Brandon Sheppard (left) scored the win in Sunday’s Dirt Track World Championship race at Eldora Speedway, while Hudson O’Neal (right) took home the 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title. Photos: Ryan Roberts (left), LOLMDS Media (right)
Brandon Sheppard won his record-tying fifth General Tire Dirt Track World Championship race on Sunday night at Eldora Speedwayin Rossburg, Ohio.
Sheppard tied with Freddy Smith for the most wins in the 43-year history of the race, as the Illinois racer earned $100,000 for his victory.
Sheppard, who had just enough fuel to coast across the finish line, barely edged out Hudson O’Neal for the win in a race that saw a record eight lead changes. The previous high for lead changes was the inaugural Dirt Track World Championship in 1981 where five different drivers led the race.
O’Neal with his runner-up finish claimed his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Seres National Championship, which will earn him and his car owner Mark Richards a dirt late model record $200,000. O’Neal finished 0.084 seconds behind Sheppard at the finish.
Devin Moran battled with O’Neal for several laps as the two went back and forth to decide the series title. Moran came home in third in the final race rundown, which clinched second place in the championship points. Tim McCreadie clinched fifth in the championship points by placing fourth in the race. Chickamauga, Georgia’s Dale McDowell finished fifth in the 100-lap race.
Blairsville, Georgia’s Jonathan Davenport jumped to the point at the start and would lead the first six laps of the race. It was a close battle up front with Davenport and Mike Marlar, who led lap seven. O’Neal, who in his last appearance at Eldora won the World 100 in September, came from the sixth position to grab the lead on the eighth circuit.
The car on the move was West Virginia’s Tyler Carpenter, who roared from his 17th starting spot to pass O’Neal for the race lead on lap 24. Carpenter was in front until lap 32 when Brian Shirley would become the fifth different driver to lead the race. However, Shirley’s lead was short lived as mechanical issues sent him pit side under caution ending his night. Carpenter, who was third at the time, also pitted.
McCreadie would pick up the lead for four laps before Bobby Pierce took command after being involved in an early race caution that also involved Ricky Thornton, Jr., who suffered severe right front suspension damage which forced to pit side, losing several laps in the process.
Pierce would stay in front until lap 60 when Sheppard became the eighth and final leader of the race. A caution with 97 laps complete would show Sheppard in front with McCreadie holding down the second spot. On the final restart Sheppard would hold the lead, but his car started to show signs he was low on fuel. O’Neal and Moran were able to close on the final lap, but Sheppard was able to eke out the win.
Sheppard, who led the final 40 laps for his 31st career win with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series was relieved to make it to the finish line.
“I was able to make it to the line, Hudson almost got me there,” Sheppard said. “That was a pretty crazy end to the night. When I crossed the line for the white flag I ran out of gas. I had just enough gas to make it to the line, every time I have driven this car it has been good all year. It was phenomenal. The first couple of laps I don’t know what happened. I think we knocked the brake line loose on the left rear or something. I came in and the guys got it tightened up. I didn’t have time to get the brakes bled. I went back out and the caution came back out, luckily really quick, and we were able to come in get it bled out. It was perfect after that.”
“I went pretty hard there at the beginning just to get some distance just in case the leaders would come around and I would get lapped,” Sheppard added. “There about halfway I was running around the middle to the bottom, and I really felt pretty good there. Also, about midway through the race I found a line that worked pretty good for me through the middle in one and two. Once I saw some of those drivers dropping out, and we were picking a few of them off, I thought I was finally trying to wake up.”
O’Neal came up just short of his first Dirt Track World Championship victory, but secured his first Lucas Oil title.
“This is unbelievable. It was a war of attrition,” O’Neal said. “I had two flat tires, led at one point, was a lap down at one point, so I had every emotion I could think of that happened during that race. What a race it came down to with me and Devin. It was kind of rough and tumble out there, but the way it came out it made a great race for the championship and it about made it a great race for the win. I think somebody (Sheppard) ran out of fuel coming to the checkered or something. Hats off to my whole team and family. This sport will drive you crazy sometimes, it helps to have a good backdrop of people to rely on.”
O’Neal joins his father, Don who won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title in 2014.
“I can’t believe it turned out the way it did,” O’Neal said. “Hats off to the Eldora track crew. They worked their tails off all weekend no matter what the racetrack was they couldn’t help it, they did the best they could. It rained for three days straight they did a great job.”
Bobby Pierce, Jimmy Owens, Ricky Thornton Jr., Eatonton, Georgia’s Garrett Smith, and Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top 10.
For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, visit LucasDirt.com.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH
Dirt Track World Championship – October 22, 2023
1. B5-Brandon Sheppard
2. 1H-Hudson O’Neal
3. 99-Devin Moran
4. 39-Tim McCreadie
5. 17M-Dale McDowell
6. 32-Bobby Pierce
7. 20-Jimmy Owens
8. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
9. 10-Garrett Smith
10. 49-Jonathan Davenport
11. 1T-Tyler Erb
12. 58-Garrett Alberson
13. 18D-Daulton Wilson
14. 00-Carson Ferguson
15. 7W-Ricky Weiss
16. 22F-Chris Ferguson
17. 11-Spencer Hughes
18. 76-Brandon Overton
19. 28C-Tyler Carpenter
20. 8S-Brian Shirley
21. 157-Mike Marlar
22. 96V-Tanner English
23. 111B-Max Blair
24. 46-Earl Pearson, Jr.
25. 174-Ethan Dotson
26. 9H-Nick Hoffman
27. 89M-Mike Spatola
28. 25Z-Mason Zeigler
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