PETTY, Texas — Brian Shirley performed a clinic with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models in the debut visit to Rocket Raceway Park.
The Chatham, Ill., native drove a flawless race in the Texas Torpedo 50 while championship implications ensued through the 50 laps around the third-mile facility.
Shirley began the night with a win in his heat race, then drew the pole to start the night from the front of the field.
Shirley jumped out to the lead with Cade Dillard following behind him in second place.
On the second lap of the feature, points leader Brandon Sheppard suffered major body damage on the right front of his No.B5.
On the restart, Shirley and Dillard found their footing on the bottom line while the field attempted to use the high line with little effect. Amid the chaos across the field, Tristan Chamberlain flew through the packs of cars on the bottom that took him to third place.
Shirley continued to set the pace as he approached the challenge of getting by lap traffic ahead of the No.3s Bob Cullen Racing late model.
As Dillard cut the gap to Shirley with lap traffic in the way, “Squirrel” had to put his nickname to use by making ground through the middle of the racetrack in Turns 1 and 2, then cut down to the bottom in Turns 3 and 4 after completing the pass on each lapped cars.
While Dillard and Chamberlain fought for second, Shirley inflated the distance from the competition as he crossed the finish line to complete a perfect Feature in the Series return to the Lone Star State.
“Truthfully, finding the middle line was the biggest thing. They were running the preferred bottom line. I knew if I was going to put some distance between me and Cade, I had to try it, and it all worked out. At the end of the day, winning races is the most important thing. Right now, after the hole we dug in when we left (Volusia), winning these races makes these long hauls and tough nights makes up for it.”
Dillard finished second in a throwback car to his family’s first race car. With his result, Dillard completed the weekend near his home with twin top-five finishes.
“I felt like when we were both using the bottom on the long run, I could drive to him,” Dillard said. “When he washed up, I did so too. I tried to stay on the bottom, but once we got to lap traffic, you had to move out and he could drive through the middle much better than I could. But, we tried hard. He’s been good here lately, and I’m just happy to be up on the podium at this point.”
Chamberlain finished third for his first career podium and top-five finish with the World of Outlaws CASE late models.
“I think a big part of the success was in the Last Chance Showdown,” Chamberlain said. “Knowing that it was really slick. I don’t think those that only raced in the Heat knew how slick it was. That first lap, they all went and slid up the racetrack and I was able to pass by a bunch of those guys. I think that’s where I gained the most of my positions.
“I’m real excited for 2025. The speed is there. It’s about putting it all together to have a good night. The biggest thing is that it’s hard to get up through the field when you’re so far back. The pacing is never in the back of the field as it is at the front of the field. Once you get behind, it’s hard to come back from it. This is huge, and it’s awesome to have this kind of run.”
Kyle Bronson finished fourth and Dustin Sorensen finished fifth.
Sheppard salvaged his night to finish in the top-10 to continue leading the points standings. Bobby Pierce is second with the gap cut to 44 points.
The finish:
Feature (50 Laps): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 97-Cade Dillard[3]; 3. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[17]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[9]; 5. 19-Dustin Sorensen[8]; 6. 9-Nick Hoffman[7]; 7. 32-Bobby Pierce[10]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[2]; 9. 74X-Ethan Dotson[11]; 10. B5-Brandon Sheppard[21]; 11. 22*-Max McLaughlin[5]; 12. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 13. 14M-Morgan Bagley[18]; 14. B1-Brent Larson[12]; 15. 1B-BJ Robinson[19]; 16. 90-Brian Rickman[16]; 17. 19M-Spencer Hughes[15]; 18. 15-Clayton Stuckey[24]; 19. 51-Dean Carpenter[22]; 20. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 21. 14W-Dustin Walker[23]; 22. C8-Timothy Culp[20]; 23. 97JR-Cody Overton[13]; 24. 9H-Shane Hebert[14]