Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI
4 13 6K Michael Kloos Trenton, IL
5 10 Z Joe Harlan El Paso, IL
6 20 24 Ryan Unzicker El Paso, IL
7 8 12B Kevin Weaver Gibson City, IL
8 9 32 Bobby Pierce Oakwood, IL
9 7 89 Mike Spatola Manhattan, IL
10 17 35 Derek Chandler Pontiac, IL
11 21 83 Scott Bull Fairbury, IL
12 14 77M Jay Morris Watseka, IL
13 12 157 Mike Marlar Winfield, TN
14 4 4G Bob Gardner East Peoria, IL
15 6 10S Scott Schmitt Tonica, IL
16 19 25 Jason Feger Bloomington, IL
17 16 C8 Timothy Culp Sheridan, AR
18 22 11 Gordy Gundaker St Charles, MO
19 18 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN
20 3 18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, IL
21 11 B1 Brent Larson Lake Elmo, MN
22 15 29 Spencer Diercks Davenport, IA
B-Main
1 7 35 Derek Chandler
2 1 73 Ashley Newman
3 3 33X Tim Manville
4 8 24 Ryan Unzicker
5 2 11 Gordy Gundaker
6 13 7T Steve Thorsten
7 12 83 Scott Bull
8 5 51 Matt Furman
9 11 R1 Riley Hickman
10 6 9D Daniel Flessner
11 16 7H Joseph Hughs
12 15 10 Paul Parker
13 4 25 Jason Feger
14 9 74 Taylor Scheffler
15 14 1M Jim Moon
16 10 15 Kolby Vandenbergh
