And the other shoe drops...BShepp to Rocket House Car

[flagone]

https://www.dirtondirt.com/dirtwire.php?id=4049

[153J]

http://rocketchassis.com/bshepp.html

[Barbecueboy]

I'm far far from a conspiracist but it is very odd that Brandon would lose a ride , only to have Josh fill it and then Brandon fills Josh's vacant seat.........those sorts of moves don't just normally happen.

Going to be fun to watch and will make a very shout quasi two car launching pad for the house team......bshep got some very large expectations to meet, I think he will handle it like a pro.

[jshawn81]

He's had to quit best or been fired they couldnt have mutually agreed to split has to be a lot more to the story

[Barbecueboy]

It will be fun watching everybody speculate and try to figure it out.........seems like a smart calculated series of moves to me.

[Centeroff]

I don't understand best running WOO against rocket. A friend of mine says best will be running WOO this year. Doesn't make sense. I say Richards runs Lucas oil series

[cutman]

It will be fun watching everybody speculate and try to figure it out.........seems like a smart calculated series of moves to me.

I totally agree with this. Plan worked to perfection

[klemmabyna]

Richards topples Lucas and Sheppard continues rocket dominance in WoO.

what's so hard to figure out? Mark Richards is in the business of selling race cars. win on race day...

[Brian Gray]

Like I said bs it's just hype for best joining rocket. I guess they got to get people talking but this is retarded pr work at its best. Pun intended . No one wants to build a story, or just be straight cause neither want to be committed to each other. Just more crap to fill up the crap late model world with over the winter. One day and I hope soon some one will shake things up for a change.

[calverton]

Bshepp knows those cars also maybe better than Richards lol

[Stede Bonnet]

What an odd plan, if it indeed was one. Its funny to me how shocked people were when Josh announced he was leaving house car. Does no one remember him driving for Ernie Davis #25? An Bshepp has driven the house car before and quit it mid season. I think essentially there will be 2 house car teams of sorts, but a very odd way to arrange things with all this musical chairs nonsense. I mean the game had 2 players and it ended with 2 chairs. whoop-pee... From a company standpoint it makes sense if the rocketeer clan wants a significant presence on Lucas tour, but they already sell a bazillion frames anyway. To me I think its more about Josh wanting to prove something on the Lucas tour, but the house car team is dedicated to WoO, so they do a reshuffling of the deck. Richards to Best, Bshepp to Rocket, hardly earth shattering to me.

[dirtdobber45]

It will be fun watching everybody speculate and try to figure it out.........seems like a smart calculated series of moves to me.Heres a thought...maybe the misses was missing home. So when Brandon left Best it opened the door for Josh to make the misses happy. And Mark thought why not put Brandon in the house car? He works well with the crew and staff. Mark made Brandon an offer he couldnt refuse.

[onlyfacts]

Heres a thought...maybe the misses was missing home. So when Brandon left Best it opened the door for Josh to make the misses happy. And Mark thought why not put Brandon in the house car? He works well with the crew and staff. Mark made Brandon an offer he couldnt refuse.You may be the closest speculator to the truth.

[drano]

Them boy's be hanging around nascar to long

[dirtdobber45]

You may be the closest speculator to the truth.Let me speculate a lil more... but it would be just speculation...lol

[blncfn57]

What an odd plan, if it indeed was one. Its funny to me how shocked people were when Josh announced he was leaving house car. Does no one remember him driving for Ernie Davis #25? An Bshepp has driven the house car before and quit it mid season. I think essentially there will be 2 house car teams of sorts, but a very odd way to arrange things with all this musical chairs nonsense. I mean the game had 2 players and it ended with 2 chairs. whoop-pee... From a company standpoint it makes sense if the rocketeer clan wants a significant presence on Lucas tour, but they already sell a bazillion frames anyway. To me I think its more about Josh wanting to prove something on the Lucas tour, but the house car team is dedicated to WoO, so they do a reshuffling of the deck. Richards to Best, Bshepp to Rocket, hardly earth shattering to me.

Spot on. Josh wanted to race Lucas, but Dad is too involved with WOO for that to happen. Not hard to piece together.

