MANSFIELD, Ohio (Aug. 23) — Getting the lead in Friday night’s first 30-lap Dirt Million Duel at Mansfield Motor Speedway was the easy part for Brandon Sheppard. Staying there was a slight more difficult endeavor.

Sheppard, 26, of New Berlin, Ill., wasn't headed after overtaking polesitter Kent Robinson of Bloomington, Ind., for the top spot on lap two, but he had to adjust his groove several times to maintain command — first as Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., began closing in running the cushion at mid-race, and then when Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., drew within striking distance soon after passing Pearson for second on lap 21.

There were certainly some tense moments down the stretch for Sheppard, but he made the right moves in the Rocket Chassis house car to beat Owens’s XR1 Rocket by 0.724 of a second for a $10,000 winner’s check on the second preliminary night of the second annual Dirt Million weekend. The 21st overall victory of Sheppard’s spectacular 2019 season also earned him a spot among the top-six starters in Saturday’s big-money, 100-lap finale sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

“I’m definitely excited to be in the dash tomorrow,” said Sheppard, who will battle in the dash with the weekend’s three other preliminary feature winners and the top two non-winners in the combined points standings. “I don’t have to worry about making the race so that’s good. We’re in the show. We’ll tune on it a little bit and see what we’ve got for this dash.”

Pearson settled for a third-place finish in the Black Diamond house car, hot on Owens’s tail at the checkered flag. Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., finished fourth after running as high as third in the Rum Runner Racing XR1 Rocket and Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., charged from the 15th starting spot to place fifth in the SSI Motorsports Longhorn.

Sheppard appeared primed to drive away to a runaway triumph after building an advantage of over 3 seconds by the time the race’s lone caution flag flew on lap nine when Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who won a Duel on Thursday, slowed on the homestretch and retired from further action. But he didn’t reestablish his firm control of the event following the restart as Pearson grabbed second from Robinson and began to present himself as a serious challenger by ringing the extreme outside of the 4/10-mile oval.

With Sheppard looking vulnerable running the inside of the track, his crewmen signaled from the infield for him to move to the cushion. Sheppard did just that to stave off Pearson’s advance, but remaining in the correct groove after Owens overtook Pearson for second on lap 21 and began to close in kept B-Shepp on his toes.

“It was really hard,” Sheppard said keeping his rivals behind him. “They got the track really good right now and the line was kind of wherever you could make your car go wherever there wasn’t traffic in front of you.

“When we got to lapped cars (late in the race) I really didn’t know what to do there. My crew guys are awesome and they kept me up to date on where we needed to be on the racetrack. It was tricky. I felt good around the top in three and four and I felt good around the bottom; the middle was pretty dusty. One and two I felt good all over.”

There were stretches when Sheppard wasn’t quite sure where needed to be on the racetrack, but he didn’t let anyone pass him.

“I thought they were crazy down there,” Sheppard of his crewmen signaling him from inside of turn one. “At one point I think both of ‘em were telling me to do something different. It was definitely wild out there, but they were doing the best they could and I was doing the best I could.”

Owens, 47, seemed happy afterward just to have provided Sheppard a challenge en route to a runner-up finish. He showed great improvement from his 10th-place finish in a Thursday Duel.

“It was definitely hands-down better than how we ran last night,” said Owens, who started third but slipped as far back as sixth early in the race. “It’s good to be battling for the win up there. Brandon, he’s one of the toughest guys in the country right now, so to be able to have him moving around and looking over his shoulder the whole race, that was pretty awesome.

“For some reason I can’t get my tires to fire as quick some of those guys. It took a little while for my right-rear to get fired up, but one it got going we started rolling really good.”

The 47-year-old Pearson also made big strides from opening night, giving himself some satisfaction after finishing third as he positions himself to chase a second straight Dirt Million triumph.

“We got up on the cushion and done our thing, which is unusual for me,” said Pearson, who is known for running the bottom lane. “We weren’t bad up there, but when Brandon moved up there was dirty air up there and we couldn’t do much after that.

“All in all, from last night (a 12th-place finish) to tonight, we’ll take it. We’ve got some work to do, no doubt, to get ourselves back in the winner’s circle tomorrow night, but we’re getting closer. We’ll keep tuning on it.”

Preliminary results and notes:

First Duel feature lineup

Row 1: Kent Robinson, Brandon Sheppard
Row 2: Jimmy Owens, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 3: Brandon Overton, Bobby Pierce
Row 4: Shane Clanton, Max Blair
Row 5: Gordy Gundaker, Ryan Markham
Row 6: Brian Shirley, Scott Bloomquist
Row 7: Doug Drown, Shannon Babb
Row 8: Hudson O’Neal, Dan Angelicchio
Row 9: Johnny Scott, Mike Benedum
Row 10: Stormy Scott, David Scott
Row 11: Devin Moran

Consolation

Outside polesitter David Scott shot to an early lead, as Greg Oakes and Donald McIntosh battled for third. The top two cars distanced themselves from the field at the halfway mark, as second-running Stormy Scott closed in on the race leader. Stormy Scott pulled alongside David Scott at the line on lap eight, nosing ahead to take the lead one lap later. Stormy Scott won the consolation, with David Scott finishing second to transfer to the feature.

