FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ben Shelton (msrmafia@gmail.com) August 3, 2021 Top-5 Run in Prairie Dirt Classic for Rocket1 Racing Four Nights of WoO Wisconsin Action on Tap this Week SHINNSTON, W.Va. (08/03/21) – Brandon Sheppard and Rocket1 Racing rolled into the famed Fairbury Speedway over the weekend for the 31st edition of the Prairie Dirt Classic. Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win finale found Sheppard recording a fifth-place finish in his Valvoline No. 1 Seubert Calf Ranches/ Durham Racing Engines-powered XR1 Rocket Chassis Super Late Model. “Really late in the race when my car came to me, I was a few spots too far back,” Sheppard said. “We just had to make the most out of it and made a few passes on the restarts and just came up short. It’s disappointing because we had a better car than where we finished. We’ll head to Wisconsin this week to go after some more big checks. Thanks as always goes out to all of our marketing partners and supporters.” Taking part in one the biggest weekends of the year with the World of Outlaws (WoO) Morton Buildings Late Model Series, Rocket1Racing and Brandon Sheppard invaded Fairbury Speedway (Fairbury, Ill.) on Friday afternoon for the 31st annual Prairie Dirt Classic. With the massive 74-car field split into two separate groups for time trials, Sheppard recorded the 11th fastest time in his group. Starting his $3,000-to-win preliminary feature in sixth, Brandon improved three spots in the 25-lapper to register a third-place finish. With his third-place finish in preliminary action on Friday placing him 11th on the starting grid for Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win Prairie Dirt Classic, Sheppard advanced six spots in the 100-lap affair to finish fifth. He followed Kyle Larson, Bobby Pierce, Shannon Babb, and Chris Madden across the line. Brandon now sits 86 points ahead of Chris Madden atop the World of Outlaws point standings. For complete results from these events, please visit www.WorldofOutlaws.com . The upcoming week has the team set for four nights of WoO action in Wisconsin. The week opens on Tuesday evening at Outagamie Speedway with a $10,000-to-win event, which is co-sanctioned with the Dirt Kings tour. On Thursday evening three rounds of WoO action kicks off at Cedar Lake Speedway with a $6,000-to-win affair. On Friday and Saturday the 2021 USA Nationals take center stage with double heat races on Friday evening followed by B-mains and the $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday night. Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, FiveStar RaceCar Bodies, Gunters Honey, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, Slavic Custom Racing Shirts & Decals, 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, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Edelbrock, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, Maxima Racing Oils, MSD, NGK Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, Quarter Master, QuickCar Racing Products, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Safecraft, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Weld Racing, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MSR Mafia Marketing Services. For the latest information on Rocket1Racing please visit the team website at www.Rocket1Racing.com as well as their social media channels at www.facebook.com/Rocket1Racing, www.twitter.com/Rocket1_Racing, and www.instagram.com/rocket1racing . Official Internet Home of The Midsouth Racing Scene
 

Hafertepe Breaks Through At Knoxville With 360 Nationals Prelim Night Score

Bryan Hulbert – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 5, 2021) Racing into Victory Lane for the first time on Busch Light First Responders Night at the famed Knoxville Raceway, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. captured the opening checkered flag of the 31st annual My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

Sam’s 57th SawBlade.com A-Feature win with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, his win at the Knoxville Raceway makes him the 149th driver to make the turn into Victory Lane in 360cid competition.

“This one is because of Daryl [Turford]. He’s more in tune watching a race than anyone, and he’s the one that mentioned that a lot of these races are won through the middle, and when I tried it, it went.,” stated Hafertepe.

“We’ve been so close to winning a race here, so to finally win one, it’s awesome. The car was probably the best I’ve ever had here. We’ll see what it does during A-Feature hot laps and see if we can get better, but this is a pretty emotional win for me. Thank you to Miles [Hill]. Without him, none of us would be doing this.”

Chasing the opening six laps from the sixth starting spot, Hafertepe explored the Knoxville Raceway surface, finding the middle groove in the first and second turns. Pulling up on Matt Juhl, the Hills Racing No. 15h pulled even with the Octane Ink No. 09 in the first turn and rolled into the lead down the back straightaway.

Pulling away from the field with traffic looming, the slower cars did little to slow Sam but nearly took Matt Juhl for a ride on Lap 16 with the No. 09 suddenly sideways in the entry of the first turn to avoid running over Ryan Leavitt. Keeping from spinning, the race stayed green, with Juhl recovering in fifth.