[cutman]

Like I said bs it's just hype for best joining rocket. I guess they got to get people talking but this is retarded pr work at its best. Pun intended . No one wants to build a story, or just be straight cause neither want to be committed to each other. Just more crap to fill up the crap late model world with over the winter. One day and I hope soon some one will shake things up for a change.

Did you mistake this for a WWE forum?

[zyoung25]

It just weird to me they didn't just release it last week when it was said Josh was moving on. It seems they have picked up the Gunters honey deal, maybe that wasn't finalized yet. Still a strange deal all the way around.

[kidrock]

I sure missed this one. I thought for sure bshepp ws going to drive the family car but, man I was sure was wrong.

[Krooser]

Like anything else bidness is bidness. As fans we look at things thru rose colored glasses but the race teams, chassis builders and sponsors look for results.

From what I can see from BShepp's performance the last few seasons since I got back 'into' DLM racing he will do a good job for Rocket. Richards, wanting to expand his horizons, will do the same in LOLM's. It's a win-win for everybody.

For the big $$$ specials having both teams in the pits will make them a force in DLM racing.

I'm no fan boy for Rocket... I look at the way those non-XR-1's are built and just shake my head... they look like flexible flyers (an old term for the Model T Ford...) but what do I know. They sell a mess of 'em and they win. What more can one say?

This whole deal will be good for the sport...

[Barbecueboy]

Heres a thought...maybe the misses was missing home. So when Brandon left Best it opened the door for Josh to make the misses happy. And Mark thought why not put Brandon in the house car? He works well with the crew and staff. Mark made Brandon an offer he couldnt refuse.

Sure...why not?

[dirt FANatic 11]

Have a feeling this was in the works back when BShepp pulled his name out of the lawsuit before the rest of the guys/teams did (or thrown out, whichever you prefer).
BShepp had to clear his name so he could run WoO/UMP.

Prediction: Rocket House Car 1 (BShepp) & Rocket House Car 1A (Richards) win alot of races next year and win each respective series championships. And then we all praise Mark on how much of genius he is for putting the deals in place.

[Ryan21mid]

One of the best bits of information that nobody has even mentioned yet, Austin Hargrove will join Danny on the wrenches of the house car. Talk about a lethal combination!

[cutman]

Have a feeling this was in the works back when BShepp pulled his name out of the lawsuit before the rest of the guys/teams did (or thrown out, whichever you prefer).
BShepp had to clear his name so he could run WoO/UMP.

Prediction: Rocket House Car 1 (BShepp) & Rocket House Car 1A (Richards) win alot of races next year and win each respective series championships. And then we all praise Mark on how much of genius he is for putting the deals in place.

Boom. The only way none of this makes sense if is Best runs WoO. Other than that, it all does

[TackyTracker]

glad to see Sheppard get the ride..

[zach51]

The poor DOD crew is wandering around like a kid that just learned his mom was actually his dad.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Bshepp knows those cars also maybe better than Richards lolJosh has been going up and down the road with his Dad since he was a kid. Seeings how his Dad and Steve Baker invented Rocket, and it's all Josh has known, I'm going to go out on a huge limb and say Josh knows them cars almost as well as his Dad. And of course better than BShep.

[Tireguy17]

1. Enormously disappointed in the move, was hoping for a big change in the Rocket 1 rather than a driver swap.

2. While Im sure the 1 will be potent with Bschepp, Josh leaving the WoOLMS will level the playing field more than it has been, spread the wealth (wins) among more drivers. -- Win for the WoO Tour in the end.

3. Josh will probably visit a lot of tracks for the 1st time on the Lucas Tour, which will still give the regulars a small advantage, but getting to see Scott vs Josh at every event will put butts in the seats -- Big win for the Lucas Tour

4. Will some 6th on back Lucas point guys considering running WoO with Josh running Lucas?

[BTExpress]

Wow......this went from being a fairly slow silly season to possably the best off season DLM DRAMA in years. One simple driver swap has so many implications for the 2017 racing season. We couldn't ask for anything better as far as keeping Dirt Late Model discussions going over the next few months.In my opinion, the new season can not get here soon enough.!

