Brian Shirley sits on his porcelain throne after winning Saturday's rain-shortened Toilet Bowl finale at Clarksville Speedway.
What won the race: Fast qualifier Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., was leading Saturday’s 19th annual Tuckassee Toilet Bowl Classic finale at Clarksville Speedway when wet weather forced officials to cut the feature short with 22 laps complete, giving him a rain-shortened victory worth $7,500. He was ahead of Friday’s preliminary winner Dennis Erb Jr. when the race was declared official just past the halfway mark of the scheduled 40-lap distance.
Quotable: “Over the years Clarksville has been pretty good to me,” Shirley said. “We started out decent on Friday night and got a podium there, and then everybody knew that the weather was coming so we knew it was important to hit everything right to start the night ... we qualified fastest, got to the lead early and then the rain came."
Key notes: Shirley led all 22 laps that were completed before the rain arrived to register his first win of the 2023 season. ... It was Shirley's second career Toilet Bowl victory; he previously won the most unique trophy in Dirt Late Model racing in 2013. ... Erb swapped second place twice with Jadon Frame before securing the position for good on lap eight. ... Tanner English reached third on lap 16 and finished in the spot. ... Josh Rice advanced from mid-pack to finish fourth while Frame faded to fifth in the final rundown. ... Clarksville hosts the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals on April 29 for a $10,053-to-win feature.
Winner's sponsors: Shirley’s Bob Cullen Racing Rocket Chassis carries sponsorship from Thomason Express, Hoker Trucking, J&J Ventures Gaming, Bass Livestock Supplements, Allgeier Performance Parts, East Central Coin, Cheers Chilton and Jayco Construction.
Current weather: Overcast Light Rain, 46°F
Car count: 22
Fast qualifier: Brian Shirley
Time: 13.805 seconds