DirtonDirt.com Dispatches

Dispatches: Shirley streaks to WoO hat trick

August 16, 2024, 6:30 pm

From staff, track, series and special reports

Brian Shirley (3S) races with Bobby Pierce (32). (Mike Ruefer)

Among latest notes and quotes from around Dirt Late Model racing Aug. 14-20 including World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series action and more (most stories focused on Batesville Motor Speedway’s Topless 100 on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series appear separately). Also find a listing of live-streaming video from specials around the country:

Super streak for Shirley

Two months after adding a Longhorn Chassis to his Bob Cullen-owned team’s stable in an effort to shake free of serious doldrums, Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., finds himself on a heater unlike any he’s ever experienced.

The 43-year-old veteran pushed his World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series winning streak to three on Saturday night, completing a sweep of the Hawkeye 100 at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway with a $20,000 score in the two-day show’s 60-lap finale.

“All in all,” Shirley said in victory lane, “I’d like to pinch myself.”

Shirley showed quick improvement earlier this summer upon his move from Rocket to Longhorn amid his struggles, breaking through for his first WoO triumph of 2024 in emotional fashion on June 30 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. He went on to score a $5,000 MARS-sanctioned win on July 19 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway but registered just two WoO top-fives before exploding to snatch all three of the national tour’s completed Midwest swing events over the past four-day span, starting Wednesday at Highland (Ill.) Speedway and continuing to Maquoketa’s 40-lapper on Friday and big-money headliner on Saturday.

It’s not only the first three-race WoO win streak for Shirley, who has 11 career victories on the circuit, but also the first time a driver not named Bobby Pierce has claimed three straight on the series since four-time champion and current points leader Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., won four in a row — all at Wisconsin tracks — from July 4-14, 2020.

Oakwood, Ill.’s Pierce, who recently ripped off a WoO record-tying six consecutive wins and twice won three straight last year, appeared primed to stop Shirley short of a hat trick on Saturday when he overtook his fellow Land of Lincoln driver for the lead on lap 46. But a shredded right-rear tire doomed Pierce, who finished 12th after a pit stop while Shirley controlled the final 14 circuits to defeat Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, N.C., by 1.757 seconds.

“Obviously we had a pretty good race car, and so did Bobby,” Shirley said. “We were different on tires, both of us. He was harder (on compound choice), I was soft … so that allowed him to get more wheelspin (and) I had to be easy and not overspin the wheels while he could race harder.

“And at the end of the day I don’t know who (was right), but he was obviously leading so tonight the good Lord was looking after us.”

Shirley’s $30,000 weekend in Iowa proved to Shirley that his racing effort is rolling but still has room for improvement.

“I feel like we’re making better decisions throughout the night,” Shirley said. “I also do feel like we can do a better job. Bobby’s the man. You can put a stamp on it, he’s the best driver in the country. Taking a step forward and competing with him is pretty cool.”

Shirley, who advanced from eighth to seventh in the WoO points standings with his perfect Midwest swing, said his northern Wisconsin-based car owners Bob and Lisa Cullen, along with their teenage son Carsin, “surprised me and showed up” for Saturday “so this is a gift to them.” He also dedicated his victory to Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist, whose death Friday morning in a vintage plane accident on his family’s farm in Mooresburg, Tenn., rocked the Dirt Late Model world.

“Obviously we had a tough deal (with Bloomquist’s passing) and sometimes my emotions were getting the best of me the last couple days,” said Shirley, who has a Team Zero car designed by Bloomquist in his team’s stable. “But when you think about it, we all love Scott and we’re gonna miss him.”

Shirley also thanked Jeff and Penny Hoker and Ricky Kay for joining together to put on the Maquoketa doubleheader, which will return to the WoO schedule on Aug. 15-16, 2025.

“Huge crowd, huge risk for Kay and Hoker and them,” Shirley said, “and we’re looking forward to coming back.” — Staff and series reports

Back-to-back

Winning Friday at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway, Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., nabbed his second straight World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series victory, turning back challenges from Bobby Pierce and Ryan Gustin over 40 laps for a $10,000 victory.

The 43-year-old credits his hot streak, including Wednesday's victory at Highland (Ill.) Speedway, partially to Bob Cullen Racing's midseason switch to Longhorn Chassis.

"Just a little bit of luck and this new car this long way has been pretty good for us. The balance is something that just favors a little bit of my driving style, I think," Shirley said in victory lane at Maquoketa.

Perhaps a little divine guidance, too, Shirley said after getting a phone call from his wife Shannon, who has been undergoing treatment for health struggles.

"She actually talked called me after my heat race and was pretty excited that we won and then felt like this was just the good Lord telling us that everything's gonna be all right," Shirley said, his voice cracking.

Shirley's second straight WoO victory was his first back-to-back national touring victories since 2016 when he won June 30 on a dirt-covered Rockford (Ill.) Speedway and July 7 at Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa.

