CHILTON, Wis. (08/24/20) – With seven victories and 18 Top-5 finishes to his credit, Brian Shirley has claimed his fourth overall and third straight DIRTcar Summer Nationals championship.

Shirley had already clinched the $25,000 title heading into the finale at Merritt Speedway on Saturday with a 130-point lead over Frank Heckenast Jr. He maintained his advantage with a seventh-place finish in the feature, one spot ahead of Heckenast.

“I’m just proud of my team, proud of everybody that’s a part of this deal. I just can’t thank those guys enough for the support we get. We’ll just keep going until we can’t go anymore,” said Shirley.

Shirley kicked off the final week of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals in his Bob Cullen Racing No. 3s Hoker Trucking/ Thomason Express/ J&J Ventures Gaming/ Rocket Chassis/ Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model on Tuesday at Kankakee County (Ill.) Speedway.

After qualifying first in his group and claiming a heat race victory, Shirley drew the second starting position for the $5,000-to-win A-Main. Shirley battled for a podium spot early in the 40-lapper before fading to a sixth-place finish.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals made their first-ever appearance at Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, Mich. on Wednesday. Shirley once again topped the speed charts in qualifying and notched a heat race win.

Receiving the pole position for the 30-lap main event by virtue of the redraw, Shirley jumped out to a commanding lead at the drop of the green flag. Holding the top spot through two restarts, Brian led flag-to-flag, crossing the finish line 1.467 seconds ahead for a $5,000 payday. Drake Troutman, Rusty Schlenk, Garrett Wiles, and Jason Feger completed the Top-5.

“This is the car we wrecked at Lincoln,” Shirley said of the car he drove into Butler Victory Lane. “After how we did last night, I was like ‘we’ve got to figure out what to do to get this car back together. There’s something about this car that just works. Maybe it ain’t nothing at all and it’s just psychological in my mind. But there’s one thing about it, it seems to work and seems to fit me pretty good. Whatever makes it as good as it is, I don’t know, but I like it.”

The action shifted to Thunderbird Raceway in Muskegon, Mich. on Thursday for another $5,000-to-win program. Shirley finished second in his heat race to lock into the fifth starting position for the 40-lap feature. Brian ran as high as second at times before settling to a fourth-place finish behind Heckenast, Ryan Gustin, and Dona Marcoullier. Brandon Thirlby rounded out the Top-5 finishers.

A Tri-City Motor Speedway in Auburn, Mich. on Friday, Brian recorded a third-place finish in his heat race, earning him the tenth spot on the feature grid. Shirley advanced five positions in the $10,000-to-win race to place fifth behind Dona Marcoullier, Schlenk, Gustin, and Heckenast.

Wrapping up the 2020 edition of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Merritt Speedway in Lake City, Mich. on Saturday, Shirley qualified first in his group but slipped to a third-place finish in his heat race. Starting the $10,000-to-win finale in ninth, Brian moved forward two spots to finish seventh.

Despite his impressive stats on the tour, Shirley was disappointed the finale didn’t go better. “We hadn’t been here for a long time and really didn’t know how it would go,” said Shirley. “It would’ve been better to end on a little higher note, but all in all, to get it done and be able to go home with another championship, I’m definitely happy with it.”

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.

Thanks,

Jeremy Shields | Director of Operations

MSR Mafia Marketing Services