[slmcrewchief99]

Did I miss the memo or is everyone just assuming that Best is running Lucas next year. I haven't read it anywhere so where did the info come.from? Must have been in the same article saying Owens was the most logical choice for the Rocket.house car. All the guessing and the assumptions have gone a touch overboard. Smdh

[W2Racing09]

Did I miss the memo or is everyone just assuming that Best is running Lucas next year. I haven't read it anywhere so where did the info come.from? Must have been in the same article saying Owens was the most logical choice for the Rocket.house car. All the guessing and the assumptions have gone a touch overboard. Smdh

I'm hoping that he will be running LOLMDS, and it is hard to disagree that would make the most sense. If he ends up running WoO that would make very little sense in my mind. If Josh does not end up running any series (that would suck) it wouldn't totally surprise me either.

I wonder if Josh not being on the WoO would make decisions for guys like Overton, and Francis a little easier in regards to running the WoO. Maybe even possible for someone like Owens to make the switch. I think he would be a championship contender for sure, where as I think he has an outside shot at best on the LOLMDS (especially if Richards is there).

Thanks,
Jeff.

[TS FAN]

Josh just may want to take on Bloomers. HE conquered the WO series, this may figure in here somewhere. Of course if he doesn't run Lucas then I wasted space with this thought. LOL
Josh might well feel he has a few things to prove.

[dirt FANatic 11]

Why wouldn't Richards & BEST run LOLMDS? It would be an unnecessary move for Richards to join the BEST team and then compete against the Rocket House Car.
BEST team has proven that they can battle on the LOLMDS circuit, and now getting arguably the hottest driver along with all his knowledge about the Rocket car and setups is a recipe for success.

[pierceFAN]

the move was initiated by josh

[dec1207]

Take Josh's notes from Woo tracks and swap Branden's notes from Lucas tracks and all problems solved.

[NormP]

I thought this quote from josh Richards was interesting when Sheppard asked him if it was ok to take the job and if there would be any hard feelings:

"No, it's my fault. I left."

[mud duck]

the move was initiated by josh

pF you are correct. It happened pretty fast.

[Barbecueboy]

the move was initiated by josh

Don't blame him..........

[thinkstomuch]

I see a lot of props on here to the Richards clan. I think we shouldn't over look the minds behind Best. Eric Brok has put together a top level national known team within just a few years. Perhaps he was a bigger driving force behind the idea than people think. I don't know just more speculation

[pierceFAN]

pretty sure josh just wanted to step away from daddys ride for awhile....test the waters...bet he runs the lucas tour

[ptown]

pretty sure josh just wanted to step away from daddys ride for awhile....test the waters...bet he runs the lucas tour

Thank you Mr Obvious.

[Mams]

So with this ride gone where will Johnny Huck end up?

[SLIDING SIDEWAYS]

So with this ride gone where will Johnny Huck end up?

He will race for johnny huck

[dirtMAN007]

pf you are correct. It happened pretty fast.

just like last tuesday came pretty fast ................................ How bout it mud ?

[a25rjr]

He will race for johnny huck

So where does that leave his head wrench, Serge!

Whats the scoop bbqboy? lol

[calverton]

Johnny Huck and B gray was blazing fast at Eldora in September oh wait that was their dreams

[mud duck]

If you read the article on DOD and Brandons statements, it's clearly obvious things went bad between Mark and Josh. I think most are overlooking this part of the story. Josh is responsible for elevating the Rocket business with his winning and helping others with the cars. Now, all of a sudden he up and leaves the house ride and the family business?

[chupp n bloomer fan]

If you read the article on DOD and Brandons statements, it's clearly obvious things went bad between Mark and Josh. I think most are overlooking this part of the story. Josh is responsible for elevating the Rocket business with his winning and helping others with the cars. Now, all of a sudden he up and leaves the house ride and the family business?So now we are going to speculate on this like we did the hand injury? The crap people were saying about why he wasn't racing before was getting ridiculous.

He said it was his fault, I left. Wether it was because of his wife, his Dad and him, or him wanting to be his own person, who knows.

Speaking personally, it's the years he just went through that are the hardest to try to get through with your Dad. Understanding why they are hard on you, why they do things as they do, why they can't just chill out for a little bit. Once in awhile just say fuk it and do nothing.

