6/20/2023
Brian Shirley
Brian Shirley Roasts The Competition During Week One Of The 2023 Hell Tour
Brian Shirley stormed through the opening week of the 2023 DIRTcar Summer Nationals with three wins at the controls of his Bob Cullen Racing / Thomason Express No. 3s J&J Ventures & Gaming/ Hoker Trucking / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
Shirley collected $5,000 triumphs at Illinois ovals’ Peoria Speedway, Kankakee County Speedway, and Sycamore Speedway as his season win total increased to five. With the strong week of racing, he also claimed a $10,000 bonus for being the week #1 champ.
“We had a great week, and really it’s a testament to this Bob Cullen Racing team. Everybody has been giving 110% and our consistency has been getting better and better, week-in and week-out over the past month or so,” Shirley noted. “Hopefully we’ll keep this momentum rolling this week when we return to Outlaws action. Again, I just can’t say enough about everybody who pours their and soul into supporting this team.”
Week one of the 38th annual DIRTcar Summer Nationals wrapped up Sunday, and with it, Brian Shirley collected three wins, worth $5,000 each, in five starts and an extra $10,000 as the point's champion of the first week of competition.
Not a bad start for the four-time Hell Tour champion, The Bob Cullen Racing No. 3s started with back-to-back wins at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway and Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway on Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 15.
After racing to a third-place finish at Tri-City Speedway (Pontoon Beach, Ill.) on Friday, June 16, the team suffered their worst finish thus far on Saturday, June 17, at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway when Shirley suffered a flat tire while running in a transfer spot during his Heat Race. The result was utilizing a provisional to start the main event before clawing his way back to a 14th-place finish.
Taking no time to rebound from the mishap, the following night saw action head for Sycamore Speedway, where the No. 3s stayed out from all 40-laps for career win No. 41 in DIRTcar Summer Nationals competition.
Not light on competition, the first five nights of the summer miniseries combined to see 80 different drivers in action, with the average car count per night standing at 41 per event. The highest so far was at Fairbury, with 55 drivers checking in.
Brian Shirley claimed the first week championship by 40-markers over Jason Feger. Frank Heckenast, Jr., Dennis Erb, Jr. and Bob Gardner round out the Top 5.
Brian resumes his World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series slate this week with the first leg of the Heartland Speedweek. On Thursday and Friday action is slated for 81 Speedway (Wichita, Kan.) before shifting to Off Road Speedway (Norfolk, Neb.) on Saturday.
Brian is fifth in the latest series standings, just 62 markers removed from the top spot.
For information on the weekend’s slate, please visit www.WoOLMS.com.
Article Credit: DIRTcar Media image
Submitted By: Bryan Hulbert