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Sheppard Ignites Firecracker Weekend with Lernerville Speedway Prelim Win
Rocket1 Racing Eyes Busy Fourth of July Doubleheader
SHINNISTON, W.VA. (June 29, 2026) — For the second consecutive weekend, Brandon Sheppard reached Wieland Victory Lane in preliminary action with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing.
The Rocket1 Racing driver captured Friday's $5,000 preliminary feature at Lernerville Speedway before narrowly missing out on Saturday's $50,000 Firecracker 100 crown, settling for a runner-up finish after leading the first 79 laps of the 100-lap finale.
“He did a good job,” Sheppard said of eventual winner Devin Moran following Saturday's spirited duel. “I was passing lapped cars using the line I wanted to run, but I got to where I couldn't steer through the center very well. I think it was because we had a softer right-front tire, so I had to diamond the corner more than I wanted. After he got by me, I was able to get back to him, but Devin did a great job. There's so much tough competition out here that any one of these guys can win on any night.”
Originally scheduled as a three-day event, the 20th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by Experience Butler County was shortened by persistent rain, ultimately condensing the weekend into a doubleheader format.
After a difficult start in Friday’s qualifying session, Sheppard rebounded with a charge from eighth to fourth in his heat race, locking into the 25-lap preliminary feature. From there, he stormed to the front, outdueling Devin Moran to earn his 41st career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
“It’s kinda one of them deals, when you’re back there like that, you just go where they’re not,” Sheppard remarked in victory lane. “I knew my car was good about wherever I put it, so I was just biding my time and seeing where everybody was running. I knew the top was treacherous, so I didn’t want to go up there unless I absolutely had to. … Seen them guys in the first (prelim) flying off the end a bunch.”
Returning to the Sarver, Pennsylvania oval on Saturday, Sheppard locked into the Firecracker 100 finale with an uncontested heat race victory. He paced the field for the opening 79 laps before Moran slipped by in traffic en route to the $50,000 victory. Sheppard briefly regained the lead on lap 91 before Moran retook control on the following circuit.
With the strong weekend, Sheppard has closed to within 10 points of Hudson O'Neal in the latest Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship standings.
For the latest news, results, championship standings, and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, visit www.LucasDirt.com.
Rocket1 Racing and Sheppard now shift focus to a busy Fourth of July weekend. The series heads to Atomic Speedway on Friday for the Independence 50 before moving to Muskingum County Speedway on Saturday for the Freedom 50.
Sheppard will look to defend his Independence 50 victory from 2025 at Atomic Speedway.
Additional event info is available at www.AtomicSpeedway.net and www.MuskingumCountySpeedway.com.
Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Collins Brothers Towing of St.Cloud, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, Five Star RaceCar Bodies, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Stiles Marine & Maintenance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Fox Racing Shox, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, On Time Body & Graphic, Franklin Enterprises, Bubba Army, Sweet Manufacturing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Accu-Force Shock Service, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, Bazell Race Fuels, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Brinn Transmissions, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, MSD, E3 Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, QuickCar Racing Products, MatMan Designs, Allgaier Performance Parts, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
For the latest news and team updates, visit Rocket1 Racing’s official website at www.Rocket1Racing.com. Fans can also stay connected by subscribing to the official Rocket1 Racing mailing list at https://pages.insightly.services/Rocket1Racing.
PR Contact:
Jeremy Peters (jeremy.peters@myracepass.com)
Rocket1 Racing Eyes Busy Fourth of July Doubleheader
SHINNISTON, W.VA. (June 29, 2026) — For the second consecutive weekend, Brandon Sheppard reached Wieland Victory Lane in preliminary action with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing.
The Rocket1 Racing driver captured Friday's $5,000 preliminary feature at Lernerville Speedway before narrowly missing out on Saturday's $50,000 Firecracker 100 crown, settling for a runner-up finish after leading the first 79 laps of the 100-lap finale.
“He did a good job,” Sheppard said of eventual winner Devin Moran following Saturday's spirited duel. “I was passing lapped cars using the line I wanted to run, but I got to where I couldn't steer through the center very well. I think it was because we had a softer right-front tire, so I had to diamond the corner more than I wanted. After he got by me, I was able to get back to him, but Devin did a great job. There's so much tough competition out here that any one of these guys can win on any night.”
Originally scheduled as a three-day event, the 20th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by Experience Butler County was shortened by persistent rain, ultimately condensing the weekend into a doubleheader format.
After a difficult start in Friday’s qualifying session, Sheppard rebounded with a charge from eighth to fourth in his heat race, locking into the 25-lap preliminary feature. From there, he stormed to the front, outdueling Devin Moran to earn his 41st career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
“It’s kinda one of them deals, when you’re back there like that, you just go where they’re not,” Sheppard remarked in victory lane. “I knew my car was good about wherever I put it, so I was just biding my time and seeing where everybody was running. I knew the top was treacherous, so I didn’t want to go up there unless I absolutely had to. … Seen them guys in the first (prelim) flying off the end a bunch.”
Returning to the Sarver, Pennsylvania oval on Saturday, Sheppard locked into the Firecracker 100 finale with an uncontested heat race victory. He paced the field for the opening 79 laps before Moran slipped by in traffic en route to the $50,000 victory. Sheppard briefly regained the lead on lap 91 before Moran retook control on the following circuit.
With the strong weekend, Sheppard has closed to within 10 points of Hudson O'Neal in the latest Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship standings.
For the latest news, results, championship standings, and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, visit www.LucasDirt.com.
Rocket1 Racing and Sheppard now shift focus to a busy Fourth of July weekend. The series heads to Atomic Speedway on Friday for the Independence 50 before moving to Muskingum County Speedway on Saturday for the Freedom 50.
Sheppard will look to defend his Independence 50 victory from 2025 at Atomic Speedway.
Additional event info is available at www.AtomicSpeedway.net and www.MuskingumCountySpeedway.com.
Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Collins Brothers Towing of St.Cloud, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, Five Star RaceCar Bodies, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Stiles Marine & Maintenance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Fox Racing Shox, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, On Time Body & Graphic, Franklin Enterprises, Bubba Army, Sweet Manufacturing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Accu-Force Shock Service, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, Bazell Race Fuels, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Brinn Transmissions, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, MSD, E3 Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, QuickCar Racing Products, MatMan Designs, Allgaier Performance Parts, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
For the latest news and team updates, visit Rocket1 Racing’s official website at www.Rocket1Racing.com. Fans can also stay connected by subscribing to the official Rocket1 Racing mailing list at https://pages.insightly.services/Rocket1Racing.
PR Contact:
Jeremy Peters (jeremy.peters@myracepass.com)