{"id":49550,"date":"2025-03-10T11:15:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dirtcar.com\/?p=49550"},"modified":"2025-03-10T11:17:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:17:33","slug":"how-summer-nationals-has-built-molded-dirt-racings-top-stars-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dirtcar.com\/news\/how-summer-nationals-has-built-molded-dirt-racings-top-stars-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"How Summer Nationals Has Built, Molded Dirt Racing\u2019s Top Stars: Part I\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ashton Winger, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr., Nick Hoffman, and Tyler Erb reflect on their paths to the Hell Tour<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going through Hell, keep going.\u201d That quote from Winston Churchill rings true for the top stars of dirt Late Model racing who built their names and reputations on the Summer Nationals <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The grueling journey, which packs 30 or more races into a stretch between June and July has become a proving ground for drivers of all levels that compete with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re looking at the past or current day, many of dirt racing\u2019s top Late Model and Modified drivers cut their teeth on the tour before being promoted to the national level. Among the current group include Summer Nationals champions like Ashton Winger (2023), Bobby Pierce (2015-2017, 2021-2022), Brandon Sheppard (2013), Brian Shirley (2012, 2018-2020), Dennis Erb Jr (2007-2009), Tyler Erb (2024) and Nick Hoffman, who won five Modified Nationals titles (2016, 2019-2022).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each have a rich history with the Summer Nationals, and each have a unique path to getting there. In Part I of this three-part series, we\u2019ll explore how and why each of these national stars found their way to the <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paths to a Midwestern Summer<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Champions of the <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i> come from different backgrounds of familiarity. Some drivers grew up in the American Heartland roots of the Series, while others dreamed of racing the tour despite living outside the area.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian Shirley \u2013 who now competes full-time with the World of Outlaws \u2013 grew up attending Summer Nationals events around his hometown of Chatham, IL. Then, he became one of the top drivers of the tour with four titles and 42 wins since joining the tour in 2002.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing is you get a month\u2019s worth of racing to help you understand where you want to be with your race car,\u201d Shirley said. \u201cYou race night in and night out at different racetracks and it gives you an opportunity to keep your brain fresh on what you\u2019re feeling and the things you need to do to be better after the night. Normally, you go home, and you sit on it for a week\u2019s worth of time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like there\u2019s guys that are considered to be some of the greatest to do it, World of Outlaws champions, and multi-time champions on national tours. So, for me to be able to say I\u2019ve competed with them and have been able to beat them guys on a one-to-one level is an accomplishment for me to realize at some point in time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dennis Erb Jr. ended the 2000s with three-straight championships from 2007 to 2009. The \u201cDynamic Duo\u201d of the Carpentersville, IL native and crew chief Heather Lyne picked up 25 <\/span>Hell Tour <\/span><\/i>wins and have participated in at least three or more Summer Nationals races since 2002.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up in Illinois, I was growing up and going off and hitting them races,\u201d Erb Jr said. \u201cJust being able to get out on the road and race with the group of guys that I grew up watching racing and learn from them, getting familiar with different racetracks. It was a lot of fun, but we had a good time back then.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dennis

Dennis Erb Jr. drives around Michael Kloos in his 2008 win at Macon Speedway (STL Racing Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

Nick Hoffman, who grew up in the heartland of the Summer Nationals, became one of its biggest stars before he turned 30 with five Summit Modified Nationals titles and 69 Feature wins.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before packing his bags for Mooresville, NC and becoming a World of Outlaws star, he visited the local tracks around his hometown of St. Louis, MO to see his dad and uncle race dirt Modifieds and witness his heroes compete in the <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up as a fan of the Summer Nationals,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cLiving in the St. Louis area and being able to watch guys like Shannon Babb, Scott (Bloomquist), and obviously Billy Moyer. A lot of big names that paved their way through the Summer Nationals, and I don\u2019t think a guy like (Brandon) Sheppard or (Bobby) Pierce wouldn\u2019t be as good as they are today without the Summer Nationals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a really cool series. It\u2019s super grueling and tough, but it\u2019s been special to me. I\u2019ve been able to win it five times, and three times where I did it from start to finish. I was hoping to get my first (Late Model win) at Wayne County Speedway last year, so I\u2019ll have to go back for more.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Oakwood, IL native Bobby Pierce was also raised in the soul of the Summer Nationals by his father, Bob Pierce, who won two titles (1992, 1995) and 14 Feature wins between 1990 and 2002.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The younger Pierce took his first crack at the <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i> at 12-years-old in 2009. Eight years later he eclipsed his dad\u2019s win record and then his title record the following year. By 2022, \u201cThe Smooth Operator\u201d amassed five championships and 49 Feature wins \u2013\u202fplacing him third on the <\/span>all-time wins list<\/span><\/a> for the Late Models.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c(Summer Nationals) means a lot to me,\u201d Pierce said. \u201cI grew up watching that stuff. Obviously, being in the prime area for it in Illinois, I feel like the Summer Nationals was always a way to gather around it in Illinois and the other states around. I feel a lot of times that it\u2019s more exciting than the big tours because it\u2019s grassroots racers, mixed in with some good regional guys, and then you get some national guys turn in the mix every now and then and it becomes this grueling series.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter how prepared you can be, you\u2019re probably never prepared enough. There\u2019s always going to be something. If you think it\u2019s rolling good, good luck, cause it\u2019s bound to turn around and vice versa. It\u2019s fun when it\u2019s going your way and it can be hell if it\u2019s not. I love all the racetracks, so I miss it a little bit, though, I don\u2019t miss when it was like 100 degrees and going from track to track with everything torn up.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before becoming the winningest champion in World of Outlaws history, a teenaged Brandon Sheppard, from New Berlin, IL, burst onto the Midwest racing scene the early 2010s as his dad, Steve Sheppard Jr., entered the twilight stages of his full-time racing career.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a successful debut for Rocket1 Racing in 2012, Sheppard returned to his family team and took it to new heights with his first Summer Nationals title in 2013.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to me because that\u2019s where I got to build up the majority of my experience and the first traveling away from home to race was on Summer Nationals,\u201d Sheppard explained. \u201cEven before I started racing, I went with my dad and got to meet all these guys, travel up and down the road and see how it was done and what it took.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always gonna have a special place in me. It\u2019s definitely changed a lot over the years, but overall, it\u2019s always going to be \u201cThe Hell Tour\u201d and it\u2019s always gonna be close to me. I hope we can get to pop in and do a few of those races this year. (It\u2019s) something I look forward to over the summer months is seeing which one of those races I\u2019m able to swing in and make.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Brandon

