The Series veterans brought their families on the road while competing through eight different states

CONCORD, NC (July 19, 2024) – Amid a grueling season with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models, Brandon Sheppard and Cade Dillard kept their families by their side during the summertime set of events.

The two drivers sit comfortably inside the top four in Series points, with Sheppard leading the standings and Dillard 186 points back from him in fourth place.

Sheppard, a New Berlin, IL native, is grateful to have his wife, Mikala, and his three children Jase, Addison, and Baylor alongside him while keeping his focused energy on the Late Model during race nights.

“It’s really nice to have the family along for the ride,” Sheppard said. “Everybody sacrifices a lot being out on the road and I’m fortunate to be in a position where they can join me and still be able to get everything done. The crew has been a help in the process while we drive up and down the road to every track we go to. The support from my family is huge from my dad and grandpa at the track to the Riggs family and Longhorn family getting us in the right position. We just make the most out of what we got.”

Being a long way from his humble abode in Robeline, LA, Dillard savored the time he got to have with his wife, Shelby, and his two kids Evie and Caden during the Heartland Grand Tour by going on other excursions in between the days of racing.

“They don’t get to be out on the road much because of school, work and all,” Dillard said. “It means a lot to me, honestly. It seems like I always run better with them at the races because you’re gone for stretches of weeks and you get to missing them and your head gets thrown off in a hurry. So, it seems like I’m able to concentrate better because I don’t have to drive 18 or 19 hours to get home to see them. My wife has been extremely supportive and my kids love being here, so we’ve got to other adventures, water parks, campgrounds, and such. This is basically our Summer vacation and we just get to hit some races in between.”

Sheppard’s No.B5 caught heat in June and July by winning his first three Feature wins with the Series in 2024 at Thunderhill Raceway, Ponderosa Speedway, and Deer Creek Speedway.

Since Sunshine Nationals, B-Shepp finished outside of the top-10 twice and has results inside the podium more than he has not, with 12 podium standings compared to 11 finishes of fourth or worse.

“The confidence is up, but we’re not at our peak or where we need to be right now,” Sheppard said. “Overall, we’re about as close as we can be, we’ve gotten to the stage where the chances made are minor fixes to put ourselves in a position to be there at the end of these races is the big thing and we’ve done that. It’s about the other aspects like handling lapped traffic and fine-tuning to get the last little bit we’re looking for.”

While Dillard continues his hunt for a World of Outlaws Feature win in 2024, he achieved one of the biggest wins of his career at the end of May with a $100,001 triumph in The Big Deal 24 at Mississippi Thunder Speedway behind the wheel of his No.97 CDR Race Cars Modified. He topped the scoring pylon over fellow Late Model competitors Dustin Sorensen, Bobby Pierce, and Ricky Thornton Jr.

“Anytime you can get your motivation up or team morale boosted, things seem smoother,” Dillard said. “Races like that are hard to come by and the wins are even harder. There are great drivers who go their whole career and have never gotten a payday like $100,000. It was cool to me, but more special to win it in a car that we built. We started building them about two years ago and I take more pride in the fact that so many smart minds from my team to engineers to get that machine made to win $100,000. It’s rewarding to a small business and helped a bunch with our operation.”

Dillard’s 2024 season is miles ahead of the 2023 run he had by scoring the second-most Heat race wins of all drivers with 11 and finishing inside the podium more than he’s had in the last two seasons with three on the season.

“Performance-wise, our consistency has been there,” Dillard said. “To be competitive in points, you gotta be inside the podium and top five, but there’s been wins that slip by and bad luck that’s hit us. Nonetheless, our cars had the speed, it’s all about putting it all together. It’s not for a lack of effort, it’s just things don’t go your way sometimes. We just need to keep working at it as we have normally going into these big events coming up.”

Sheppard brings momentum into the crown jewel season with Fairbury Speedway’s Prairie Dirt Classic next up for the World of Outlaws. Winning a fourth in 2024 could move him to third all-time in event wins behind Bob Pierce and Billy Moyer, who share the most PDC wins with five.

“It’s unlike anything else,” Sheppard said. “It’s an Eldora atmosphere but jammed into a small town. The hype is unreal and the fans are great and get into everything. It’s crazy the amount of people packed into that place and what they make out of Fairbury with all the fun things around the area, it’s great for families and kids, a lot of history. It’s close to me and one of those deals you got to have confidence going into.”

He expanded on the week of crown jewel races with Cedar Lake Speedway’s USA Nationals commencing a mere five days after the Prairie Dirt Classic, with Sheppard seeking a second win in the event.

“(Cedar Lake) helped make my career,” Sheppard said. “I always ran good there, and (it was) the first time I really competed for a crown jewel win. The place is awesome, the trophy is amazing, it’s like a bigger Fairbury. It’s a super fun place and the fans make it special. We’ve had a good car the past three years, it’s one of those tracks where you need enough at the end to get up on the wheel and go for the win.”

Sheppard and Dillard set all focus towards the crown jewel action with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models at Fairbury Speedway on Friday and Saturday, July 26-27 for the 34th Annual Prairie Dirt Classic. Alongside the on-track action, there will be a golf tournament for Shriner’s Hospital for Children on Thursday, July 26, live music, an autograph session, and a VFW breakfast on Friday and Saturday. For more information on the event and tickets, CLICK HERE.

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