(June 14, 2024) Granite City, IL – Tyler Erb continued his dominant run in the 2024 DIRTcar Summer Nationals, securing his sixth career Hell Tour Feature win on Friday night at Tri-City Speedway.
Consistent Domination
The 27-year-old from New Waverly, TX, has been a force to reckon with in the Summer Nationals so far. After leading all 30 laps at Peoria Speedway on Wednesday, Erb led 26 of the 40 laps at Tri-City. When he decided to compete in Week 1 of the Summer Nationals, did he anticipate such early success?
“Yeah, I mean that’s the goal everywhere you go,” Erb said. “It’s hard to win one, let alone two, so it’s best-case scenario right now. Just got to ride the wave, and if it keeps clicking like it is, everybody is happy.”
The Race at Tri-City Speedway
Starting from the fourth position, Erb quickly moved up to second on the opening lap, passing polesitter Frank Heckenast Jr. on the high side. He then set his sights on the race leader, Kye Blight. With each lap, Erb closed the gap, navigating through lapped traffic.
On Lap 14, Erb reached Blight’s rear bumper and executed a slide job in Turns 1-2. Although Blight countered, they drag-raced down the backstretch, but Erb had the upper hand by taking the high side in Turn 3 and completing the pass out of Turn 4.
“[Blight] got into the wall in 1 and 2 and allowed me to get close and followed him for like two laps,” Erb said. “Made a really good corner in 3 and 4, kind of pushed him down the front straightaway. I knew that I needed to at least get ahead of him and try to make him make a mistake and was able to do that.”
Maintaining the Lead
After taking the lead from Blight, Erb faced two restarts but maintained his advantage each time. He led the rest of the way, securing the first $10,000 check of the Summer Nationals season.
“Set sail from there, set my own pace and not run too hard in the rubber and finished the race with enough tire to win.”
Looking Ahead
Before his recent victories, Erb had only made two starts in the Summer Nationals over the past two seasons. After announcing his departure from the national Late Model scene, he now enjoys the freedom to choose his races. The Summer Nationals have provided the perfect platform for him.
“I like the tracks and my guys are happy,” Erb said. “I just like the style of racing in Illinois in general. It’s just fun, it creates a lot of options to race, and that’s what I like.”
Next Stop: Fairbury Speedway
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models will next race at Fairbury Speedway on Saturday, June 15, for another $10,000-to-win event, alongside the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals. Tickets will be available at the gate, and fans can stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Abbreviated Results
- Feature (40 Laps):
- 1-Tyler Erb[4]
- 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]
- 21-Billy Moyer Sr[8]
- 44-Blaze Burwell[6]
- 22R-Will Roland[3]
- 28-Dennis Erb Jr[9]
- 97-Cody Overton[14]
- 25F-Jason Feger[18]
- 14JR-Trey Mills[5]
- 24H-Mike Harrison[10]
- 10-Joseph Joiner[11]
- 8-Dillon McCowan[17]
- 11T-Trevor Gundaker[13]
- 4G-Bob Gardner[20]
- 96V-Tanner English[7]
- 10K-Daryn Klein[12]
- 388-Jackson Hise[16]
- 33-Kye Blight[2]
- 50K-Kayden Clatt[15]
- 11-Gordy Gundaker[21]
- 27M-Rodney Melvin[19]
- 82-Billy Laycock[23]
- 25W-Allen Weisser[22]
