Tyler Erb Achieves 20th Career Summer Nationals Triumph in Dominance at Spoon River
Photo by Mike Ruefer
LEWISTOWN, Ill.—Tyler Erb is back to championship form.
Chasing his second title with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models in 2025, the New Waverly, TX driver closed back in on Jason Feger towards the overall points lead with 11 races remaining with a masterclass around Spoon River Speedway.
Erb rolled off from the front row alongside Rodney Melvin for the Wednesday night Feature, with Melvin taking the lead from the bottom lane.
Erb’s Rocket Chassis worked to find his pace on the cushion through the early stages, which helped him gain enough momentum to make a charge for the lead at the finish line. “Terbo” had enough clearance on Melvin into Turn 1 to slice down to the bottom lane to block Melvin’s move and secure the lead.
The Best Performance Motorsports No. 1 was able to grow the bubble between the car and the field as Bob Gardner and Tyler Millwood battled Melvin for the podium positions.
As the lapped traffic interrupted Erb’s three-second lead, Gardner and Millwood steadily reeled back into the chase for the win.
While Gardner and Millwood got to within one second of the lead, they were unable to reach Erb in time as he took the 20th checkered flag of his Hell Tour career.
“Just be patient,” Erb said. “Obviously, to pull out of line and pass a lap car would have been tough. If they make a mistake, you gotta capitalize and try to get by them. You get a chance to win races like this when you qualify good, and win your Heat race. We did everything correct tonight. It was a really good night for our team, and really fun.”
DIRTCAR LATE MODEL RESULTS
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 4G-Bob Gardner[3]; 3. 31M-Tyler Millwood[5]; 4. 27M-Rodney Melvin[1]; 5. 5-Mark Whitener[4]; 6. 25F-Jason Feger[7]; 7. 14-Haiden Cowan[6]; 8. 18-Shannon Babb[9]; 9. 29-Christian Hanger[8]; 10. 28B-Carson Brown[10]; 11. 33-Mike Harrison[13]; 12. 89-Mike Spatola[16]; 13. 17SR-Brody Smith[11]; 14. 17SS-Brenden Smith[12]; 15. 14JR-Trey Mills[15]; 16. 15-Clay Stuckey[19]; 17. 55-Eli Johnson[14]; 18. 388-Jackson Hise[22]; 19. 75-Dillon McCowan[18]; 20. 13-Dylan Thornton[17]; 21. (DNF) 44-Blaze Burwell[20]; 22. (DNF) A9-AJ May[21]
Last Chance Showdown (B-Main) (10 Laps): 1. 89-Mike Spatola[1]; 2. 13-Dylan Thornton[3]; 3. 75-Dillon McCowan[4]; 4. 5S-Kyle Hammer[14]; 5. 44-Blaze Burwell[13]; 6. 90-Brian Rickman[7]; 7. 81-Jason Riggs[5]; 8. 15-Clay Stuckey[9]; 9. 38-Thomas Hunziker[6]; 10. 32XXX-Cam Harris[12]; 11. A9-AJ May[2]; 12. 81F-Jadon Frame[10]; 13. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[8]; 14. (DNS) 22-Toby Massie; 15. (DNS) 388-Jackson Hise
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 27M-Rodney Melvin[1]; 2. 5-Mark Whitener[3]; 3. 25F-Jason Feger[2]; 4. 28B-Carson Brown[6]; 5. 33-Mike Harrison[4]; 6. 89-Mike Spatola[5]; 7. 75-Dillon McCowan[7]; 8. 90-Brian Rickman[10]; 9. 81F-Jadon Frame[8]; 10. 44-Blaze Burwell[9]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 4G-Bob Gardner[1]; 2. 31M-Tyler Millwood[3]; 3. 29-Christian Hanger[2]; 4. 17SR-Brody Smith[8]; 5. 55-Eli Johnson[4]; 6. A9-AJ May[6]; 7. 81-Jason Riggs[7]; 8. (DNF) 21XXX-Neil Baggett[5]; 9. (DNF) 22-Toby Massie[10]; 10. (DNS) 5S-Kyle Hammer
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 14-Haiden Cowan[2]; 3. 18-Shannon Babb[3]; 4. 17SS-Brenden Smith[7]; 5. 14JR-Trey Mills[4]; 6. 13-Dylan Thornton[10]; 7. 38-Thomas Hunziker[8]; 8. 15-Clay Stuckey[6]; 9. 32XXX-Cam Harris[9]; 10. 388-Jackson Hise[5]
