(June 15, 2024) Fairbury, IL – Tyler Erb isn’t just dominating the 39th annual DIRTcar Summer Nationals; he’s rewriting the record books. With his victory on Saturday night at Fairbury Speedway, Erb became the first driver since Billy Moyer Sr. in 2010 to win the first three races of the Summer Nationals.
Historic Triumph
“It’s cool, Billy is one of the top two best I would say,” Erb said. “I’ve never had the opportunity to actually run this deal since I felt like I had a good grasp on racing.”
Unlike his previous wins this week, Erb had to battle fiercely for his latest victory. Starting from the fourth position, Erb quickly navigated to the front, trailing Cody Overton who led the first 10 laps.
The Battle Begins
A caution on Lap 10 saw Erb move up to second, passing Dennis Erb Jr. on the outside and executing a slide job on Max McLaughlin in Turn 4. On the restart, Erb made a bold move, going three-wide with Overton and Erb Jr. to take the lead out of Turn 4. However, the fight for the top spot was far from over.
Following a Lap 14 caution, Erb and Erb Jr. engaged in a side-by-side duel. Erb Jr. eventually took the lead on Lap 26, but as they approached lapped traffic, Erb capitalized on the slower cars to regain the lead on Lap 28.
Rising to the Challenge
“I think I got better when I was next to Dennis because I didn’t have a choice but to run up [the high side],” Erb said. “It was easier to focus on running just the cushion and was able to get a little room.”
Two more caution flags flew before the race concluded, and both times Erb had to fend off former Hell Tour champions Shannon Babb and Jason Feger. Each restart saw Erb get the jump he needed to secure his victory and claim his second consecutive $10,000 prize.
A Long-Awaited Win
Erb began his celebration early with donuts on the track, expressing relief at finally winning at Fairbury.
“I’ve been coming here for like 12 years, I’ve flipped twice here and had a lot of bad luck and self-induced mistakes,” Erb said. “I was excited because we finally won here, it’s tough to do and sometimes it’s good to let a little emotion out.”
Upcoming Race
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models head to Sycamore Speedway on Sunday, June 16. Tickets are available at the gate, and fans can stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Abbreviated Results
- Feature (50 Laps):
- 1-Tyler Erb[4]
- 18-Shannon Babb[8]
- 25-Jason Feger[6]
- 24-Ryan Unzicker[10]
- 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]
- 3S-Brian Shirley[13]
- 11T-Trevor Gundaker[15]
- 97-Cody Overton[1]
- 99-McKay Wenger[5]
- 1W-Donny Walden[7]
- 96-Tanner English[22]
- 32S-Chris Simpson[11]
- 22*-Max McLaughlin[2]
- 25W-Allen Weisser[19]
- 33-Kye Blight[23]
- 14JR-Trey Mills[26]
- 4G-Bob Gardner[24]
- 21-Billy Moyer Sr[9]
- 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[18]
- 84-Myles Moos[20]
- 8-Dillon McCowan[14]
- 10-Joseph Joiner[21]
- 38J-Jake Little[25]
- 27M-Rodney Melvin[17]
- 27-Colby Sheppard[16]
- 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[12]