Splitting lapped cars through the closing laps, Hafertepe made it to the finish with 1.355-seconds to spare. Using traffic to his advantage, the NOS Energy Drink No. 17w of Shane Golobic made it to second, with Lynton Jeffrey third. Leading the opening lap, Missouri’s Garet Williamson slipped to fourth, with Matt Juhl holding on to round out the top five.

Blake Hahn crossed sixth with Brady Bacon moving up from tenth to seventh. Jamie Ball was eighth with Cory Eliason and Justin Henderson in tenth.

The opening night of the 31st annual My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank saw a 43 car field on hand with SCE Gaskets Heat Race wins going to Brian Brown, Josh Baughman, Derek Hagar, Ryan Leavitt, and Jack Dover. BMRS B-Feature action went to Sammy Swindell.

Racing continues Friday, August 6, with Pits opening at 3:00 P.M. and Hot Laps getting underway at 6:45 P.M. [CDT]. Information, directions, and ticket information is online at http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com. Fans not able to attend can find it online at http://www.dirtvision.com.

The 2021 season is the 30th year of competition for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.

For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2021, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and Twitter [@LucasOilASCS].

Race Results:

Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
Knoxville Raceway [Knoxville, Iowa]
My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals
Thursday, August 5, 2021

Car Count: 43

Hoosier Tire Qualifying: [2 cars per set, 2 laps each] 1. 17W, Shane Golobic, Fremont, CA [2], 15.802; 2. 01, Sammy Swindell, Lakeland, TN [3], 16.042; 3. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA [11], 16.047; 4. 83H, Justin Henderson, Tea, SD [21], 16.099; 5. 22MM, Kaleb Johnson, Sioux Falls, SD [25], 16.132; 6. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA [27], 16.162; 7. 9M, Ricky Montgomery, Denver, CO [6], 16.243; 8. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX [38], 16.282; 9. 5H, Michael Faccinto, Hanford, CA [31], 16.302; 10. 4W, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA [7], 16.312; 11. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA [13], 16.319; 12. 52, Blake Hahn, Sapulpa, OK [4], 16.324; 13. 83, Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City, IA [15], 16.327; 14. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD [20], 16.327; 15. 24W, Garet Williamson, Columbia, MO [33], 16.354; 16. 26, Cory Eliason, Visalia, CA [19], 16.359; 17. 69, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK [24], 16.374; 18. 11, Roger Crockett, Broken Arrow, OK [28], 16.374; 19. 2M, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA [12], 16.387; 20. 63, JJ Hickle, Quilcene, WA [42], 16.412; 21. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO [32], 16.422; 22. 70, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA [5], 16.44; 23. 9JR, Derek Hagar, Marion, AR [10], 16.445; 24. 22, Ryan Leavitt, Knoxville, IA [16], 16.459; 25. 53D, Jack Dover, Springfield, NE [29], 16.474; 26. 91, Kyle Reinhardt, Neptune City, NJ [43], 16.552; 27. 36, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX [37], 16.564; 28. 24N, Nathan Mills, Bondurant, IA [14], 16.584; 29. 35L, Cody Ledger, Omaha, NE [9], 16.63; 30. 22X, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA [30], 16.709; 31. 2F, Casey Friedrichsen, Odebolt, IA [36], 16.715; 32. 23K, Rob Kubli, Milo, IA [26], 16.726; 33. 24T, Christopher Thram, Sanborn, MN [23], 16.728; 34. 22S, Slater Helt, Harrisonville, MO [34], 16.76; 35. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA [35], 16.804; 36. 2, Chase Porter, St. Joseph, MO [18], 16.834; 37. 66, Chase Dunham, Leipsic, OH [17], 16.86; 38. 1K, Kelby Watt, Adel, IA [39], 16.865; 39. 86, Elliot Amdahl, Flandreau, SD [22], 16.878; 40. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA [41], 17.094; 41. 8M, Kade Morton, Coweta, OK [40], 17.109; 42. 18W, Lorne Wofford, Alamogordo, NM [1], 16.747; 43. 23, Devon Dobie, Wapakoneta, OH [8], 16.83;

SCE Gaskets Heat Races [Top 4 to A, remainder to the B]

