Brandon Sheppard had been chasing a victory in the Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway for several years, and on Thursday night everything came together as he led the final 13 laps to earn the $15,000 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.

Devin Moran challenged Sheppard over the closing seven laps but finished 1.562 seconds behind the winner. Brandon Overton led the opening 37 laps before surrendering the top spot to Sheppard on lap 38 and finishing third. Max Blair, winner at Muskingum County Speedway last Saturday, finished fourth, while Ricky Thornton Jr. completed the top five.

It was Sheppard’s 42nd career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory, and the win moved him into the championship points lead by 55 markers heading into this weekend’s events at Lucas Oil Speedway.

“This feels amazing. I’m super happy for promoter Brad Stevens and everyone involved with this race. I’ve been coming here for a number of years. I’ve finished second here a time or two and had some decent runs, but the past three or four years I just haven’t been very good here. The car was phenomenal tonight. Mark and the guys have given me a great piece night in and night out, and it’s been super consistent. We backed up a little bit at Muskingum last week, but the boys went to work this week and pretty well figured out what we did wrong. It was just some really small stuff,” said the Berlin, Illinois, native.

“When Brandon (Overton) jumped out front, I knew the top was going to be good because they had watered turns three and four. One and two always develop a good cushion, and once it gets blown over the groove moves around quite a bit. It was a phenomenal racetrack. After that caution, I hit the bottom just right in turns one and two, and I felt like that was where I needed to be.”

Moran finished second for the second straight event after winning the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway at the end of June.

“I just needed to win the race off the restart and stay in front of Sheppy. He’s been really good, and when he gets the jump on us it’s tough to pass him. Congratulations to those guys – they’ve been fast all year. Brad and his crew have done a great job with this racetrack. It’s one of the most enjoyable places we race.”

Overton rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third after leading the first 37 laps.

“I probably stayed on the top a little too long, but I felt like my tires started chattering up there. Sheppy was underneath me, and I knew if I moved down he was going to drive by me. I just tried to keep my momentum up. We had a good night, but to win these races you have to be perfect.”

The winner’s Mark Richards Racing, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Performance Grading, Petroff Towing, Franklin Enterprises, Sunoco Race Fuels, Gunter’s Honey, Stiles Marine and Maintenance, and Collins Brothers Towing.

Completing the top 10 were Brian Shirley, Carson Ferguson, Kyle Bronson, Chad Simpson, and Chris Simpson.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
Slocum 50
Thursday, July 9, 2026
34 Raceway | West Burlington, IA

Allstar Performance Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Brandon Overton | 14.796 seconds (Overall)
Fast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard | 15.015 seconds

Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 11-Josh Rice[3]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 5. 15-Clay Stuckey[5]; 6. 88-Evan Miller[8]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[7]; 8. 50-Kayden Clatt[6]

Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 93-Carson Ferguson[3]; 2. 111-Max Blair[1]; 3. 25-Chad Simpson[6]; 4. 60-Dan Ebert[4]; 5. (DNS) 18-Shannon Babb; 6. (DNS) 17SR-Brody Smith; 7. (DNS) 17SS-Brenden Smith

Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 3. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 4. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 5. 32X-Chris Simpson[5]; 6. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[6]; 7. 33-Rickey Frankel[7]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[3]; 5. 17A-Austin Howes[6]; 6. 38T-Dylan Thornton[5]; 7. 43-Derrick Stewart[7]

Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 15-Clay Stuckey[1]; 2. 32X-Chris Simpson[2]; 3. 38T-Dylan Thornton[8]; 4. 17A-Austin Howes[4]; 5. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[6]; 6. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]; 7. 33-Rickey Frankel[10]; 8. 43-Derrick Stewart[12]; 9. 50-Kayden Clatt[13]; 10. (DNS) 18-Shannon Babb; 11. (DNS) 88-Evan Miller; 12. (DNS) 17SR-Brody Smith; 13. (DNS) 17SS-Brenden Smith

Slocum 50 | Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings
1 – 2 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $15,800
2 – 6 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $8,200
3 – 1 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $5,800
4 – 7 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $4,800
5 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $4,200
6 – 9 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $3,300
7 – 3 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $3,200
8 – 8 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $3,100
9 – 11 – 25 – Chad Simpson – Mt. Vernon, IA – $2,200
10 – 18 – 32X – Chris Simpson – Oxford, IA – $2,100
11 – 12 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $2,800
12 – 5 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $2,600
13 – 16 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,400
14 – 13 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $2,800
15 – 10 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,200
16 – 15 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,100
17 – 21 – 11G – Gordy Gundaker – St. Charles, MO – $1,200
18 – 14 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,900
19 – 17 – 15 – Clay Stuckey – Shreveport, LA – $1,000
20 – 20 – 17A – Austin Howes – Lewistown, MO – $1,000
21 – 22 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,000
22 – 23 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $1,000
23 – 19 – 38T – Dylan Thornton – Orcutt, CA – $1,000
24 – 24 – 17SR – Brody Smith – Dade City, FL – $1,000

Race Statistics  

Entrants: 29
Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Brandon Overton
MD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-37); Brandon Overton (Laps 38-50)
Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon Overton
Wieland Feature Winner: Brandon Sheppard
Margin of Victory: 1.562 seconds
Hellraizer Jacks Cautions: Josh Rice (Lap 31); Hudson O’Neal (Lap 43)
MyRacePass Series Provisional: Brenden Smith
Fast Time Provisional: Brody Smith
Emergency Provisionals: n/a
Track Provisional: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Brandon Overton
Penske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Brandon Overton, Max Blair, Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Behrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Brandon Overton
PEM 4th Place Feature: Max Blair
Diversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Wilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Carson Ferguson
Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Garrett Alberson
Velocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Clay Harris
XS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Daniel Hilsabeck
Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Chris Simpson (Advanced 8 positions)
MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Overton (37 Laps)
Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon Sheppard
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’Neal
O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Josh Rice
Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | Lap 5 | 15.885 seconds
FK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Josh Rice
Victory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Brandon Sheppard
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny White
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Race Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Garrett Alberson | 15.0484 seconds
Time of Race: 20 minutes 21 seconds

Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:

Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings
1 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 4585 – $204,100
2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 4530 – $193,750
3 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 4450 – $257,524
4 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 4175 – $99,700
5 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 4145 – $112,675
6 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 4055 – $124,025
7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 3870 – $82,125
8 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 3790 – $69,450
9 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 3755 – $74,775
10 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 3685 – $61,075
11 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 3640 – $73,950
12 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 3635 – $62,500
13 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 3470 – $60,250
14 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 3280 – $46,300
15 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 3075 – $43,075
16 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 2910 – $34,925
17 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 2730 – $24,175

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