Finish (top two transfer): Stormy Scott, David Scott, Donald McIntosh, Greg Oakes, Eddie Carrier Jr., Ryan Missler, Robby Hensley, Brett Bee, Steve Sabo.

Consolation lineup

(12 laps; top two transfer)
Row 1: Stormy Scott, David Scott
Row 2: Donald McIntosh, Brent Bee
Row 3: Steve Sabo, Greg Oakes
Row 4: Robby Hensley, Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 5: Ryan Missler

Third heat

Slipping past outside polesitter Gordy Gundaker in turns one and two, third-starting Kent Robinson edged ahead of polesitter Brandon Overton out of turn four to take an early lead. Overton rallied back on the fourth lap, running almost door-to-door with Robinson at the line. Both Scott Bloomquist and Hudson O’Neal were on the move, with Bloomquist advancing from sixth to fourth and O’Neal from ninth to fifth by the eighth lap. Robinson went on to win the heat, with Overton and Gundaker rounding out the podium.

Finish (top six transfer): Kent Robinson, Brandon Overton, Gordy Gundaker, Scott Bloomquist, Hudson O’Neal, Mike Benedum, Donald McIntosh, Greg Oakes, Ryan Missler.

Second heat

Polesitter Earl Pearson Jr. slipped over the berm in turn two, allowing Brandon Sheppard and Shannon Babb to power ahead. A yellow flag waved on the first lap when Johnny Scott and David Scott spun in turns one and two; Eddie Carrier Jr. retired under the caution with drive shaft problems. Second-running Babb also headed to the pit area under the yellow flag with a flat left-front tire. Sheppard began stretching his lead on the restart, as Babb quickly shot back to fifth. It was a tight battle for second at the halfway mark, with Brian Shirley challenging Pearson on the low side. Holding a straightaway lead, Sheppard won the heat, with Pearson finishing second. Max Blair overtook Shirley on the final lap to run third.

Finish (top six transfer): Brandon Sheppard, Earl Pearson Jr., Max Blair, Brian Shirley, Shannon Babb, Johnny Scott, David Scott, Steve Sabo, Eddie Carrier Jr.

First heat

Front-row starters Jimmy Owens and Doug Drown raced side-by-side down the backstretch, with Owens edging ahead out of turn four to lead the first lap. Overtaking Drown on the second circuit, Shane Clanton set his sights on Owens, with a yellow flag waving one lap later when fifth-running Robby Hensley came to a stop in the top of turns three and four. Owens maintained his lead on the restart, with Bobby Pierce overtaking third-running Drown to challenge Clanton for second. Pierce and Clanton raced door-to-door for a couple of laps with Pierce nosing ahead at the line to take second on the eighth circuit. Owens won the heat, with Pierce holding off a last-lap challenge from Clanton to run second.

Finish (top six transfer): Jimmy Owens, Shane Clanton, Bobby Pierce, Ryan Markham, Doug Drown, Dan Angelicchio, Stormy Scott, Brett Bee, Robby Hensley.

First Duel heat lineups

(10 laps; top six transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Jimmy Owens, Doug Drown
Row 2: Shane Clanton, Bobby Pierce
Row 3: Robby Hensley, Ryan Markham
Row 4: Dan Angelicchio, Stormy Scott
Row 5: Brent Bee
Second heat
Row 1: Earl Pearson Jr., Shannon Babb
Row 2: Brandon Sheppard, Max Blair
Row 3: Brian Shirley, David Scott
Row 4: Johnny Scott, Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 5: Steve Sabo
Third heat
Row 1: Brandon Overton, Gordy Gundaker
Row 2: Kent Robinson, Ryan Missler
Row 3: Donald McIntosh, Scott Bloomquist
Row 4: Mike Benedum, Greg Oakes
Row 5: Hudson O’Neal

Qualifying

Tripping the clock with a time of 17.217 seconds, Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., was the fastest qualifier for Friday’s First Duel. He’ll start on the pole of the evening’s first heat race. Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., will join Owens as heat race polesitters in the First Duel.