Heat 1 [8 Laps]: 1. 21-Brian Brown[2]; 2. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[1]; 3. 26-Cory Eliason[3]; 4. 17W-Shane Golobic[6]; 5. 17A-Austin McCarl[5]; 6. 53-Joe Beaver[4]; 7. 2-Chase Porter[8]; 8. 2F-Casey Friedrichsen[7]; 9. 8M-Kade Morton[9]

Heat 2 [8 Laps]: 1. 36-Josh Baughman[1]; 2. 69-Brady Bacon[3]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 4. 70-Calvin Landis[2]; 5. 01-Sammy Swindell[6]; 6. 9M-Ricky Montgomery[5]; 7. 23K-Rob Kubli[7]; 8. 66-Chase Dunham[8]; 9. 18W-Lorne Wofford[9]

Heat 3 [8 Laps]: 1. 9JR-Derek Hagar[2]; 2. 83-Lynton Jeffrey[4]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 4. 11-Roger Crockett[3]; 5. 24N-Nathan Mills[1]; 6. 9-Ryan Giles[6]; 7. 24T-Chris Thram[7]; 8. 23-Devon Dobie[9]; 9. 1K-Kelby Watt[8]

Heat 4 [8 Laps]: 1. 22-Ryan Leavitt[2]; 2. 09-Matt Juhl[4]; 3. 83H-Justin Henderson[6]; 4. 2M-Matt Moro[3]; 5. 35L-Cody Ledger[1]; 6. 5H-Michael Faccinto[5]; 7. 22S-Slater Helt[7]; 8. [DNS] 86-Elliot Amdahl

Heat 5 [8 Laps]: 1. 53D-Jack Dover[2]; 2. 63-JJ Hickle[3]; 3. 24W-Garet Williamson[4]; 4. 4W-Jamie Ball[5]; 5. 22MM-Kaleb Johnson[6]; 6. 22X-Riley Goodno[1]; 7. 33-Alan Zoutte[8]; 8. [DNF] 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips[7]

BMRS B-Feature [Top 4 advance to the A-Feature]

B Feature [12 Laps]: 1. 01-Sammy Swindell[1]; 2. 9-Ryan Giles[2]; 3. 17A-Austin McCarl[4]; 4. 22MM-Kaleb Johnson[3]; 5. 5H-Michael Faccinto[6]; 6. 24N-Nathan Mills[8]; 7. 35L-Cody Ledger[9]; 8. 22X-Riley Goodno[10]; 9. 53-Joe Beaver[7]; 10. 9M-Ricky Montgomery[5]; 11. 2-Chase Porter[16]; 12. 24T-Chris Thram[13]; 13. 2F-Casey Friedrichsen[11]; 14. 8M-Kade Morton[22]; 15. 66-Chase Dunham[17]; 16. 23-Devon Dobie[20]; 17. 86-Elliot Amdahl[18]; 18. 33-Alan Zoutte[19]; 19. [DNF] 18W-Lorne Wofford[23]; 20. [DNF] 22S-Slater Helt[14]; 21. [DNF] 23K-Rob Kubli[12]; 22. [DNF] 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips[15]; 23. [DNF] 1K-Kelby Watt[21]

Sawblade.com A-Feature

A Feature [20 Laps]: 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 2. 17W-Shane Golobic[8]; 3. 83-Lynton Jeffrey[3]; 4. 24W-Garet Williamson[1]; 5. 09-Matt Juhl[2]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 7. 69-Brady Bacon[10]; 8. 4W-Jamie Ball[5]; 9. 26-Cory Eliason[9]; 10. 83H-Justin Henderson[7]; 11. 53D-Jack Dover[18]; 12. 11-Roger Crockett[11]; 13. 21-Brian Brown[14]; 14. 63-JJ Hickle[13]; 15. 9JR-Derek Hagar[16]; 16. 2M-Matt Moro[12]; 17. 17A-Austin McCarl[23]; 18. 22MM-Kaleb Johnson[24]; 19. 9-Ryan Giles[22]; 20. 01-Sammy Swindell[21]; 21. 36-Josh Baughman[20]; 22. 70-Calvin Landis[15]; 23. 22-Ryan Leavitt[17]; 24. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[19]

Lap Leader[s]: Garet Williamson 1; Matt Juhl 2-6; Sam Hafertepe, Jr, 7-20
Hard Charger: Jack Dover +7
High Point Driver: N/A
Provisional[s]: N/A