Lawsuit

[a25rjr]

Story of my life....

Good one Norm!

[plunks7]

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September 98:00 PM ET

Posted by Kevin Kovac

B-Shepp withdraws from lawsuit





heathlawsonphotos.com

The lawsuit recently filed against the World Racing Group and Eldora Speedway by the five drivers and teams penalized for using illegally altered tires in June’s Dream XXII at the track in Rossburg, Ohio, no longer includes Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill.

Sheppard, 23, told DirtonDirt.com on Friday that he has withdrawn from the lawsuit in which those disqualified from the Dream — Sheppard, Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Gregg Satterlee and Ricky Thornton Jr. and their teams — sued WRG and Eldora seeking a total of $16.5 million in damages. Each driver, including Sheppard, is listed in the 13-count complaint as seeking $2 million in damages.

While Sheppard said his team, Best Performance Motorsports owned by Eric Brock, will remain in the lawsuit, he decided that he wanted to move on and put the episode behind him. He noted that he is scheduled to see his suspension from WRG’s UMP DIRTcar- and World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series-sanctioned events end Sunday — as are the other drivers who were penalized — but WRG sent letters to all the plaintiffs involved in the suit informing them that under organization rules they would remain ineligible to enter WRG-affiliated events as long as they actively pursued legal action against the company.

“I’m not admitting any guilt by backing out of this lawsuit,” Sheppard told DirtonDirt.com. “I’m not guilty by any means — I did not cheat the tires and neither did my team. But, at the end of the day, I’m a racer and I need to race to make a living, so I need to be able to go race (WRG) shows. I need to go Charlotte (for the Oct. 27-29 World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte) and I don’t want to have to miss Volusia (Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Nationals) at the beginning of the year (in 2017).

“The lawsuit could go on forever, and I’m not willing to miss out on races that are close to home. My fans, friends and family don’t get to see me race much as it is (with Sheppard traveling as a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular), so the few chances to race around home that we’d get I might not be able to go to next year if the lawsuit it still going. I don’t want to possibly risk that.”

Sheppard also said that he’s “not totally against the lawsuit” but has deep reservations about how the magnitude of the financial damages being sought could potentially affect the sport, further prompting him to take his name off the legal proceedings.

Additionally, Sheppard said he’ll consider running his family-owned equipment in October’s WoO World Finals if he is permitted to compete and the Best Performance team is not because of the lawsuit.

[ptown]

Shepards a liar, he cheated just like everybody else that was caught cheated.

[MI Dirt Fan]

If its come down to whether or not earning a living, then maybe they need to sell out and go find a real job.

[a25rjr]

Well......what did that cost WRG?.....Conspiracy theorists want to know!

[Crashmagnet]

So who will be the next to drop out?

[mudmaker]

I commend Brandon for being sensible about this situation. Forward thinking says this is gonna hurt in the long run.
It also seems to have turned the matter of car tech on its ear. It's a far more serious matter now than ever that make sure the playing field is level in hope of continuing to have full fields of cars at feature time. Too much has been slid under the table and brushed off in order to keep the top few happy. That has in turn made lineups that only include the top few which doesn't make for much racing on either side of the fence and certainly doesn't continue to draw in the dollars needed to make the show successful.

[Hoosier_Dirt]

Sheppard reasoning makes sense. I comment him for his decision. Maybe the other will follow his lead and move on from it.

[ptown]

Sheppard reasoning makes sense. I comment him for his decision. Maybe the other will follow his lead and move on from it.

I would respect him more if he would stop lying admit his guilt and move on.

[onlyfacts]

I would respect him more if he would stop lying admit his guilt and move on.

How do you know he isn't telling the truth? The guy is big enough to step out of group to be able to race and not drag the sport down that says a lot.

[Bubstr]

I believe Brandon did the right thing, unless he really believes, WRG, Eldora and Tony Stewart where the ones that made his tires miss the bench mark. I personally tend to believe it was The tire seller, the lab or the car crew and none of these where named in the suit. These lawsuits have unforeseen repercussions. Maybe someone opened Brandon's eyes to them. They should also close his lips and not offer any information about it.

[dirtdobber45]

Is he not making enough money with Best? I understand where he lives is all UMP/WRG territory but theres other places to run than there. Maybe hes jumping ship going over to WoO next year.

[Josh Bayko]

So who will be the next to drop out?

If I had to guess, maybe Satterlee. There's a fair amount of WoO races at tracks he is pretty good at close to the shop. If this thing drags into next season I could see him doing the same as Sheppard.

[old fan]

Shepards a liar, he cheated just like everybody else that was caught cheated.

Really did he dope the tires himself

[dirtdobber45]

If you didnt cheat then stand your ground.