8th Annual BRL Shootout Recap
23 September 2023
Bootleg Racing League | 8th Annual Shoutout | Southern National Motorsports Park | Late Model Stock
BRL’s 29th Birthday
During the live qualifying round of the highly anticipated 8th annual Stone River Shootout, the skilled driver J R Shepherd impressively secured the pole position, with James Tiernan following closely behind in second place and Matt Hoose taking the third spot. The race started off with a thrilling burst of excitement as the top three drivers quickly fell into a single-file racing pattern. However, the high energy was quickly disrupted by a quick caution on lap two. Despite this, Shepherd managed to maintain his momentum and had a great start after the restart, with Hoose attempting to pass Tiernan but ultimately settling back into the original qualifying order. As the race progressed, most of the track soon settled into single-file racing by lap 12, with all drivers trying to preserve their tires for later in the race.
By lap 32, Shepherd and Tiernan had managed to establish a comfortable lead of two seconds over the rest of the pack, with both drivers racing within two-tenths of a second of each other since the last restart. This lead between the top two extended to an impressive three seconds by lap 46, before a caution was called. The race resumed on Lap 53, with Shepherd once again taking a great start, followed closely by Tiernan and Spies retaining his third spot. Despite a big wreck on lap 61 that brought the race to a short pause, Mark Hertzog made an impressive maneuver to avoid the crash. Lap 68 went green and the top three drivers remained the same, but another chain reaction wreck caused a slowdown. The green flag was thrown again at lap 73, with Spies attempting to pass Tiernan but ultimately coming up short. An uncalled caution caused some intense mix-up of cars briefly, but the top three remained the same. A caution was flown for an unrelated incident on lap 78, and racing resumed on lap 84. However, a caution quickly came out at lap 85 with some cars fighting over real estate. Racing resumed on lap 91, with Shepherd taking the lead and Spies trying to pass Tiernan but ultimately coming up short a second time. Shepherd powered through and ran strong to take the win and his 4th Shootout win, followed by Tiernan in second place and Spies in third.
Overall, both Shepherd and Tiernan managed to dominate the race, but Shepherd proved to be the ultimate victor due to his impressive speed and skill. Although the top three remained consistent throughout the race, the rest of the field had a more dynamic race with numerous cautions and intense battles for positions. Looking ahead, the next season starts on Friday, September 29, at New Smyrna Speedway with the return of the BRL original Friday night race of the Outlaw Modified Series for Round 1 of its 33rd season.
BRL LM S23R11 Recap
16 September 2023
Bootleg Racing League | Season 23 | Round 11
Late Model Series | Five Flags Speedway
The much-awaited culmination of the Gargamel’s Kitchen Late Model Invitational Season 23 was marked by the 300th broadcast of Virtual Grip Network (VGN), and it did not disappoint. The legendary J R Shepherd clinched his 17th Late Model Season Championship with relative ease, having established a significant lead in points.
The race began with Joe Segalla and Ruben Altice in the front row, but second place quickly fell to Joseph Snyder. Further back, tight racing through the rest of the top 10 allowed for side-by-side racing. Joseph Snyder then took the lead away from Joe Segalla, with Ruben Altice following closely behind. The first and only yellow occurred on lap 11.
Green flag racing went back underway on lap 16, with Joseph Snyder and Ruben Altice leading the pack. Donny Moore and John Wilson started creeping up into the podium positions, with J R Shepherd closely behind in 4th by lap 20. J R Shepherd then passed for the 3rd spot on lap 24 and had his sights set on the leaders of Snyder and Moore. On Lap 32, Donny Moore took the lead from Joseph Snyder, bringing J R Shepherd closely behind in second. J R Shepherd then took the lead on lap 35 and retained it through the rest of the race.
The race was riveting, with several side-by-side racing moments before it eventually settled into a single-file race around lap 41. However, the intensity picked up again with an exhilarating fight for positions as tire wear became a factor, leading to J R Shepherd’s 10th triumphant victory of Season 23. John Wilson secured a commendable second position, while Lowell Jewell finished a respectable third on the podium.
Fans can look forward to the upcoming season, Season 24 Round 1, beginning at New Smyrna Speedway on September 30th at 8:55 pm ET in the Gargamel’s Kitchen Late Model Invitational, exclusively on Virtual Grip Network!
Virtual Grip Network 