Good Point Weekend For Billy Riels Racing To Open The CRUSA WRS Season

PERKINSTON, MS – Billy Riels Racing has a good points weekend to open the 2023 Crate Racing USA Weekly Racing Series Late Model season on March 31 and April 1 with driver Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS and K.I. Davis of Poplarville, MS. Lee is the defending and three-time CRUSA WRS Late Model National Champion, and Davis was the 2022 Runner-Up in points.

Lee’s best finish of the weekend was a second-place effort on Friday night, and the best finish for Davis was a third-place showing, also on Friday night. The CRUSA WRS points are recorded with a driver’s best finish of the week. A driver’s best 14 weekly finishes are tabulated as their season total over a 27-week season.

The first stop for the Billy Riels Racing Team was at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baton Rouge, LA on Friday night. Lee and Davis finished one-two respectively in the First Eight-Lap Heat Race. That put Lee on the pole for the main event, and Davis would start right behind him on the inside of the second row.

When the green flag came out on the 14-lap Feature Race, Lee pulled out to a big lead over David Ashley of Zachary, LA and Davis rode in the third spot. Lee maintained his lead with good momentum until a late-race caution flag bunched the field up for a late race dash to the finish. Ashley restarted in second and Davis was in third.

Ashley was able to pull to the outside of Lee when the green flag came out and the two leaders swapped the top spot back and forth until Ashley was able to take the lead from Lee with just a couple of laps to go. Ashley took the win with Lee and Davis coming home in second and third respectively.

The Billy Riels Racing Team traveled close to their home base to race at Outlaw Speedway in Perkinston, MS on Saturday night. Lee qualified fourth fastest and Davis was seventh quick. That’s the way they finished the 20-lap Feature Race.

Unable to improve on their finishes from Friday night, Lee will have his second-place and Davis will have his third-place finish at Baton Rouge recorded as their CRUSA WRS Week One finishes in the National Late Model point standings.

“We showed we have the speed after getting back to our set up from last year, but it just wasn’t quite good enough to put us in the Winner’s Circle,” Team Owner Billy Riels said. “Shannon’s car showed signs of speed early on, but we missed the set up just a tick and couldn’t seal the deal. We’ll go back to work in the shop and keep tweaking on the set up. I’m confident that Shannon and K.I. will keep getting better.”

The Billy Riels Racing Team will make their 2023 debut at their home track on Friday night, Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS, for CRUSA WRS Week Two Late Model action. Lee has scored the majority of his series-leading 104 career wins at Hattiesburg Speedway. Like most CRUSA-sanctioned tracks, the team will take Saturday night off in observance of Easter.

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, and Shorty’s Motorsports of Greenback, TN.