Brandon Sheppard got glimpses of the front of the field for most of the Wild West Shootout, but he was forced to watch someone else go to Victory Lane — that is, until Sunday night. 

With a $13,000 paycheck on the line in the series finale, Sheppard mashed the go pedal and dominated Sunday's race at Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, AZ, to take the checkers first.

In a finish reminiscent of Don Shaw’s Night 3 win, Sheppard’s engine was giving up on the 50th and final lap around the circuit.

“As soon as I took the white flag, it started vibrating pretty bad,” Sheppard said. “It was a good thing I had a pretty lead. I eased it around and it shut off at the line.”

Sheppard shot away from the field at the drop of the green flag and never looked back, with only brief challenges from Mike Marlar in the opening laps. With cautions bunching the field, Sheppard still had an almost two-second lead at the end, despite his final slow trip around the circuit.

In the five previous nights of racing, Sheppard scored four top fives and had a best finish of third place on Wednesday night. A pair of Northern superstars, Ricky Weiss and Shaw dominated the events by winning two apiece.

However, There is a reason Sheppard is the reigning World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion, and that is because he knows how to step up to the plate in big events — $13,000 is a great payday in any series.

Sheppard was joined on the podium by fellow traveler Mike Marlar, who took the checkers on Friday. Marlar splits his time during the regular season between the Outlaws and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series. Marlar’s consistency during the week allowed him to secure the points championship. He scored five results of fourth or better during the six races.

“I was eyeballin’ that trophy when we got here, thinking to myself that I’d like to that home,” Marlar said.

Meanwhile, the two dominators of the Wild West Shootout finished right behind the pair of veterans. Weiss stood on the final step of the podium, with Shaw finishing fourth.

United States Modified Touring Series standout Cade Dillard rounded out the top five. Another USMTS driver, Ryan Gustin finished sixth as the final driver on the lead lap.

Top 10 Finishers
1. Brandon Sheppard
2. Mike Marlar
3. Ricky Weiss
4. Don Shaw
5. Cade Dillard
6. Ryan Gustin
7. Bobby Pierce
8. Michael Maresca
9. Jake O’Neil
10. Justin Duty