Photo Credit - Ryan Roberts
They all say how hard it is just to make the Gateway Dirt Nationals and hundred times harder to win inside the tiny bullring inside the Dome at America's Center. Brandon Sheppard has added his name as two time and back to back Gateway Dirt Nationals champion joining Bobby Pierce and Tyler Carpenter. He also has done it with two different chassis. Last year he won in a Longhorn Chassis this year with a Rocket as he is returning back to the Rocket1 team next season.
The format for the starting lineup goes off of locking the top 3 finishers from the preliminaries Thursday and Friday. Those 6 drivers then draw for their starting spots by picking a tshirt and shooting it into the crowd for them to unwrap. Sheppard was the fifth driver to choose a shirt as he watched the first four drivers take spots 3 through 6. He and Gordy Gundaker jumped for joy assuring them a front row starting spot for the 40 lap $30,000 to win main event. The reigning champion got the 1 and Gundaker the 2.
At the drop of the green Gundaker ran the middle to top line to grab the early race lead. He would hold the lead until Sheppard slid by him on lap 10. Sheppard would pull away a little from the pack behind him. 2024 Lucas Oil and FloRacing champion Ricky Thornton Jr. would work his way by Gundaker to set his sights on the B5.
12th starting Bobby Pierce started to come on strong as he would slide by RTJ with about 10 laps to go ripping the lip. Sheppard was closing in on slower traffic setting up an exciting finish as the 2 Illini drivers took the white flag. The 30,000 people all were getting on their feet expecting a Pierce slider in turn 4 but it never got to happen as Pierce broke what appeared to be a J-Bar entering turn 4 ripping out the driveshaft allowing the B5 to cross the double checkers setting off the pyro flames for the win.
Pierce coasted to secure the runner up spot as RTJ rounded out the podium. The podium finsh featured the 2024 World of Outlaws champion with BShepp. Pierce was the winningest driver in 2024 and runner up in both WoO and the FloRacing Night In America series. Ricky Thornton Jr the champion with Lucas and FloRacing.
The winning Rocket Chassis that Sheppard was driving was the same chassis he would at the 2022 PDC and FALS when he was with Rocket1. It was also the same car that Hudson O'Neal won the 23 World 100 in.
It was announced that next year's Gateway Dirt Nationals will pay $50,000 to win and $3,000 to start proving that this event keeps getting bigger and better each year. Not bad for an event that many said in 2016 would never happen or would be a failure. Great work by Cody Sommer and his staff. It takes a lot behind the scenes hard work to pull this event off and make it successful. This year they opened a few sections in the 400 deck on Friday then on Saturday they had the entire 400 section on the backstretch opened estimating an attendance of 30,000.
GATEWAY DIRT NATIONALS
BRANDON SHEPPARD
Pierce
Thornton Jr.
Spatola
Hoffman
Gundaker
Rice
O'Neal
Hammer
S.Sheppard
Carpenter
English
Davenport
Overton
Unzicker
Winger
Gustin
Bell
Frame
Riggs
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