He's now reaching the age where I really began to see why my Dad was as he was. Focused, driven, wanting perfection, anything less was somewhat disappointing. But I understood it. And then the grandkids man, that makes grown a$$ scruffy old guys melt. And ya better enjoy them days, because in a blink of an eye it can all disappear.

I like Josh, and I wish him the best. And hopefully his Dad and him aren't as you think they are. Cause you only get one Dad.

[Krooser]

Pretty much sums it up...

[dirtMAN007]

So now we are going to speculate on this like we did the hand injury? The crap people were saying about why he wasn't racing before was getting ridiculous.

He said it was his fault, I left. Wether it was because of his wife, his Dad and him, or him wanting to be his own person, who knows.

Speaking personally, it's the years he just went through that are the hardest to try to get through with your Dad. Understanding why they are hard on you, why they do things as they do, why they can't just chill out for a little bit. Once in awhile just say fuk it and do nothing.

He's now reaching the age where I really began to see why my Dad was as he was. Focused, driven, wanting perfection, anything less was somewhat disappointing. But I understood it. And then the grandkids man, that makes grown a$$ scruffy old guys melt. And ya better enjoy them days, because in a blink of an eye it can all disappear.

I like Josh, and I wish him the best. And hopefully his Dad and him aren't as you think they are. Cause you only get one Dad.
Mud packer knows as much about this as he pretended to know about the election! Just needs to get attention !!!!

[Centeroff]

Any one on here tried to work beside their old man? Nearly impossible for me! When someone else screws up its always the sons fault because the old man expects so much from his blood. I can see where mark would be a hard fella to work for. Won't slow Josh down a bit! Bank on that

[onclay]

Josh is an excellent PR guy for Rocket. I suspect he races the Lucas Oil Series because of the TV exposure. Shepp is a talent but doesn't look great on camera in interviews . Josh on the other hand has the talent in both departments. Plus he's consistent enough to be a real threat winning the Lucas Series where Shepp is only a top ten threat in that series!

[Barbecueboy]

So now we are going to speculate on this like we did the hand injury? The crap people were saying about why he wasn't racing before was getting ridiculous.

He said it was his fault, I left. Wether it was because of his wife, his Dad and him, or him wanting to be his own person, who knows.

Speaking personally, it's the years he just went through that are the hardest to try to get through with your Dad. Understanding why they are hard on you, why they do things as they do, why they can't just chill out for a little bit. Once in awhile just say fuk it and do nothing.

He's now reaching the age where I really began to see why my Dad was as he was. Focused, driven, wanting perfection, anything less was somewhat disappointing. But I understood it. And then the grandkids man, that makes grown a$$ scruffy old guys melt. And ya better enjoy them days, because in a blink of an eye it can all disappear.

I like Josh, and I wish him the best. And hopefully his Dad and him aren't as you think they are. Cause you only get one Dad.

Dam fine post c and b.......probably about as accurate and heartfelt as its going to get.

[onlyfacts]

Any one on here tried to work beside their old man? Nearly impossible for me! When someone else screws up its always the sons fault because the old man expects so much from his blood. I can see where mark would be a hard fella to work for. Won't slow Josh down a bit! Bank on thatYeah I worked with my Dad and at times it was difficult... but I have missed him everyday for over 20 years. I would give anything to have the time back because now I know how much I didn't know that caused the difficult days working with him. We find out when it is too late that we weren't as smart as we thought we were and dad wasn't as stupid as we thought he was. But we don't know what went on here... Just speculation. It seems like Mark provided Josh with great opportunity to be one of the best in the sport. Josh was born into a racing family. If he had been born into a non racing family he probably wouldn't be where he is today in this sport. So maybe it is more Josh being difficult. I am friends with one of Josh's old buddies and he says Josh has changed a lot over the past couple years and he isn't the same guy he use to be. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and god bless you.

[calverton]

any one on here tried to work beside their old man? Nearly impossible for me! When someone else screws up its always the sons fault because the old man expects so much from his blood. I can see where mark would be a hard fella to work for. Won't slow josh down a bit! Bank on thateven if you don't work right next them they can be hard on you my dad has been retired for over 20 years and doesn't know things have changed but the same but everything will be alright