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Brandon Sheppard Nabs World 100 Preliminary at Eldora Speedway
Rocket1 Racing Shifts Focus to Knoxville’s Late Model Nationals
SHINNISTON, W. Va. (Sept. 15, 2026) — Brandon Sheppard was in the mix from the moment the 56th annual World 100 weekend began at Eldora Speedway.
The Rocket1 Racing driver finished third Thursday, returned to victory lane Friday with a $12,000 preliminary win and then charged from the 10th row to finish fourth in Saturday’s $100,000-to-win World 100 finale.
"Any time you can get a win here, it’s just amazing, it feels really good. It’s been a long time since we’ve won a prelim night here, but I feel really good about that," Sheppard said after his preliminary victory. "Our car’s just been really balanced all weekend and it was at the Dream, also. The only difference is we’re qualifying better this weekend."
The 2019 Dirt Late Model Dream winner opened the weekend exactly how the team envisioned, setting the overall pace with a 14.875-second lap to lead a massive field of 101 cars. Following a six-car invert, Sheppard started third in his heat and finished fifth before charging from 13th to third in the 25-lap preliminary.
He again topped his qualifying group Friday, then passed four cars in his heat to finish second. Starting fourth in the feature, Sheppard battled Ricky Thornton Jr. for the lead before pulling away to claim his 18th overall win of the season.
In Saturday’s program, Sheppard finished fifth in his heat before opting to skip the consolation race and use his provisional to start the $100,000-to-win World 100. Starting from the 10th row, Sheppard passed 15 cars during the 100-lap event to cap the weekend with a fourth-place finish.
Complete results from the 56th annual World 100 weekend can be found at www.EldoraSpeedway.com.
Sheppard and the Rocket1 Racing team are set to resume Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition this weekend as the Sprint Car Capital of the World hosts the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals. A pair of preliminary events Thursday and Friday will set the stage for Saturday’s $75,000-to-win finale.
Sheppard enters the weekend leading the latest series standings by 55 points over Hudson O’Neal.
Additional event info is available at www.LucasDirt.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 Shifts Focus to Knoxville’s Late Model Nationals
SHINNISTON, W. Va. (Sept. 15, 2026) — Brandon Sheppard was in the mix from the moment the 56th annual World 100 weekend began at Eldora Speedway.
The Rocket1 Racing driver finished third Thursday, returned to victory lane Friday with a $12,000 preliminary win and then charged from the 10th row to finish fourth in Saturday’s $100,000-to-win World 100 finale.
"Any time you can get a win here, it’s just amazing, it feels really good. It’s been a long time since we’ve won a prelim night here, but I feel really good about that," Sheppard said after his preliminary victory. "Our car’s just been really balanced all weekend and it was at the Dream, also. The only difference is we’re qualifying better this weekend."
The 2019 Dirt Late Model Dream winner opened the weekend exactly how the team envisioned, setting the overall pace with a 14.875-second lap to lead a massive field of 101 cars. Following a six-car invert, Sheppard started third in his heat and finished fifth before charging from 13th to third in the 25-lap preliminary.
He again topped his qualifying group Friday, then passed four cars in his heat to finish second. Starting fourth in the feature, Sheppard battled Ricky Thornton Jr. for the lead before pulling away to claim his 18th overall win of the season.
In Saturday’s program, Sheppard finished fifth in his heat before opting to skip the consolation race and use his provisional to start the $100,000-to-win World 100. Starting from the 10th row, Sheppard passed 15 cars during the 100-lap event to cap the weekend with a fourth-place finish.
Complete results from the 56th annual World 100 weekend can be found at www.EldoraSpeedway.com.
Sheppard and the Rocket1 Racing team are set to resume Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition this weekend as the Sprint Car Capital of the World hosts the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals. A pair of preliminary events Thursday and Friday will set the stage for Saturday’s $75,000-to-win finale.
Sheppard enters the weekend leading the latest series standings by 55 points over Hudson O’Neal.
Additional event info is available at www.LucasDirt.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)