The same day Brandon Sheppard collected a $100,000 check for his World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series championship in North Carolina, he won in a Dereck Ramirez-owned modified in Texas. He then proceeded to sweep the weekend, winning back-to-back USTMS features at RPM Speedway in Crandall.
“The World of Outlaws event [at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway] was cut short,” Sheppard, of New Berlin, Illinois, said. “I had the offer to drive Dereck’s modified because of that. The World of Outlaws banquet was 9 a.m. on Friday. By 1 p.m. I was on a commercial flight to Texas.”
The trip to Texas provided Sheppard with the perfect race-cation.
“It was a chance to do some low-pressure racing,” said Sheppard. “I needed a getaway. The weather was warm and I got to change things up and do something different.”
Sheppard befriended Ramirez two years ago after pitting next to each other during the Wild West Shootout at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek.
“Dereck asked me if I would want to drive one of his modifieds someday,” Sheppard said. “‘Why not!’ was my reply. I tried it out at 81 Speedway [in Park City, Kansas,] last year, and got a fourth and a second.”
Sheppard said a driver needs to approach racing modifieds differently than late models.
“The biggest difference is that the modifieds don’t steer as well,” said Sheppard. “The air is not good [at providing as much downforce as a late model]; the tires are way smaller. As the conditions get slicker, the modified is a lot more sensitive than a late model. You can’t overdrive a modified and get away with it.”
Brandon Sheppard said he intends to compete once again on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series circuit in 2021. However, you might not have seen the last of Sheppard in a modified.
“If there is any chance to drive Dereck’s car when I’m not racing my late model, I’ll be there,” Sheppard said.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
