Shane Clanton and Brandon Sheppard both made it to victory lane over the weekend in World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series action.
Clanton powered to the win at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina on Friday night, while Sheppard took the victory Saturday night at North Carolina’s Fayetteville Motor Speedway.
On Friday night, Clanton, from Zebulon, Georgia, scored his second series victory by leading all 50 laps at the 3/8-mile red clay oval.
“This is a testament to my crew guys, as well as Marshall Green and Clements House of Power and everyone at Capital (Race Cars),” said Clanton. “This is special. We have worked awfully hard to get back to Victory Lane and luckily we held him off.”
The current Series points leader, Brandon Sheppard made a late charge at Clanton hoping to steal the show and the $10,000 prize. With five laps to go, Sheppard took the high line on the track to pass Eric Wells, who had held the position from a battling Sheppard since lap 28.
Sheppard then quickly closed a five-car-length gap between him and Clanton to challenge the Series-veteran for the lead. The pair stayed side-by-side until the turn-four on the final lap but Sheppard ultimately ran out of time.
Wells finished in third, with Blairsville, Georgia’s Jonathan Davenport in fourth and Chub Frank in fifth.
On Saturday night, Brandon Sheppard led all 50-laps at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. Sheppard’s win at the 3/8-mile track marked his ninth career win.
“We’ve been working really hard on this Rocket Chassis,” said Sheppard. “I want to thank Mark and Steve and everyone at Rocket Chassis for letting me drive this thing. It’s awesome. We’ve been working really hard lately to get ready for these Carolina tracks and Tennessee tracks because I’ve always struggled a little bit at those places so it definitely feels good to be getting a win and a top-three (last night).”
Tyler Erb started the feature on the outside of the pole and tried to run down Sheppard throughout all 50-laps. The race saw six cautions due to tire troubles. During every restart Sheppard was able to create an impressive lead over Erb and the rest of the field.
Erb had to settle for second, with Rick Eckert in third, Chris Madden in fourth and Donald Bradsher in fifth.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series will head to Tennessee for two days of racing, beginning at Duck River Raceway on May 12 before moving to Smoky Mountain Speedway.
For more information, visit WoOLMS.com.
World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series
Cherokee Motor Speedway – Gaffney, SC
Race Results – May 5, 2017
1. 25- Shane Clanton
2. 1- Brandon Sheppard
3. 18- Eric Wells
4. 49- Jonathan Davenport
5. 1*- Chub Frank
6. 7- Rick Eckert
7. 101- Casey Roberts
8. 91- Tyler Erb
9. 3s- Brian Shirley
10. 24D- Michael Brown
11. 9- Devin Moran
12. 2c- Joey Coulter
13. 2- Dennis Franklin
14. 93- Donald Bradsher
15. 99jr- Frank Heckenast, Jr.
16. 44- Chris Madden
17. 4- Brian Ligon
18. 9- Johnny Pursley
19. 25z- Mason Zeigler
20. 116- Brandon Overton
21. 14m- Morgan Bagley
22. 421- Anthony Sanders
23. 42- Doug Sanders
24. 22- Chris Ferguson
World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series
Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Fayetteville, NC
Race Results – May 6, 2017
1. 1- Brandon Sheppard
2. 91- Tyler Erb
3. 7- Rick Eckert
4. 44- Chris Madden
5. 93- Donald Bradsher
6. 9- Devin Moran
7. 24D- Michael Brown
8. 23- Michael Rouse
9. 25- Shane Clanton
10. 14m- Morgan Bagley
11. 2c- Joey Coulter
12. 79- Roger Lucas
13. 281- Kyle Pierce
14. 18- Eric Wells
15, 16- Ben Watkins
16. 99jr- Frank Heckenast, Jr.
17. 25z- Mason Zeigler
18. 1*- Chub Frank
19. 1M- Willie Milliken
20. 3s- Brian Shirley
21. 22*- G.R. Smith
