BRL Late Model Invitational S26R06 | Irwindale Speedway

The BRL Late Model race at Irwindale Speedway was a thrilling event that kept spectators on the edge of their seats. Tom Hilbert and Scott Negus started on the front row and quickly took the lead.  Steve Hilbert followed suit by passing Negus and taking second place. However, a minor scuffle caused a caution, which allowed points leader Jeffery Hardin to move into 2nd place.

The race resumed on Lap 6 with Hilbert and Hardin leading the pack. Hilbert made an excellent start and maintained his lead, while Hardin settled into 2nd place. Meanwhile, Negus moved into 3rd place, and behind them, there was some exciting 3-wide racing for 6th place.

On Lap 7, Hardin made a daring pass on Tom Hilbert to take the lead. Negus started challenging Hilbert for 2nd place and continued to battle side by side until Lap 17. Brennan Myers and Mike Holloway were also vying for podium positions on Lap 9, adding to the excitement.

A caution on Lap 17 interrupted the intense race for positions 2nd to 7th. The race resumed on Lap 23 with Hardin and Negus on the front row. Hardin made a great start, and Shepherd moved into 2nd place, overtaking Negus. On Lap 24, Negus made a move to pass Shepherd and regain 2nd place, but failed. Ruben Altice saw an opportunity to put pressure on Negus for 3rd place.

A caution on Lap 30 again halted the exciting action. The race resumed on Lap 36 with Hardin and Shepherd leading the pack. Shepherd made a bold move on the inside line to challenge Hardin for 1st place but settled back into 2nd. However, on Lap 39, Shepherd tried again to get the inside line to work and was able to lead the lap on Lap 40. Hardin attempted to pass Shepherd with an over-under move but couldn’t complete it.

The front positions remained the same until Lap 85 when Kenny Kibbey started challenging Negus for 3rd place, and Altice was putting pressure from behind. On his own up front with a 4.5s lead, J R Shepherd won the race at Irwindale, with Jeffery Hardin finishing 2nd and Kenny Kibbey finishing 3rd.

The BRL Late Models race at Irwindale Speedway was an enthralling and action-packed event that saw thrilling moves, daring passes, and intense battles for podium positions. Fans of the sport should check out the next round of the competition, which will take place at Myrtle Beach Speedway on Saturday, May 11th, at 8:55 PM ET.

Highlights

🏆 J R Shepherd wins the BRL Late Model Invitational Series Season 25 Round 06 race at Irwindale Speedway.

🚀 Ruben Altice was the biggest mover of the race, finishing in 4th, up 15 spots!

🏁 There were three leaders with two lead changes: J R Shepherd led the most with 62 laps, followed by Jeffery Hardin with 32 laps, and Tom Hilbert with 6 laps.

🌟 The race featured intense battles and impressive displays of skill from the drivers.