Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce, and Tyler Erb reminisce about importance of first wins with the Summer Nationals
Drivers never forget their first win. Especially their first with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.
It’s a different euphoria. It may mark a driver’s first Super Late Model victory. It may mark the start of their national recognition. Or it could even mark a resurgence in their career.
In Part I of this series, multiple Summer Nationals champions talked about their path to the Hell Tour. In Part II, they talked about what it takes to be successful on the tour. Here, Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce and Tyler Erb highlight the importance of winning with the Summer Nationals.
Series of Firsts
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals has seen its past champions go through extreme efforts to win, then use that experience to improve at certain events and racetracks.
Brian Shirley recalls a moment in 2012 when he was involved in an accident at LaSalle Speedway. He worked all night on fixing his race car and won the next day at Macon Speedway, en route to his first Hell Tour championship.
“You learn about yourself and life on the tour,” Shirley said. “You learn whether you cannot give up. A lot of people start (Summer Nationals), and it all depends on what obligations and day-to-day things that make them choose to stay on it or not. For us, there’s a certain part of time where you gotta dig deep and find yourself to understand that you gotta make it through the night or move onto the next day.
“One of the early years where we won the championship, we had worked, shit, all night on a racecar, and there’s a lot of willpower and a lot of things that just don’t come easy. Like being able to fix a race car through the night, drive to the next racetrack, and when you’re able to win, there’s so much gratification from not giving up.”
Brian Shirley scored five wins in his 2012 title-winning Hell Tour (Jimmy Dearing Photo)
Brandon Sheppard claims his 2013 championship run was the toughest challenge of his life at 20 years old and is grateful for the chance to find himself while racing for a title against future Illinois rival Bobby Pierce.
Sheppard moved up to the national Late Model ranks and never looked back by becoming an all-time winningest driver with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, earning the most Feature wins (86) and championships (2017, 2019-2021, 2024).
“That was probably the toughest thing I ever did in my life,” Sheppard said about running the Hell Tour. “We had a tough battle with Bobby (Pierce) that year, and a lot of good drivers beating us and running up and down the road together. That was a lot of fun, but that was a grind, and it came down to the last night. I remember we broke the gear in the last night’s Feature and won by a few points, so I was stressed out the whole time.
“Wild times, 20-years-old, I found out my girlfriend at the time was pregnant with my first son. It turned out to be a whole lot of good opportunities, and I give Summer Nationals a lot of credit for some of that because I met most of the people I consider friends today, and that’s where I got recognized in my career. I hope to get to a few of them again this year, and maybe before I retire, run it again a time or two.”
Though he finished second to Sheppard in points, Pierce had a career-defining 2013 when he won his first four Hell Tour Features at Lincoln Speedway, Jacksonville Speedway, Kankakee County Speedway and 34 Raceway.
Pierce said the wins and time on the track helped him improve at facilities like Eldora Speedway and stand out as core memories for the five-time champion.
“My first win at Lincoln, that was $10K to win, and I did it on the bottom,” Pierce said. “I just hugged it down low, super slow, drag racing off the bottom. That was when I was 16, and I won at (LaSalle) a few days later, then I won at (Kankakee). That was kind of a moment where I was noticed more, like a national scene. That was a turning point in my career with how it gave me some confidence to go and win other races and compete.
“In 2013, I didn’t make the (Dirt Late Model) Dream Feature, then we came back in September and sat on the pole for the World 100, led some laps, and ended up finishing fourth. I feel like the Summer Nationals make you better when you’re racing all the time like that. Everyone gets in the routine more and it’s a muscle memory thing too. When you’re racing every night, it’s like riding a bike.”
Bobby Pierce won his first Summer Nationals Feature at Lincoln (Jeff Hall Photo)
Tyler Erb wanted to start the first week of the 2024 Summer Nationals on a high note if he was committed to racing the full slate. “Terbo” won the first four Feature races of the season, clinched the Week 1 championship, and knew where his calling was.
“I think we just work better under stress,” Erb said. “Where we thrive, I think more when we don’t have to sit there and think about it. You just gotta keep racing and I knew we needed to be good off the start if we were even gonna attempt it, and we won every race of the first week. That lit a fire and gave everyone some belief that we can definitely do it and conquer it.
“I think it made me realize that was the conditions I thrive in, and our team does really well in it, so I’m glad I finally did it. I’ve always loved the Hell Tour and wanted to run it, so to be able to do it just verified my mind like ‘Yeah, I might have been right the whole time. This is what I should be doing.’”
You can see these former champions participate in various DIRTcar Summer Nationals races in 2025. To view the full schedule and purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.
The 2025 schedule has drivers set for a challenging 31 races in 34 days.
Read More: 2025 SCHEDULE: 40th Summer Nationals Tour Holds 30 Races in 33 Days
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
