Top 5 Finishes Keep Billy Riels Racing Drivers Up In CRUSA Points

PERKINSTON, MS – Top five finishes have kept Billy Riels Racing teammates Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS and K.I. Davis of Poplarville, MS second and third respectively in the Crate Racin’ USA Weekly Racing Series National Late Model point standings. Lee will not be able to defend his third championship, as Chase Cooper of Perkinston, MS has clinched the 2023 title.

Lee had four top five finishes in four starts in the month of August to net one point and now has a 14 week total of 686 points. Lee started the month of August trying to net on a 48. That meant that Lee had to finish first or second to gain any points on his 14-week total. He only did so on one occasion at Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS on August 26 with a second-place finish.

Lee had a third-place finish on August 4 and a fourth-place finish on August 11 at Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS, and a fourth-place finish at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baton Rouge, LA on August 18. If Lee can win out in the final five weeks of the 27-week season netting on 48s, that would give him 696 points with nine 50 point wins.

After three straight wins in Weeks 19 through 21, Cooper brought his win total to ten 50 point wins and a 14-week total of 696 points. If Lee and Cooper were to tie in CRUSA WRS National Late Model points, Cooper would win the tie breaker with one more 50-point win than Lee.

CRUSA officials have stated the points will not be official until they inventory the points after the completion of the season. In the past four seasons, Lee finished first in 2019, second in 2020, and two more National Championships in 2021 and 2022. Lee will now battle his Billy Riels Racing teammate Davis for his fifth straight top two CRUSA WRS National Late Model points placing.

Davis had two top five finishes, and three top ten finishes in four starts. Davis was able to net seven points in the month of August and bring his 14-week total to 680 points. Davis finished second on August 4 and August 11 at Hattiesburg Speedway.

Davis dropped out at Baton Rouge Raceway on August 18 for a 13th-place finish, and he came home in the eighth spot at Jackson Motor Speedway on August 26. In the five remaining weeks of the 2023 CRUSA WRS Late Model season, Davis will be trying to net on a 47, and four 48s. Davis came out of a 15-year retirement last season and finished second to Lee in the point standings.

“I congratulate Chase Cooper on winning the Championship, but I’m still very proud of what our team has accomplished this season,” Team Owner Billy Riels said. “This is a hard championship to win because you must be on top of your game week in and week out for 27 weeks. Nobody I know works harder in the shop during the week than Shannon Lee and K.I. Davis. If you can finish in the top five the Weekly Racing Series National points, you’ve had a great season.”

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.