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Brian Shirley sweeps MARS weekend, steals points lead

Brian Shirley enjoyed an exceptional weekend in his Bob Cullen Racing / Thomason Express No. 3s J&J Ventures & Gaming/ Hoker Trucking / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model. (Steve Datema photo)

The Illinois hot shoe swept Friday and Saturday night’s Mid America Racing Series (MARS) competition in Illinois and Indiana to pocket over $10,000 in winnings as he increased his 2021-win tally to four.

“Our team had a great weekend with the MARS Series. When you leave the shop, you hope to put together a weekend where you sweep both shows, and that’s what we were able to do,” Shirley said. “These wins give us added confidence heading into the Show-Me 100 this weekend. There’s a lot of money on the line, and we’re gearing up to take a shot at winning another crown jewel.”

Friday night saw Bob Cullen Racing pilot Brian Shirley follow the MARS Racing Series to Kankakee Motor Speedway (Kankakee, Ill.) for the Big Daddy Scrap 40. With a heat race victory positioning him on the front row for the feature, Brian turned back challenges from Mike Spatola to capture his third win of the season and a $5,000 payday. He finished ahead of Spatola, Taylor Scheffler, Frank Heckenast Jr., and Ryan Unzicker.

On Saturday afternoon at Shadyhill Speedway (Medaryville, Ind.), Shirley lowered the track record in time trials before picking up a heat race win. Leading flag-to-flag in the feature, Brian cruised to his second win in as many nights and fourth of the season over Frank Heckenast Jr., Cody Bauer, Jason Feger, and Logan Nickerson. He collected $5,000. (Jim DenHamer photo)

Brian has taken over the lead in the latest Mars Racing Series point standings. For complete results, please visit www.MARSRacingSeries.com.

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