The Path To The Summer Nationals Part 1 – SPEED SPORT

CONCORD, N.C. — “If you’re going through Hell, keep going.” 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 Hell Tour.

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.

Whether you’re looking at the past or current day, many of dirt racing’s 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).

Each have a rich history with the Summer Nationals, and each have a unique path to getting there. In Part one of this three-part series, we’ll explore how and why each of these national stars found their way to the Hell Tour.

Paths To A Midwestern Summer

Champions of the Hell Tour 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.

Brian Shirley – who now competes full-time with the World of Outlaws – grew up attending Summer Nationals events around his hometown of Chatham, Ill. Then, he became one of the top drivers of the tour with four titles and 42 wins since joining the tour in 2002.

“I think the biggest thing is you get a month’s worth of racing to help you understand where you want to be with your race car,” Shirley said. “You race night in and night out at different racetracks and it gives you an opportunity to keep your brain fresh on what you’re 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’s worth of time.

“I feel like there’s 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’ve 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.”

Dennis Erb Jr. ended the 2000s with three-straight championships from 2007 to 2009. The “Dynamic Duo” of the Carpentersville, Ill., native and crew chief Heather Lyne picked up 25 Hell Tour wins and have participated in at least three or more Summer Nationals races since 2002.

“Growing up in Illinois, I was growing up and going off and hitting them races,” Erb Jr said. “Just 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 race tracks. It was a lot of fun, but we had a good time back then.”

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.

Before packing his bags for Mooresville, N.C., 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 Hell Tour.

“I grew up as a fan of the Summer Nationals,” Hoffman said. “Living 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’t think a guy like (Brandon) Sheppard or (Bobby) Pierce wouldn’t be as good as they are today without the Summer Nationals.

“It’s just a really cool series. It’s super grueling and tough, but it’s been special to me. I’ve 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’ll have to go back for more.”

Oakwood, Ill., 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.

The younger Pierce took his first crack at the Hell Tour at 12-years-old in 2009. Eight years later he eclipsed his dad’s win record and then his title record the following year. By 2022, “The Smooth Operator” amassed five championships and 49 feature wins.

“(Summer Nationals) means a lot to me,” Pierce said. “I 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’s more exciting than the big tours because it’s 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.

“No matter how prepared you can be, you’re probably never prepared enough. There’s always going to be something. If you think it’s rolling good, good luck, cause it’s bound to turn around and vice versa. It’s fun when it’s going your way and it can be hell if it’s not. I love all the racetracks, so I miss it a little bit, though, I don’t miss when it was like 100 degrees and going from track to track with everything torn up.”

Before becoming the winningest champion in World of Outlaws history, a teenaged Brandon Sheppard, from New Berlin, Ill., burst onto the Midwest racing scene in the early 2010s as his dad, Steve Sheppard Jr., entered the twilight stages of his full-time racing career.

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.

“It means a lot to me because that’s where I got to build up the majority of my experience and the first traveling away from home to race was on Summer Nationals,” Sheppard explained. “Even 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.

“It’s always gonna have a special place in me. It’s definitely changed a lot over the years, but overall, it’s always going to be “The Hell Tour” and it’s always gonna be close to me. I hope we can get to pop in and do a few of those races this year. (It’s) something I look forward to over the summer months is seeing which one of those races I’m able to swing in and make.”

Not all Summer Nationals stars were born from its heartland or even started their career there. Some, like Hampton, Georgia’s Ashton Winger, found their way there after already being on a national tour.

Winger made the jump from regional racing in the south to the national ranks in 2020. However, when he couldn’t 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’s back on the World of Outlaws tour full-time in 2025.

“It’s cool to call myself a champion of it,” Winger said. “Anytime your name’s next to guys to Scott (Bloomquist) and Billy (Moyer), Terbo, Bobby (Pierce), (Shannon) Babb, (Brian) Shirley, everybody. It’s just really cool because we’re not really from that area, so we always made it a point to go out in that part of the country and race.”

New Waverly, Texas, 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.

“Terbo” grabbed 11 Feature wins and his first career Late Model championship in what he dubbed “The Fun Tour.”

“It’s cool, I never won a championship of any sort,” Erb said. “I’ve never been that good of a points racer, I’m 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’s how it played out.

“I feel proud to be a part of what we did last year, and it gives everybody some hope to keep going because it’s 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’s not a super late model area, so I don’t have a home-turf advantage. I like to just show up, race, and make it my home track that day.”

No matter where a driver is from or what stage of their career they’re in, there is also a welcoming path to the Hell Tour. In Part II of this series – out on Monday, March 17 – we’ll dive into how each of these drivers dealt with the grueling pace of the tour.