(London, ON) August 28th, 2017 – It was a podium filled day for the Pete Shepherd Motorsports Team at Jukasa Motor Speedway. The capacity crowd was treated to three action filled events and Pete Shepherd was at the forefront of all of them. People started to fill the grandstands prior to the 11am autograph session and all of them stayed for the “3 course meal” of racing at its finest!
Race #1 Rankin Construction, APC Late Model Summer Shootout;
Shepherd III had the 4th fastest Qualifying lap and pulled the number 5 in the inversion draw, positioning himself 5th on the grid for 1st race at the new Jukasa Motor Speedway. Shepherd was able to settle in line 4th in the early laps of the race. The 21 of Matt Pritiko made a move to the inside of the 83 and Shepherd’s National Exhaust, McColl Late Model dug in behind and filled the gap. On a restart the 21 car took the lead from the 9 of Brandon Watson. Watson was able to get back by Pritiko later in the race and Pete Shepherd III followed in behind and took over the 2nd position. With tire wear becoming a huge factor the # 3H of Jason Hathaway muscled his way by Shepherd, and worked to the inside of the number 9 on a restart to claim race one of the APC double header. Brandon Watson finished second, followed by Pete Shepherd III claiming third in just his second APC series start.
“The car was exceptional on short runs, and really good on medium length runs. On the long haul we lost rear bite and were too free. We will make this car even better in race number two. I expect our National Exhaust Chev will be a serious contender in the next 75 lapper,” stated Shepherd.
Right after his post-race interview he was preparing to strap into his McColl Outlaw Super late Model and set record speeds at Jukasa Motor Speedway.
Rankin Construction, Outlaw Super Late Model Summer Shootout;
Pete Shepherd was one of only three cars able to break the 17 second barrier at Jukasa Motor Speedway. His lap time of 16.9 seconds put him third on the grid and second after the inversion.
With speeds reaching over 160 MPH tire management was crucial, and Shepherd was in it for the long run.
The number 16 of Tyler Roahrig took the lead from Shepherd on the initial start and Brandon Watson followed in second place. Roahrig set a blistering pace while Shepherd paced himself and slid back by Watson in traffic to move in second once again. Shepherd, while running in tire management mode, lost second to Phil Bozell before the competition caution at the midway point of the race. Shepherd’s plan was to conserve tires until about lap 60, but with the two leaders opening up a gap, Shepherd decided to press at lap 55.
He was able to close the gap within a few car lengths but at the end it wasn’t enough as he crossed the line in third position.
“I believe that I had enough car to put up a better fight at the end of the race. That being said, I am satisfied with our third place finish. This McColl Super Late Model was the best SLM I’ve ever driven, and I really wanted a win to solidify the amount of time that the guys at the shop put in over the past few weeks. Our AP Engine made all kinds of power too! I hope I get another shot at it,” claimed the veteran racer Shepherd.
Race #2 Rankin Construction, APC Late Model Summer Shootout;
With a lucky draw, Pete Shepherd III pulled number one out of the hat thanks to his top five race speed in the first 75 lap race.
When the green flag dropped Brandon Watson took an early lead, however on restart number two Shepherd battled on the outside to reclaim the top spot. Pete III opened up the gap to nearly a straightaway lead over the second place car, but a caution just before midway erased that lead, and Shepherd was tasked with defending his position once again.
The challenger Jason Hathaway was able to get out in front on the restart, and he never looked back as he crossed the line in first at the end of the 75 lap event, Shepherd came in second, and Andrew Gressel rounded out the top three.
Shepherd had this to say about his third and final race of the afternoon. “It was another really good finish in our National Exhaust, McColl Late Model. Before this event I told our team to tighten the car up more than they thought they should, and they did. I ended up being too tight at the end,” stated Shepherd. “We did not get a win but I would still say this weekend was a successful one for us. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people helping me out, we keep getting better and better. I think we will be in victory lane sooner rather than later, but three top threes, I can’t complain!”
Our 2017 racing season wouldn’t be possible without the support from National Exhaust, Echo Power Equipment Canada, Shelby Roofing and Sheet Metal, The Grill Paddle, The Whole Pig, BioX Performance Nutrition, Thrustmaster, Fierce Wraps, Cipra Designs, Schultz Manufacturing, Fairway Transport, Load of Rubbish, COJO Sport Collectables, driven4 Apparel, Insta360, Oxford Learning – Byron, Fendrihan, Bridge Force Financial, Epic Race Wear, Mokuyobi, and driven4communications.
To keep up to date with Pete Shepherd III racing events this summer please visit: www.peteshepherdmotorsports.com
For PR inquires please contact info@driven4communications.com (www.driven4communications.com)
Discussion about this post