ORO STATION, ON – Perennial contender Gord Shepherd has confirmed his intentions to return for a fulltime campaign at Sunset Speedway in 2017. ‘The Smoke’ will look to defend the NASCAR Late Model championship he captured last season, after a grueling back-and-forth battle with multi-time Sunset winner Taylor Holdaway that stretched the entirety of the 2016 schedule.

“We’re starting from scratch on opening night,” says Shepherd matter-of-factly. “Being the defending champion doesn’t give us any sort of head start or buffer on the rest of the competition. We’re going to have to work just as hard, if not harder, to defend our championship than we did to win it in the first place”

Shepherd’s Ridge Road Racing outfit worked through much of the early days of 2016 to gain a handle on their newly debuted Hamke Chassis, eventually breaking through to victory lane on July 9^th after a number of podium and top-5 finishes to open the season.

“I’m not sure our season was the ideal championship run from start to finish, but we knew we were getting a better understanding of the car with every start,” says Shepherd with a smile. “We didn’t catch the momentum that I would’ve liked to have had at the beginning of the season, but we worked at it nonstop”

“Every team wants to start the year with a ton of wins, but with a roster like Sunset’s that’s way easier said than done,” adds the longtime Ltd. Late Model standout. “We approached every single week as if our work wasn’t done. We weren’t happy with ‘good enough’ because we knew that we could get more out of this car and out of our team”

Now, armed with one of the best equipment, team and driver combinations in the province, Shepherd is more than ready to continue his winning ways into this season. However, despite his championship label, the second-generation star insists his mindset remains the same.

“It’s a long season – no matter who you are” says the multi-time Barrie Speedway champion. “I think a lot of guys tend to forget that, especially when they have a bad week. We had some bad nights in 2016, but our team knew what we had to do to rebound. You can’t distract yourself with negativity or worry about what your critics are saying about you. At the end of the day, all you can do is try to outwork the team’s you’re racing against”

“We just take things one Saturday at a time,” adds the fan-favourite. “Just like we always have. Whether you’re winning every other week or struggling to put two decent laps together, you can’t ever get ahead of yourself. That’s the mistake that a lot of guys end up making”

Shepherd ended his championship campaign with 2 wins and 18 top-5 finishes across 24 starts, employing the consistency-first strategy that he has become known for during his near two-decade long tenure competing across the Ontario short track scene. Now, midway through the offseason, the Oro Station, ON product is wasting little time preparing for what he hopes will be a second consecutive run towards the top of the standings.

“We all know that Taylor [Holdaway], Travis [Hallyburton] and every other team on the roster are going to come back even stronger than they were last season,” says the veteran. “These guys aren’t working all winter to be as good as they were in 2016. They’re putting in the time to get better - just like we are. We’ll be ready for the challenge on opening night”

“I’ve always wanted to race against the best guys possible. That’s the number one motivator for this team. Sunset’s roster is a difficult one to deal with, and that’s what keeps us coming back every year. Every Saturday is a battle.”

Gord Shepherd’s Sunset Speedway NASCAR Late Model championship defense begins on Saturday, April 29^th when the 2017 season officially kicks off.

photo credit - Dan Little Photography