Buddy Shepherd’s decided he wanted to be on four wheels in 2003 at the age of three when his mom and dad bought him a Power Wheels quad. He began racing quads and motorcycles in 2004 at the age of four and raced the next two years racking up an impressive 45 podium finishes.
In 2007 at the age of seven, he was given his first sprint car, a Junior Micro Sprint. That year he claimed Rookie of the Year honors at Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia, CA. Then in 2008 he went on to seven victories and by 2009 he earned the title of Budweiser Grand Prix Champion at Lemoore Raceway by winning seven more races!
Shepherd moved into the Restricted 600 Micro Sprint Class in 2010 and once again earned the Grand Prix Championship honor along with Rookie of the Year by winning three races. Not bad for a kid, just 10-years-old racing against other kids as old as 16!
One of Shepherd’s most memorable seasons is 2011 after earning the titles of King of California and the Tachi Palace Champion. He won seven races in the Restricted 600 Class and one victory in the Stock 600 class in only his second start in the series.
In 2012, Shepherd added asphalt to his racing resume. He competed in every event scheduled with the SPEARS SRL-Southwest Tour Legends Division and made as many trips his schedule would allow to other tracks racing Legends. Without a asphalt track in his home town of Bakersfield, CA, traveling became a must taking his team around Arizona, Nevada and Northern California. He also raced a few dirt races in Northern CA that didn’t conflict with his Legends schedule. Exceeding his expectations, Shepherd racked up a third in the Young Lion Spring Sizzler Series and sixth – out of 40 competitors – in the Young Lions, Semi-Pros, Pros and Masters, earning a starting place in every feature he entered.
But this is the year he calls his Championship year. Shepherd received the best news ever when Kern Co Raceway Park made plans to open for the 2013 season. Immediately he set his goal to win the Inaugural Championship in the Legends Division. It became his focus for the season as he wanted nothing more than to complete this goal in his hometown. After winning four races, earning five fast times, several top-fives and the sweetest victory of all, the 2013 Inaugural KCRP INEX Legends Division Championship, Shepherd celebrated his accomplishment.
And now, he’s making plans to begin the 2014 season. At the age of 14, he continues to grow and by gaining more skills, respecting his fellow competitors and pursuing his love and passion for racing cars. Shepherd says he might be switching gears a bit as he is building a Late Model to race next season. His Championship Legend car is ready to race, so he will be sitting behind the wheel of in one of his two offices next year. Shepherd adds his sincere thanks to his dad, mom, crew, family, sponsors and fans for their support, allowing him to live his dream!
Buddy Shepherd is our next guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR-NHRA Talk, on Monday, November 18, 2013 at 9pm ET. Call 347-996-5176 during the LIVE broadcast to interact with Buddy Shepherd and our Fan4Racing panel.