Qualifying 1 (2 Laps): 1. 27M-Rodney Melvin, 00:13.284[9]; 2. 25F-Jason Feger, 00:13.388[4]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener, 00:13.473[2]; 4. 33-Mike Harrison, 00:13.485[5]; 5. 89-Mike Spatola, 00:13.561[1]; 6. 28B-Carson Brown, 00:13.573[3]; 7. 75-Dillon McCowan, 00:13.639[8]; 8. 81F-Jadon Frame, 00:13.770[10]; 9. 44-Blaze Burwell, 00:13.787[7]; 10. 90-Brian Rickman, 00:13.980[6]
Qualifying 2 (2 Laps): 1. 4G-Bob Gardner, 00:13.242[5]; 2. 29-Christian Hanger, 00:13.277[3]; 3. 31M-Tyler Millwood, 00:13.623[10]; 4. 55-Eli Johnson, 00:13.745[2]; 5. 21XXX-Neil Baggett, 00:13.749[1]; 6. A9-AJ May, 00:13.763[6]; 7. 81-Jason Riggs, 00:13.769[9]; 8. 17SR-Brody Smith, 00:13.794[7]; 9. (DNF) 5S-Kyle Hammer[8]; 10. (DNS) 22-Toby Massie
Qualifying 3 (2 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb, 00:13.499[9]; 2. 14-Haiden Cowan, 00:13.548[4]; 3. 18-Shannon Babb, 00:13.587[1]; 4. 14JR-Trey Mills, 00:13.684[3]; 5. 388-Jackson Hise, 00:13.821[5]; 6. 15-Clay Stuckey, 00:13.902[6]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith, 00:13.944[7]; 8. 38-Thomas Hunziker, 00:13.968[8]; 9. 32XXX-Cam Harris, 00:14.111[2]; 10. (DNF) 13-Dylan Thornton, 00:14.111[10]
DIRTCAR SUMMER NATIONALS OVERALL DRIVER STANDINGS
Points Updated: July 2, 2025
Pos # Driver Hometown Points Gap Wins Top 5 Top 10 Features
1 #25F Jason Feger Bloomington, IL 1060 -0 4 9 13 18 WEEK 1 CHAMP
2 #1 Tyler Erb New Waverly, TX 1037 -23 5 9 14 18
3 #75 Dillon McCowan Urbana, MO 831 -229 0 2 10 18
4 #5 Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL 791 -269 0 4 7 16
5 #40B Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL 769 -291 0 2 8 17
6 #14JR Trey Mills St. Augustine, FL 735 -325 1 1 5 14
7 #31M Tyler Millwood Kingston, GA 718 -342 0 2 5 12
8 #29 Christian Hanger Winchester, TN 677 -383 0 1 4 15
9 #15 Clay Stuckey Shreveport, LA 657 -403 0 1 1 15
10 #388 Jackson Hise Ocala, FL 606 -454 0 0 1 9
15 #B5 Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL 510 -550 1 6 7 7 WEEK 3 CHAMP
27 #19R Ryan Gustin Marshalltown, IA 339 -721 1 4 6 6 WEEK 2 CHAMP
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TYLER NICELY TIES RAY BOLLINGER FOR FOURTH ALL-TIME SUMMIT MODIFIED NATIONALS WINS AT SPOON RIVER
LEWISTOWN, Ill. -- With 12 races remaining in the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals season, Tyler Nicely has a chance at scoring his second career title in 2025.
Through the last five races, the Owensboro, KY veteran has won three, with his most recent triumph coming on Wednesday night at Spoon River Speedway.
Nicely began the night with a Heat race win, which helped him draw the Pole Position for the night’s 25-lap Feature.
Starting alongside fellow Owensboro native Cole Falloway, Nicely took command from the drop of the green flag while Falloway followed behind the No. 25 Elite Chassis.
While Falloway stayed within a one-second gap to Nicely, the two cars extended their lead to over four seconds on third-place Allen Weisser.
Falloway attempted the cushion and the middle lanes of the 3/8-mile racetrack, but held him back as he was the first to witness Nicely capture the twin checkered flags for the third time in 2025.
Nicely’s win also marked the 14th of his career, which ties him with Ray Bollinger for fourth on the all-time wins list for the Summit Modified Nationals.