Pre-race notes

Wonderful weather conditions prevail for the second night of the Dirt Million weekend with high temperatures settling in the lower 70s under partly sunny skies. Almost fall-like temps dropping into the 50s are expected this evening with virtually no chance of rain; Saturday’s forecast is nearly identical. … The 54-car field is down two from Thursday’s roster following the early departure of Zack Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., and Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa. Both drivers experienced problems at the start of Thursday’s program. … Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan., was extremely happy with the performance of his XR1 Rocket car after finishing a close second to Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., in Thursday’s second 30-lap Duel. “My car felt good all over the place honestly,” Junghans said. “But we’ve been good in shows like these (preliminaries to major events) and then sucked on Saturday, so hopefully we put together a complete weekend this time.” … Michael Norris of Sarver, Pa., registered his first top-five finish since joining Clint Bowyer Racing in late June as the fill-in driver for the sidelined Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., placing fourth in the first 30-lap Duel after falling from the outside pole to sixth and then rallying late in the distance. “It feels good to run like that,” Norris said. “My car really felt good. I’m excited for the rest of the weekend.” … The 55-year-old O’Neal, who has been out of action since undergoing surgery for torn ligaments in his knee, is spectating at Mansfield to watch Norris and his son Hudson. O’Neal also has another duty this weekend alongside his wife: they’re babysitting Don’s toddler grandchild, the daughter of his older son Houston. … Gordy Gundaker of St. Charles, Mo., was the only driver not running at the finish of Thursday’s first Duel. He retired with five laps remaining after his car’s motor mounts broke; his engine then dropped down slightly, causing the fan to get into he rack-and-pinion and bust the radiator. His crew welded the motor mounts back to the frame for Friday’s action. … Ryan Markham of Ashland, Ohio, has his battle-tested 2016 Swartz car repaired from significant damage it sustained when he smashed the inside wall entering turn three during Thursday’s time trials. He had to use a Port-A-Power to straighten the mount’s front clip and replace most of the front suspension components and the radiator, but he’s ready to go. “I went home last night, went to O’Brien’s (a favorite bar) and a couple beers and something to eat and then went to sleep,” Markham said. “I got up this morning and we worked from about 11 (a.m.) to 3:30 (p.m.) to get the car finished up.”

Pre-race setup

The Dirt Million action continues Friday at Mansfield Motor Speedway with another set of $10,000-to-win preliminary events. The winner of each of the night’s features is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday’s finale.

Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., were the winners of Thursday’s prelims. The pair is among the six drivers that will be locked in to the Dirt Million Dash, which will set the first six rows of Saturday’s feature lineup.

Friday’s program will be identical to Thursday’s, with the field split into two duels. Drivers will qualify within their respective group, with each program including three heat races, one consolation and a 30-lap feature. The top six finishers from each heat will transfer to their respective feature, with the heat race winners redrawing for starting spots 1-3 and second-place finishers redrawing for spots 4-6.

The top two finishers from each of Thursday’s consolations will transfer to their respective feature. If needed, Lucas Oil Series provisionals will make up the final row of each feature lineup. Drivers must have perfect attendance with the series to qualify for a provisional. Series provisionals will not be awarded for Saturday’s finale.

Drivers will earn points based on their performance in Thursday and Friday’s preliminary events. Saturday’s heat race lineups will be determined by points accumulated over the first two nights of preliminary action.

Time trial results

Driver (car no.), hometown, time
Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 17.217
Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., 17.359
Brandon Overton (2), Evans, Ga., 17.438
Doug Drown (12d), Wooster, Ohio, 17.532
Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 17.544
Gordy Gundaker (11), St. Charles, Mo., 17.650
Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 17.655
Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 17.656
Kent Robinson (7R), Bloomington, Ind., 17.745
Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 17.822
Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 17.902
Ryan Missler (50Y), Bellevue, Ohio, 17.924
Robby Hensley (21H), Walton, Ky., 17.938
Brian Shirley (3S), Chatham, Ill., 17.958
Donald McIntosh (7), Dawsonville, Ga., 18.081
Ryan Markham (5m), Ashland, Ohio, 18.096
David Scott (4s), Garland, Pa., 18.150
Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 18.167
Dan Angelicchio (14A), New Stanton, Pa., 18.187
Johnny Scott (1st), Las Cruces, N.M., 18.296
Mike Benedum (25), Salem, W.Va., 18.442
Stormy Scott (2), Las Cruces, N.M., 18.555
Eddie Carrier Jr. (10), Salt Rock, W.Va., 18.609
Greg Oakes (22), Franklinville, N.Y., 18.967
Brett Bee (8b), Mansfield, Ohio, 19.311
Steve Sabo (16), Fremont, Ohio, 19.523
Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 19.877

Friday’s schedule

5 p.m. Drivers meeting
5:30 p.m.: Hot laps
6 p.m.: Time trials
7 p.m.: Opening ceremonies
- First duel heat races (10 laps)
- Second duel heat races (10 laps)
- First duel consolations (12 laps)
- Second duel consolations (12 laps)
- First duel feature (30 laps)
- Second duel feature (30 laps)