FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeremy Shields (shields@msrmafia.com)
July 28, 2020

Brian Shirley Doubles Down with Summer Nationals
Clinches Tour’s Week 3 Points Title

CHILTON, Wis. (07/28/20) – Brian Shirley doubled down with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals last week. In addition to etching two more wins to his slate, the Illinois racer also clinched the tour’s week three points title.

The 39-year-old landed in Victory Lane at Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, Mo.) on Friday, followed by Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway on Saturday. Shirley led flag-to-flag on both occasions in the Bob Cullen Racing No. 3s Hoker Trucking/ Thomason Express/ J&J Ventures Gaming/ Rocket Chassis/ Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model to earn back-to-back $10,000 paydays.

“It helps really the race team, with Bob and Lisa (Cullen) funding this team, you know, obviously, with the sponsors we have, we appreciate them, but a lot of this money comes out of Bob and Lisa’s own pocket,” Shirley said, “so to help the race team just get the bank account built up is just going to help us race for the rest of the year.”

“Let me tell you, it’s never easy, I promise you,” Shirley said. “Racing is as tough as it gets, so we’ll take ’em where we can get ’em. We’re just thankful things are going our way right now.”

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals began a four-day stretch with a stop at Springfield (Mo.) Raceway on Thursday night. After qualifying fourth in his group, Brian charged to a 10-lap heat race win, which positioned him on the pole for the 40-lap feature.

Shirley led the first 24 circuits of the $5,000-to-win main event until Frank Heckenast Jr. snuck by on a lap 25 restart to take command. Brain would settle for a third-place finish behind Heckenast Jr. and Mason Oberkramer. Jesse Stovall and Dennis Erb Jr. completed the Top-5.

On Friday, the action shifted to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo with the winner’s purse increased to $10,000. Shirley started the night with another strong qualifying effort before recording a heat race win.

Starting the 40-lapper from outside the front row, Brian took off at the drop of the green flag and never looked back, finishing 2.558 seconds ahead of Jesse Stovall, Billy Moyer, Heckenast Jr. and Gordy Gunaker at the checkers.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals took the team to Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway on Saturday for the first of two nights at the quarter-mile oval. Much like the previous two nights, Brian logged a heat race win to lock into the pole position for the 50-lap A-Main.
With another $10,000 on the line, Shirley went virtually unchallenged in the feature, pulling away on several restarts to take the checkers 3.338 seconds ahead of runner-up Dennis Erb Jr. Rounding out the Top-5 was Heckenast Jr., Jason Feger, and Jadon Frame.

Wrapping up the weekend on Sunday at Clarksville Speedway, Brian finished second in his heat race behind Billy Moyer to earn the sixth spot on the grid for the $5,000-to-win feature.

Shirley quickly made his way into the Top-5 and would take second from Moyer on lap 31. With Dennis Erb Jr. setting the pace, Shirley held the second spot the rest of the way, nosing under Erb a few times but never able to complete the pass. Heckenast Jr. finished third, with Moyer and Feger finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals return to action on Wednesday night at LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway for a $5,000-to-win event. On Thursday, Shirley is scheduled to start on the pole of the $5,000-to-win feature that was rained out at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway earlier in July.

Brian continues to lead the overall DIRTcar Summer Nationals standings. To learn more about these events, please visit www.DIRTcarSummerNationals.com.

Brian Shirley and Bob Cullen Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners which include: Hoker Trucking, Thomason Express, J&J Ventures Gaming, Kid’s Castle Learning Center, KBC Graphix, Cheap Cars, Bass Livestock Nutrition, Allgaier Motorsports, Integra Shocks, East Central Coin, Cheers, Cen-Pe-Co Racing Oil, Durham Racing Engines, Rocket Chassis, Jayco Construction, Larry’s Distributing, Hope For A Cure, Midwest Sheet Metal, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint & Body Shop, Peterson Fluid Systems, Hooker Harness, Willy’s Carburetor, Fast Shafts, Keyser Manufacturing, Dyers Top Rods, Wehrs Machine, Sweet Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Allstar Performance, The Joie of Seating, Simpson, Hoosier Racing Tire, Quarter Master, Wilwood Disc Brakes, KKM, Speedwerx, Daugherty Motorsports, Multi Fire, Strange Oval, FK Rod Ends, and MSR Mafia Marketing Services.

For the latest team news and updates on Bob Cullen Racing, please visit www.BobCullenRacing.com.