Buddy Shepherd Earns October Classic Win and SRL Championship

Bakersfield, CA – Buddy Shepherd entered the 36th Annual “JM Environmental Wild West Shootout October Classic” leading Blaine Rocha by a single marker, in the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series championship standings. It the end of the night, Shepherd emerged with his second “October Classic” victory at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (CA) and his first series championship. The win was worth $10,000 and a place beside some of the best racers on the West Coast such as Derek Thorn, Jim Pettit II, Jacob Gomes, Jeremy Doss, M.K. Kanke, Dave Byrd, Ron Strmiska Jr. and Eric Schmidt, just to name a few.

Both Shepherd and Rocha entered the contest confidently, after wins during the 2024 championship season. Shepherd drew first blood grabbing the RaceCals Fast Time Award on the ½-mile oval. Fellow championship rival Dylan Zampa was second quick with Rocha third. With a short field, the distance was reduced to 50 laps and Zampa would sit on the pole with Shepherd alongside. Scott Sanchez and Rocha would fill row number two, with a four car redraw.

Shepherd got a great start and moved to the lead, with Rocha following in the outside line. The two championship contenders would pull away from third-place Zampa, as the former Kulwicki Driver Development Program champion went into tire saving mode, knowing there would be a Competition Caution at the midway point. Over the first 25 laps, Shepherd maintained a narrow lead over the Oakdale, CA driver, as both prepared for the final shootout.

A single file restart greeted the drivers after the Competition Caution, as Shepherd began to pull slowly away from his challengers. But Zampa began to turn up the wick on Rocha, as the two competitors entered the event tied for the lead in the J.M. Environmental “Wild West Shootout” mini-series. Zampa pulled to the inside of Rocha and battled side by side until an official’s caution flew on lap 35 to check fluids from the Rocha Super Late Model.

Once Rocha was cleared, the field took the green again, with Shepherd once again gapping his nearest challengers. It took Zampa only two laps to pull to the inside of Rocha for the runner-up position, as the paired battled back and forth for the runner-up spot. As Shepherd watched the battle in his rearview mirror, the laps began to click off. As the field took the white flag, Shepherd held a one second advantage, as Rocha was able to clear Zampa for second. On the final lap, Zampa dove to the inside of Rocha in Turn 3. Slight contact found Zampa gain ground and just edging Rocha at the finish line for second, and the “Wild West Shootout” title.

Shepherd was the big winner, however, as he crossed the line first to earn his first series championship.

“It is pretty special”, Shepherd exclaimed in Victory Lane! “Me and my dad have been wanting to do this for a long while. We finally had the funds to do it for a whole year. I can’t than Jerry at Port City enough. He has done so much for me. I blew up his phone all day long trying to make this thing better. I just really have to thank Hall Ambulance for being on the hood tonight as well as Doby Hagar Trucking, Schaffer Racing Oil, Advanced Distribution, Pit Viper, PPG, Haddad Dodge, and H&S Body Works.”

The ”October Classic” once again wraps up the 24th season for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour, crowning the series 15th different champion. Buddy Shepherd became only the fourth driver in series history to claim both a Rookie-of-the-Year title, as well as a championship in the series. Congratulations, Buddy!

Celebrating its twenty fourth season in 2024, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.