FAIRBURY — Brandon Sheppard winning the 32nd Prairie Dirt Classic might have surprised a lot of fans. What was surprising was the way he did it. Sheppard pulled off a wire-to-wire gem to not only win the race but pocket over $100,000.
Under ideal weather conditions and a crowd of footers, race teams and fans gathered at Fairbury Speedway for the 32nd Annual Case Construction World of Outlaw Race presented by the Bank of Pontiac and the Illinois State Rifle Association.
The Prairie Dirt Classic winner would take home at least $50,500. The winner would receive $50,000 for the win, and as a bonus, the circuit gave a driver $500 to lead a lap, which meant the winner would have led the last lap at least.
However, Sheppard was pretty selfish when it came to money per lap, as he led every circuit in the 100-lap event.
Sheppard, a four-time Outlaw champion, used his past experience with the quarter-mile Fairbury track to his advantage. He got off to a fast start on the first lap and never looked back.
When he left town, Sheppard had his third PDC title and $103,000 for two nights of work.
“Honestly, it means a lot to me to win this race,” Sheppard said. “This place is like my home. All the fans and the atmosphere is electric. They have welcomed me as their home. Fairbury is two hours from my house, but it has definitely become my favorite track.
Mike Marlar was able to keep up with Sheppard, but couldn’t make the pass. Bobby Pierce, who started 16th, charged to the front and made several attempts to take the lead, but the Oakwood native entered the infield with brake failure and finished for the night.
Marlar took second place and Tyler Erb third. Ryan Gustin was fourth and Ricky Thornton Jr. completed the top five. Chris Ferguson paced the other five with Chris Simpson, Max Blair, Jason Feger and Gordy Gundaker to round out the top 10. The second 10 included, in order of finish, Shane Clanton, Tyler Bruening, Josh Richards, Josh Rice, Garrett Smith, Dennis Erb Jr., Brent Larson, defending champion Kyle Larson, Bobby Pierce and Ryan Unzicker.
Three 20-lap last chance races were held for the WOO Late Model drivers. In the first race, Chris Ferguson (Mt. Holly, NC) edged out Ryan Gustin by a car to take the win. Local favorite McKay Wenger took the win in race two with Johnny Scott second, and 2015 PDC winner Jonathan Davenport (Blairsville, Georgia) scored a 10-car win over Ashton Winger to make the show.
The winner of the 25-lap Late Model Shootout had the option of taking home the top prize of $2,500 or starting at the back of the PDC feature. Chris Simpson (Oxford, Ia.) passed Mason Zeigler with five laps to go to take the win. Josh Richards, the 2016 PDC champion, also passed Zeigler for second. Simpson chose to take a spot in the main event and lost the check. He placed seventh in the main event.
The 40-lap, $5,000-to-win Summit Modified National race is down to longtime rivals on the track. Mike McKinney, a former Fairbury track champion, in a race that has long eluded him, battled five-time National Summer Champion Nick Hoffman. The two open-wheel titans have traded the lead multiple times over the past 15 rides.
After a caution waved with six laps to go, McKinney, riding the FALS cushion, made the victory pass as the crowd gave a standing ovation for “Magic Man.”
“Getting out of the car and seeing all those people is exactly what I thought it would be,” McKinney said. “I wanted him more than anyone here, I promise you. It doesn’t matter who we beat. I just wanted to win the race.”
Hoffman, who started 11th, finished a car behind with Tyler Nicely in third. Mike Harrison was fourth and Allen Weisser fifth. Chase Holland, Josh Harris, Kyle Steffens, Jason Hughes and Trevor Neville rounded out the top 10.
Modifieds started the night with two 15-lap last chance races in which the top two finishers would go on to the featured race. After a caution on lap 11, Curt Spalding and Mike Harrison raced side by side for the lead. Harrison (Highland) went on to take the win over Spalding in the first race.
Race two saw Steven Brooks of Bourbanais hold off Ethan Dodson to earn his place in the feature race.
In preliminary action on Friday, a new event record saw 81 late-model drivers go under the clock in qualifying. Aston Winger (Senoia, Ga.) led Group A with a lap time of 12.952 seconds. Current World of Outlaw points leader Dennis Erb Jr. (Carpentersville) had a time of 13.397 seconds to lead Group B.
There were four 25-lap, $3,000 showdown races to win. The top four finishers from each race advanced to the main race on Saturday. In the first race, Garrett Smith (Eatonton, Ga.) took advantage of Winger’s power steering failure and stopped Garrett Alberson for the win. Tyler Bruening finished third and Jimmy Owens was fourth.
After battling for the lead with McKay Wenger for the first 10 laps, Sheppard (New Berlin) took the lead and raced away in what could have been a foretaste of things to come. Starting in 11th place, Jason Feger finished second, followed by Kyle Bronson and Gordy Gundaker.
Mike Marlar (Winfield, Tenn.) outpointed Outlaw rookie contender Tanner English to win matchup three. Ricky Thornton Jr. was third and Shane Clanton was fourth.
Defending PDC winner Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Ca.) won by a comfortable margin in race four. Tyler Erb finished second, Josh Rice was third and 19th starter Bobby Pierce weaved through traffic to finish fourth.
There were 62 Summit Modified National drivers making qualifying attempts. Frank Marshall (Valparaiso, Ind.) crossed the finish line in 13.859 seconds to lead Group A. Michael Long (Fowler) clocked a 13.902-second lap to lead the Group B standings.
Four 20-round matchups with $500 to win would see the top four finishers advance to Saturday’s main event. In commanding fashion, Marshall went from claw to claw for the win in the first race. Chase Holland, Josh Harris and Chase Allen followed.
Keeping race leader Brian Shaw in his sights, Mike McKinney (Plainfield) made a dramatic pass on the final lap to take the win. Pulling double duty, Nick Hoffman finished in third place and Levi Kissinger was fourth.
Long fended off an attempt by Austin Holcombe for the lead in the closing laps to win race three. Kyle Steffens was third and Allen Weisser finished fourth.
Tyler Nicely (Owensboro, Ky.) followed midfield to win the final cup. Danny Schwartz edged out Ethan Weber by a half-car distance to take second place and Jason Hughes fourth.
Source: www.pontiacdailyleader.com