Shirley's third victory of the season also matched his career-high three-victory WoO campaign in 2016. His 10 top-five finishes in 2024 are also a career high.

Tyler Bruening of Decorah, Iowa, also had a back-to-back feat with his second consecutive third-place finish in WoO competition. That marks his first back-to-back top-fives in national touring competition since September 2022 in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.

"When the track started breaking up there, it really got hectic about the middle of the race. You're just trying to pick your way through with your lapped traffic and all that," said Bruening, who regained the third spot from Bobby Pierce with three laps remaining. "But, you know, all in all the car was really good from start to finish. That's two complete nights in a row and we finished up front and the car's in one piece and we don't got a lot of work to do for tomorrow. So I don't know, we'll analyze what we thought we did wrong and did right tonight and make it a little better for tomorrow." — Series reports

Healthy eating

Along with bringing a wealth of racing knowledge to the Illinois-based Roberts Motorsports team he joined early this season, crew chief R.C. Whitwell has also influenced team members with his penchant for healthy eating.

The nomadic Dirt Late Model life on the road often means late-night fast food stops, greasy track food or consuming junk food from the transporter’s cabinets or refrigerator, but the 39-year-old Arizona native who has had his own driving career makes a special effort to stay lean with mindful eating. It requires discipline along with choosier healthier options on grocery stops.

“I definitely love junk food just like anybody else,” said Whitwell, who moved to Colona, Ill., after joining the team that fields cars for Garrett Alberson, a fellow Southwesterner from Las Cruces, N.M. "I just try to do my best. I know I'll feel better and my longevity will be better not drinking the sodas and the energy drinks and stuff, and just trying to eat healthy.

“I guess that's another part that I ended up bringing to the team or wherever I go to is a positive influence on being healthy. … If your body is right, then your mind will have a lot better chance of being right. But if you don't treat your body well, then your brain is not gonna work well.”

Whitwell’s eating habits have carried over, team owner Ken Roberts said.

“We used to have all kinds of a lot of junk food in our truck and now with him on the crew, I think everybody's lost about 10 pounds and feeling better and in better shape,” he said.

For liquids, Whitwell mostly consumes water along with kombucha, a fermented black tea. His food isn’t exotic but often isn’t the first choice for most crew members grabbing something to eat. Among Whitwell’s favorite fruits is apples, but he’s more likely to eat only the peel instead of taking a traditional bite.

“That's kind of weird but the peel is the best part. I'll actually give the middle part, I'll cut it up and give you the rest of that Garrett,” Whitwell said recently. “But a lot of bananas, a little bit lower carbohydrates, so not a lot of breads and stuff like that. Maybe a little bit of rice, but a lot of proteins, chickens and beef and stuff. I like beans, surprisingly. They have fiber and protein. They're pretty healthy.”

While the team tours on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Whitwell also tries to stretch his legs with multiple runs each week at a pace of seven or eight minutes per mile.

"I was running at (Lucas Oil Speedway in) Wheatland (Mo.) a few weeks ago when we were there and there was one other runner during the Show-Me weekend and we're running around the lake and we just kind of like waving and he's like, I see another runner,” Whitwell said. “I think there are lots of people actually at the track that are health conscious and exercise and eat well. They’re far and few between, but I do notice them, quite a bit.” — Todd Turner

Highland tidbits

Items from Wednesday's World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series stop at Highland (Ill.) Speedway:

• Led by winner Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., home-state drivers took six spots in the top 10 at Highland, the most home-state finishers in any WoO event this season. Five Illinois drivers finished in the top 10 of April 12’s event at Farmer City Raceway.

• WoO regular Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., parked his Rocket Chassis and debuted a new Barry Wright Race Car at Highland. The team tested Tuesday at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway and got off to a solid start at Highland with heat race victory. The 51-year-old Erb started third in the feature but slipped back to a 10th-place finish. Erb, ninth in WoO points with two top-five finishes in 31 starts, previously drove cars from the Cowpens, S.C., chassis manufacturer in 2014-15. His most recent WoO victory came June 24, 2023, at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan. Erb and Lance Wright, Barry's son and longtime righthand man, said the ride is considered the Barry Wright house car.

• Tyler Bruening of Decorah, Iowa, posted his first podium finish in national touring competition in 15 months. His previous such finish came May 25, 2023, in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.

• Floridian Donnie Birdwell was in the pits serving as crew chief for the Dave Steine-owned Tri Star Promotions team of Cody Overton, WoO announcer Ruben Mireles reported. Arizona native Taylon Center has previously filled that role for the team.

• Daryn Klein of Fairview Heights, Ill., was the highest-finishing Highland regular in placing seventh. Points leader Jordan Suhre of Alhambra, Ill., finished 18th.

Editor's note: Adds details on Barry Wright Race Cars house car in Erb note.