2/21/2026
Brandon Sheppard Captures LOLMDS Opener at All-Tech Raceway
Five Nights at Ocala Speedway Up Next
SHINNISTON, W. VA. (Feb. 23, 2026) — Less than a week after hoisting a Gator trophy in the DIRTcar Nationals finale, Brandon Sheppard continued his strong start to the 2026 season by capturing the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) season opener Thursday night at All-Tech Raceway.
Sheppard drove the Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Rocket Chassis Late Model to the $10,000 victory at the Florida oval, topping reigning LOLMDS champion Devin Moran in the 40-lap Wieland Winternationals opener.
“It definitely feels good,” Sheppard said. “We’ve had a really fast race car all of Speedweeks. We just needed a few things to go our way. Mark and the guys have been tweaking on this thing, working hard to get it exactly how I like it. About halfway through last year, I knew coming into this season we were going to be pretty good. It was just a matter of putting the whole package together. We even changed the motor today just as a precaution.”
After wrapping up Speedweeks competition at Volusia Speedway Park, Rocket1 Racing made the nearly two-hour trip north to All-Tech Raceway for the LOLMDS tripleheader. Sheppard raced into Thursday’s feature with a runner-up finish in his heat race before powering past Brandon Overton on lap 16 en route to his 36th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph.
On Friday, Sheppard opened the evening with a heat race victory and followed it with a solid fourth-place finish in the 35-lap main event.
Saturday’s $20,000-to-win finale saw Sheppard secure his spot in the feature with a third-place heat race finish. He advanced two positions in the 50-lap affair to record an eighth-place result.
With three events complete, Sheppard currently sits fourth in the LOLMDS championship standings. Complete results from the tour’s opening weekend are available at www.LucasDirt.com.
The LOLMDS campaign continues this week with five consecutive nights of racing at Ocala Speedway beginning Tuesday, February 24.
Full event details are available at www.OcalaSpeedway.com.
Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Collins Brothers Towing Of St.Cloud, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, Five Star RaceCar Bodies, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Stiles Marine & Maintenance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Fox Racing Shox, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, On Time Body & Graphic, Franklin Enterprises, Bubba Army, Sweet Manufacturing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Accu-Force Shock Service, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, Bazell Race Fuels, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Brinn Transmissions, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, MSD, E3 Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, QuickCar Racing Products, MatMan Designs, Allgaier Performance Parts, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
For the latest news and team updates, visit Rocket1 Racing’s official website at www.Rocket1Racing.com. Fans can also stay connected by subscribing to the official Rocket1 Racing mailing list at https://pages/Rocket1Racing.
Article Credit: Photo by Heath Lawson
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