Pete Shepherd III to compete full-time in NASCAR Pinty’s Series

The Amherstburg, Ontario, native is no stranger to racing stock cars in Canada, but Pete Shepherd III will experience a ‘first’ in his career in 2018.

After making 24 starts between 2008 and 2013 in the Pinty’s Series, Shepherd will compete in all 13 events this year and compete for the championship for the first time.

While many new combinations of team and driver often require a learning curve for both, the pairing of Shepherd and Bray could produce immediate results.

Despite making just 24 starts, Shepherd has already scored five NPS wins with two coming in just four starts in 2013.

Shepherd said he and Bray, who made 15 NASCAR Cup Series starts as a driver between 1962 and 1978, have spoken several times over the past few years about teaming up and things came together in late 2017.

“Jim and I connected during the holiday season and we both aligned our expectations for this year,” said Shepherd. “I would love to be the driver who puts Jim in Victory Lane and I think we can do it!”

Last season Shepherd competed in various APC Series and Outlaw Super Late Model races across Ontario.

“Last season we turned laps in some top notch McColl-prepared race cars,” Shepherd said. “We had some solid finishes at the front of the pack against really strong competition, and we want to carry that momentum into this season. It is extremely important to consistently run up front every race if you want to contend for a championship.

“I look forward to showcasing my skills not only on ovals, but road courses as well. I believe that setting this plan to run every event throughout the year will put us in a better place during the latter half of the season.”

Shepherd isn’t wasting any time preparing for the 2018 Pinty’s Series opener at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on May 20.

“We’re working on updating the cars and making sure we have things ready to test and have our cars prepared,” he said. “Although I’ve won races before, we really want to start well right out of the gate and to win races you have to get that first win and we’re working hard to be ready for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.”

Although he hasn’t competed in the NASCAR series since 2013, the 31 year-old driver knows what he needs to do.

“Part of my thought process (as a driver) is to be confident,” he said. “We’ll do our homework this offseason and we want to get to CTMP as prepared and ready as we can be to challenge for a win at the season opener.”