Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., will return to the seat of the Rocket Chassis house car in 2025, taking the reins of an iconic machine that he drove to four World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series titles in a six-year span from 2017-22.

The announcement made Monday by Rocket1 owner Mark Richards comes just two days after Sheppard’s year-long stint as the Longhorn Factory Team driver ended with him clinching his fifth career WoO title at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C.

Richards’s news drop also revealed that Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who was named Rocket1’s driver in March after Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., departed, will remain in the Rocket Chassis fold as he moves to the Bear Lake, Pa.-based Briggs Transport Racing operation as a teammate to his good friend Boom Briggs.

Both Sheppard, 31, and the 50-year-old McCreadie will work closely together while following the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in 2025.

Noting that Rocket 1 Racing is “going through another change,” Richards said in a press release that “the team is excited, our sponsors are excited and we know the sky is the limit for what we can accomplish” with Sheppard, who left the house car after the 2022 season to run family-owned Longhorn entries in a combined effort with Scott Riggs Racing. All the team’s sponsors are returning and several new ones will soon be announced as Sheppard begins his fourth tour of duty with Richards’s group.

Sheppard professed his own excitement in reuniting with Rocket1, a team that helped turn him into a superstar. His family-owned No. B5 program will also field Rocket Chassis that he’ll enter in all but a handful of his appearances away from the Lucas Oil Series.

“My history to date with Rocket1 Racing is pretty spectacular when you step back and take a look at all we’ve been able to do,” Sheppard said. “I’ve learned a lot the past two years and I’m more focused than ever as I look ahead to 2025.”

Richards was also adamant in McCreadie’s continued strong importance to Rocket1 and the Shinnston, W.Va.-based business going forward. He said Rocket1 has established an alliance with Briggs’s program to keep the two teams closely linked.

“Tim took on a tall task this year joining our team after the year started and he did a great job for us,” said Richards. “We’re very grateful for his hard work, and as he moves over to (Briggs’s team) he’ll continue to be an important part of the growth and development we have in motion here at Rocket Chassis.”

McCreadie expressed appreciation for his stretch racing with Rocket1 and looks forward to competing for Briggs’s team.

“After joining Rocket1 Racing (in March) we fought an uphill battle all year, but nobody with the team ever gave up and we clawed our way into Championship Four with Lucas Oil,” McCreadie said. “Boom Briggs and everyone with his team are providing me with an opportunity to continue doing what I love. We’ve got a lot of preparation to do for 2025 and we’re already hard at work with that.”

With McCreadie’s arrival, the 53-year-old Briggs plans to scale back his own action behind the wheel and run a limited schedule.

“Me and Tim have been really good friends for over 20 years,” Briggs said. “Due to my business obligations and him out of a ride, we decided to put this deal together with the support and assistance of Mark Richards. I’m going to still run a limited schedule next year, but our focus sits with giving Tim his best chance to go after another Lucas Oil title and a really successful year.”

Rocket1 Racing has a practice session scheduled with Sheppard on Nov. 13 at Georgia’s Golden Isles Speedway before turning their focus to the 2025 Lucas Oil Series campaign that opens on Jan. 15 at the same track.