7/26/2025
Brandon Sheppard Takes Runner-up Honors in Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury
Tops Prelim Night with $5,000 Flag-to-Flag Victory
SHINNSTON, W.Va. (07/28/25) – Brandon Sheppard’s furious last-lap charge came up just short in his bid for a fourth Prairie Dirt Classic title on Saturday night, as he crossed the line 0.307 seconds behind Brian Shirley in the crown jewel event at Fairbury Speedway.
Despite narrowly missing out on the $50,000 victory, the weekend proved successful for the Rocket1 Racing team. Sheppard earned a $5,000 preliminary feature win on Friday and collected an additional $2,000 in lap-leader bonuses during Saturday’s rain-delayed 100-lap finale.
“Brian did a great job there, he got it out front pretty early and kept it out there like he was supposed to do,” Sheppard said. “Once we got lined out I couldn’t really do much. I was trying every line possible out there but I just couldn’t get close enough to him to throw a slider or anything. I was waiting for him to mess up or something and he didn’t.”
The week began on Wednesday as Fairbury’s quarter-mile oval drew 65 entries for the FloRacing Night in America event. Sheppard grabbed the final transfer spot in his heat and climbed four positions in the 50-lap One for the Road feature to finish 11th.
With the 35th annual Prairie Dirt Classic officially kicking off Friday under the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series banner, Sheppard topped his 39-car qualifying group and went on to dominate his 25-lap preliminary feature in a flag-to-flag victory worth $5,000.
Starting from the pole for Saturday’s $50,000-to-win Prairie Dirt Classic finale, Sheppard led the opening four laps before settling into a steady pace through the middle stages of the race. As the final laps wound down, he mounted a late charge to close the gap on Shirley, ultimately finishing second. Dennis Erb Jr. joined them on the podium in the event, which concluded in the early hours of Sunday morning following a rain delay.
Complete results from the entire Prairie Dirt Classic week can be found at www.FairburySpeedway.com.
Sheppard and Rocket1 Racing now turn their attention to Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin, where the 38th annual USA Nationals will be contested this week. Preliminary programs on Thursday and Friday will set the stage for Saturday’s $100,000-to-win main event.
Full event details are available at www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Collins Brothers Towing Of St.Cloud, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, Five Star RaceCar Bodies, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Stiles Marine & Maintenance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Fox Racing Shox, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, On Time Body & Graphic, Franklin Enterprises, Bubba Army, Sweet Manufacturing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Accu-Force Shock Service, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, Bazell Race Fuels, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Brinn Transmissions, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, MSD, E3 Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, QuickCar Racing Products, MatMan Designs, Allgaier Performance Parts, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
For the latest news and team updates, visit Rocket1 Racing’s official website at www.Rocket1Racing.com. Fans can also stay connected by subscribing to the official Rocket1 Racing mailing list at https://pages/Rocket1Racing.
Article Credit: Josh James Artwork
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