Tyler Erb has gone back-to-back with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, collecting his sixth career Hell Tour Feature win Friday night at Tri-City Speedway.
Erb, 27, of New Waverly, TX has dominated the Summer Nationals so far, leading all 30 laps in the main event Wednesday at Peoria Speedway and 26 of the 40 at Tri-City. When he planned to take on Week 1 of the Summer Nationals, did he envision being this successful this early?
“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.”
From fourth on the starting grid, Erb moved his way up to second on the opening lap with a pass on the high side around polesitter Frank Heckenast Jr. and then set his sights on race leader Kye Blight. With each lap, Erb reeled-in Blight as they dipped into lapped traffic.
On Lap 14, Erb reached Blight’s rear bumper and executed a slide job in Turns 1-2. Blight turned it back underneath Erb and drag-raced him down the backstretch, but Erb had the advantage as he sailed around the high side of Turn 3 and sealed 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.”
After taking the lead from Blight, Erb was forced through two restarts but got the advantage each time and led the rest of the way unchallenged to collect 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.”
Before his win in the season opener Wednesday night, Erb had only made two combined starts with the Summer Nationals the past two seasons. He recently announced his departure from the national Late Model scene and is now free to choose where he wants to race. He said the Summer Nationals has been a perfect place for him.
“I like the tracks and my guys are happy,” Erb said. “I just like the style of racing in Ilinois in general … it’s just fun, it creates a lot of options to race and that’s what I like.”
UP NEXT
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models next head for Fairbury Speedway on Saturday, June 15 for another $10,000-to-win program, racing alongside the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be there, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)
Feature (40 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb[4]; 2. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]; 3. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[8]; 4. 44-Blaze Burwell[6]; 5. 22R-Will Roland[3]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[9]; 7. 97-Cody Overton[14]; 8. 25F-Jason Feger[18]; 9. 14JR-Trey Mills[5]; 10. 24H-Mike Harrison[10]; 11. 10-Joseph Joiner[11]; 12. 8-Dillon McCowan[17]; 13. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[13]; 14. 4G-Bob Gardner[20]; 15. 96V-Tanner English[7]; 16. 10K-Daryn Klein[12]; 17. 388-Jackson Hise[16]; 18. 33-Kye Blight[2]; 19. 50K-Kayden Clatt[15]; 20. 11-Gordy Gundaker[21]; 21. 27M-Rodney Melvin[19]; 22. 82-Billy Laycock[23]; 23. 25W-Allen Weisser[22]
Michael Long Leads Flag-to-Flag at Tri-City for Eighth Career Summit Modified Win
Michael Long won the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature at Tri-City Speedway for the second-straight year Friday night.
Long, of Fowler, IL won his Heat and redrew the pole for the main event, jumped out to the lead on Lap 1 and never looked back. He led all 25 laps en route to his eighth career win on the Hell Tour – three of which have come at Tri-City. Long said it’s his experience around the 3/8-mile oval that’s given him the advantage.
“I just have a lot of laps here,” Long said. “I’ve ran here quite a bit over the years and it fits my driving style, always have had success here.”
Long got out to the lead in the opening laps and held off all challengers, crediting a big portion of his win to his starting spot on the pole of the main event.
“It was helpful,” Long said. “With the way the track was, you just kind of had to set a cruising pace and just hang in there. It would’ve been hard to pass back in the field. I think it helped out a lot starting out front.”
Entering the race, Long sat sixth in DIRTcar UMP Modified national points. Getting the win and continuing to race with the Hell Tour will help him climb the rankings.
“I’m actually down on nights right now,” Long said. “I need Summer Nationals to help me get a few more nights in to catch up with the other guys and I think we’ll stack up pretty close.”
UP NEXT
The Summit Modifieds return to action with a visit to Fairbury Speedway on Saturday, June 15, racing alongside the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there stream it on DIRTVision.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 18L-Michael Long[1]; 2. 1D-Dean Hoffman[3]; 3. 99-Hunt Gossum[2]; 4. 14C-Rick Conoyer[4]; 5. 36-Kenny Wallace[14]; 6. 7-Tim Nash[10]; 7. 24S-Jacob Steinkoenig[8]; 8. 111-Treb Jacoby[5]; 9. 42-Clint Young[12]; 10. 5S-Owen Steinkoenig[9]; 11. 1A-Steve Meyer Jr[7]; 12. 4G-Paul Schrempf Jr[19]; 13. 16-Rusty Griffaw[20]; 14. 54-Zachary Hawk[11]; 15. 14-Dalton Lane[13]; 16. 84G-Gary Gross[17]; 17. 00JR-Dave Meyers[21]; 18. 00M-Richard Meyers[15]; 19. 51-Timmy Hill[6]; 20. 8K-Levi Kissinger[16]; 21. 23B-Michael Barrett[18]
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