Billy Riels Racing Prepares For 2nd Half Of CRUSA Season Leading Points

PERKINSTON, MS – The Billy Riels Racing Team prepares for the second half of the 2023 Crate Racin’ USA Weekly Racing Series Late Model season running one-two in the National point standings. The defending and three-time CRUSA WRS National Late Model Champion Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS still leads the standings with 518 points after a tough month of June.

Despite running one-two in the point standings after the first 13 weeks of the 27-week season, the team has had trouble building momentum due to weather and lack of testing new race cars and set ups.

K.I. Davis of Poplarville, MS had a winning month of June and has closed to within ten points of his teammate with 508 points. Davis finished second in the 2022 CRUSA WRS National Late Model point standings. Davis opened the month of June with his first win of the season on June 3 in Week 10 action at Outlaw Speedway in Perkinston, MS. Lee finished in the third spot.

Inclement weather took the Billy Riels Racing Team outside of their local area of familiar race tracks and they had to travel to Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL Davis finished in the third spot and Lee drove to a sixth-place finish at “The Hornet’s Nest.”

The weather situation really bit the team in Week 12, as Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS rained out on Friday night, June 16, and Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS had to cancel their racing program on June 17 due to a power outage. Week 13 took the team to Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS for a Friday-Saturday night show.

The best point night for Lee and Davis came on Friday night, June 23. Davis started 12th and finished sixth, while Lee struggled with a new car he was trying to dial in, starting 22nd and finishing 16th. Lee parked his new mount for Saturday night, June 24th, and Davis could not better his Friday night run, and finished seventh.

Lee has two wins, nine top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes in 12 races during the first 13 weeks of the season to earn his 518 points. Davis has one win, eight top five finishes, and 12 top ten finishes that make up his 508 points in the first 13 weeks of the 27-week season.

Davis is trying to become the third driver to win a Crate Racin’ USA Weekly Racing Series National Late Model Championship for car owner Billy Riels. Lee won three titles for Riels in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Riels first CRUSA WRS National Late Model Championship as a car owner came in 2013 with Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS handling the driving chores.

The Billy Riels Racing Team will begin Week 14 trying to get the second half of the 2023 season off on the right foot at their home track. Hattiesburg Speedway will run double features that include a make-up race from a rain out this Friday night. That will give Lee and Davis an opportunity to earn points in two races on the same night.

For Saturday night CRUSA WRS Week 14 Late Model action this weekend, the Billy Riels Racing Team is considering doing something new. One driver will travel to Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS, while the other driver will tow to Deep South Speedway in Loxley, AL. The team will wait until Saturday afternoon to decide which driver will go to what track.

Billy Riels Racing Marketing Partners are Look Out Graphics of Petal, MS, Wall2Wall Performance Engines of Moselle, MS, Petal Family Dentistry of Petal, MS, SS Construction Forestry and Land Services of Florence, MS, Tillman’s Heating and Air of Gulfport, MS, Parker’s Service Center of Wiggins, MS, Allstate Insurance of Wiggins, MS, Wiggins NAPA of Wiggins, MS, Helm Communications of Etowah, TN, and Shorty’s Motorsports of Greenback, TN.