The action kicked off Tuesday night at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Park, Ill. against a field of 29 DIRTcar Late Models. Shirley set QuickTime in Group B and went on to win his heat race.

Starting the $5,000-to-win feature from the pole position, Brian led the first four circuits before ultimately finishing third in the caution free 40-lap affair behind Brandon Sheppard and Jeremiah Hurst. Frank Heckenast Jr. and Jason Feger completed the Top-5.

Shifting to Fairbury Speedway Wednesday, Shirley was one of 37 entries set to chase a $5,000 top prize. Brian timed in third in his qualifying group and followed up with a 10-lap heat race victory.

Starting the 40-lap main event in third, Shirley rode in the podium spot for much of the race, biding his time for the right opportunity to make a move. On lap 31, Brian took second from Heckenast and made a run on Sheppard on the inside for the lead.

Squeezing Sheppard in behind a lapped car, Shirley grabbed the top spot with just eight laps remaining. Sheppard made an attempt to regain the position on the final lap, but Shirley was too strong on the inside. Brian crossed the finish line 0.090 seconds ahead of Sheppard, Heckenast, Ryan Unzicker, and Allen Weisser for his fifth Summer Nationals win of 2020.

“I was a little confused because I passed those guys right in the middle and I felt like my car was pretty good and I got nervous ‘cause I was out there riding in the middle,” said Shirley. “So I went back down to the bottom and I knew Sheppy would be up on that top. And then when we got to them lapped cars, I was creeping and creeping and not really getting as much grip as I wanted to be.

“On that last lap, I was just … I needed to stick with what got me there and that middle got me there. And I knew where the lapped cars was, no one could really get me on the inside. I just had to worry about Sheppy on the outside.”

On Thursday night at Macon (Ill.) Speedway, Brian drew the second starting position for the $5,000-to-win A-Main after qualifying second in his group and claiming a heat race win.

Shirley led the first 80 circuits of the 100-lapper before Sheppard snuck by in lapped traffic. Shirley held onto second at the finish while Jason Feger crossed the line in third. Shannon Babb and Dennis Erb Jr. finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Against a stout field of 41 DIRTcar Late Models at Fayette County Speedway Friday, Brian qualified third in Group A and notched another heat race win to earn the pole position for the $10,000-to-win feature.

Taking command at the onset, Shirley fended off challenges from Sheppard, Heckenast, and Babb throughout the second half of the 50-lap contest to pick up his sixth DIRTcar Summer Nationals win of the year. Completing the Top-5 were Babb, Dennis Erb Jr., Heckenast, and Rodney Melvin.

“It’s one of those things where we were lucky; better to be lucky than good,” Shirley said in Victory Lane. “In the Heat Race, [Shannon] Babb got in the wall, let us get by, and then we drew the pole and had a good enough car to hang on.”

The Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo. hosted the DIRTcar Summer Nationals on Saturday for another $10,000-to-win program. After struggling in qualifying and only managing a third-place finish in his heat race, Shirley would start the 50-lap A-Main in 11th.

Shirley worked his way through the field to reach the second spot on lap 43, but at that point Sheppard was nearly five seconds ahead in the lead. Brian settled for second behind Sheppard with Babb, Heckenast, and Billy Moyer rounding out the Top-5.

Wrapping up a busy week Sunday at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, Shirley recorded a disappointing 22nd place outing after getting caught up in a melee in the opening laps of the feature that left him with too much damage to continue.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour is off Monday night before the final week of competition begins on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL.

Brian continues to lead the overall DIRTcar Summer Nationals standings. To learn more about these events, please visit www.DIRTcarSummerNationals.com.

Brian Shirley and Bob Cullen Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners which include: Hoker Trucking, Thomason Express, J&J Ventures Gaming, Kid’s Castle Learning Center, KBC Graphix, Cheap Cars, Bass Livestock Nutrition, Allgaier Motorsports, Integra Shocks, East Central Coin, Cheers, Cen-Pe-Co Racing Oil, Durham Racing Engines, Rocket Chassis, Jayco Construction, Larry’s Distributing, Hope For A Cure, Midwest Sheet Metal, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint & Body Shop, Peterson Fluid Systems, Hooker Harness, Willy’s Carburetor, Fast Shafts, Keyser Manufacturing, Dyers Top Rods, Wehrs Machine, Sweet Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Allstar Performance, The Joie of Seating, Simpson, Hoosier Racing Tire, Quarter Master, Wilwood Disc Brakes, KKM, Speedwerx, Daugherty Motorsports, Multi Fire, Strange Oval, FK Rod Ends, and MSR Mafia Marketing Services.

For the latest team news and updates on Bob Cullen Racing, please visit www.BobCullenRacing.com.