Brandon Sheppard (left) and Steve Sheppard Jr. (middle) celebrating after a 2013 win at Spoon River Speedway (Jeff Hall Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Not all Summer Nationals stars were born from its heartland or even started their career there. Some, like Hampton, GA\u2019s Ashton Winger, found their way there after already being on a national tour.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Winger made the jump from regional racing in the south to the national ranks in 2020. However, when he couldn\u2019t continue at that level, he found a new home on the Summer Nationals tour. Using the step to rebuild, he finished second in Summer Nationals points in 2021 and then won the title in 2023. Now, he\u2019s back on the World of Outlaws tour full-time in 2025.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to call myself a champion of it,\u201d Winger said. \u201cAnytime your name\u2019s next to guys to Scott (Bloomquist) and Billy (Moyer), Terbo, Bobby (Pierce), (Shannon) Babb, (Brian) Shirley, everybody. It\u2019s just really cool because we\u2019re not really from that area, so we always made it a point to go out in that part of the country and race.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New Waverly, TX gasser Tyler Erb followed a similar path last year. After racing full-time on the national tour with the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Series from 2017 to 2023, he changed course and competed full-time on the Summer Nationals tour last year aboard his Best Performance Motorsports No. 1 Rocket Chassis.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTerbo\u201d grabbed 11 Feature wins and his first career Late Model championship in what he dubbed \u201cThe Fun Tour.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool, I never won a championship of any sort,\u201d Erb said. \u201cI\u2019ve never been that good of a points racer, I\u2019m kind of like a win-or-lose type of guy. That was my mindset the whole time. If you win the most races, you should be in a good position with points, and that\u2019s how it played out.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel proud to be a part of what we did last year, and it gives everybody some hope to keep going because it\u2019s possible. I ran Lucas and Outlaws, and then did [the Hell Tour]. I think it helped me prepare to run it. I never raced at home much. I started in Texas, but it\u2019s not a Super Late Model area, so I don\u2019t have a home-turf advantage. I like to just show up, race, and make it my home track that day.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No matter where a driver is from or what stage of their career they\u2019re in, there is also a welcoming path to the <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i>. In Part II of this series \u2013 out on Monday, March 17 \u2013 we\u2019ll dive into how each of these drivers dealt with the grueling pace of the tour.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2025 edition of the <\/span>Hell Tour<\/span><\/i> begins at the Brownstown Bullring in Brownstown, IL on Tuesday, June 10 \u2013\u202fkicking off a stretch of 31 races in 34 days. For the full series schedule, visit the <\/span>Summer Nationals website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More: <\/span><\/i><\/a>2025 SCHEDULE: 40th Summer Nationals Tour Holds 30 Races in 33 Days<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ashton Winger, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr., Nick Hoffman, and Tyler Erb reflect on their paths to the Hell Tour \u201cIf you\u2019re going through Hell, keep going.\u201d That quote from Winston Churchill rings true for the top stars of dirt Late Model racing who built their names and reputations on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":49553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[576],"tags":[942,621,493,600,499,210,1403,602,665,269],"division":[],"series":[1721,1722],"regions":[],"class_list":["post-49550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ashton-winger","tag-bobby-pierce","tag-brandon-sheppard","tag-brian-shirley","tag-dennis-erb-jr","tag-featured","tag-late-models","tag-nick-hoffman","tag-tyler-erb","tag-ump-modifieds","series-dirtcar-summer-nationals","series-summit-modified-nationals"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Summer Nationals Has Built, Molded Dirt Racing\u2019s Top Stars: Part I\u00a0 - 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