“I know he’s not gonna go in there and wreck me,” Nicely said. “I knew I just wanted to set the pace. I didn’t want to get into lap traffic where there was no place to go. It just shows we’re out here tonight, and I can’t thank my crew enough.”
Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals return to LaSalle Speedway for the first time since 2021 in the Freedom 40 on Thursday, July 3.
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.
DIRTCAR UMP MODIFIED RESULTS
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[1]; 2. 66-Cole Falloway[2]; 3. 12-Allen Weisser[3]; 4. 292-Josh Allen[4]; 5. 96M-Mike McKinney[5]; 6. 09-Michael Ledford[9]; 7. C40-Mike Chasteen Jr[6]; 8. 77-Ray Bollinger[7]; 9. 05-Dave Wietholder[10]; 10. 3-Mike Brooks[12]; 11. 45H-Chase Holland[15]; 12. 97-Charles Hess[13]; 13. 27G-Jason Garver[19]; 14. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[11]; 15. 21D-John Dimmitt[17]; 16. 49B-Zach Brandt[14]; 17. 69-Riley Roberts[8]; 18. (DNF) 75-Daniel Adam[18]; 19. (DNF) 03B-Mark Burgtorf[16]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 12-Allen Weisser[1]; 2. 292-Josh Allen[3]; 3. 77-Ray Bollinger[2]; 4. 05-Dave Wietholder[4]; 5. 97-Charles Hess[5]; 6. 03B-Mark Burgtorf[6]; 7. 27G-Jason Garver[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[2]; 2. 96M-Mike McKinney[1]; 3. 69-Riley Roberts[3]; 4. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[5]; 5. 49B-Zach Brandt[4]; 6. 21D-John Dimmitt[6]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 66-Cole Falloway[1]; 2. C40-Mike Chasteen Jr[3]; 3. 09-Michael Ledford[4]; 4. 3-Mike Brooks[5]; 5. 45H-Chase Holland[6]; 6. 75-Daniel Adam[2]
Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 12-Allen Weisser, 00:14.535[5]; 2. 77-Ray Bollinger, 00:14.626[7]; 3. 292-Josh Allen, 00:14.655[2]; 4. 05-Dave Wietholder, 00:14.930[3]; 5. 97-Charles Hess, 00:15.064[1]; 6. 03B-Mark Burgtorf, 00:15.076[6]; 7. 27G-Jason Garver, 00:15.135[4]
Qualifying 2 (3 Laps): 1. 96M-Mike McKinney, 00:14.480[1]; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely, 00:14.664[2]; 3. 69-Riley Roberts, 00:15.188[5]; 4. 49B-Zach Brandt, 00:15.217[4]; 5. 23B-Ethan Boomsma, 00:15.244[6]; 6. 21D-John Dimmitt, 00:16.286[3]
Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 66-Cole Falloway, 00:14.281[4]; 2. 75-Daniel Adam, 00:14.607[6]; 3. C40-Mike Chasteen Jr, 00:14.688[1]; 4. 09-Michael Ledford, 00:14.751[5]; 5. 3-Mike Brooks, 00:14.793[2]; 6. 45H-Chase Holland, 00:14.992[3]
SUMMIT MODIFIED NATIONALS STANDINGS
Points Updated: July 2, 2025
Pos # Driver Hometown Points Gap Wins Top 5 Top 10 Features
1 #777 Trevor Neville Mackinaw, IL 685 -0 1 7 8 12
2 #45H Chase Holland Success, MS 641 -44 1 5 9 14
3 #75 Daniel Adam Peru, IL 463 -222 0 1 5 10
4 #66 Cole Falloway Owensboro, KY 434 -251 0 4 8 8
5 #1A Steve Meyer Caseyville, IL 395 -290 0 1 4 10
6 #37 Michael Ledford Pontiac, IL 381 -304 2 4 5 6
7 #23B Ethan Boomsma Wheatfield, IN 327 -358 0 0 1 7
8 #77 Ray Bollinger Kewanee, IL 304 -381 0 3 5 5
9 #25 Tyler Nicely Owensboro, KY 292 -393 3 3 3 4
10 #24Z Zeke McKenzie Claypool, IN 244 -441 0 2 2 3
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DIRTcar Pro Late Models
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[1]; 2. 54-Tommy Elston[4]; 3. 19-Jeff Dotzert[3]; 4. 5-Jason Oenning[5]; 5. 7Z-Michael Maestas[6]; 6. 25-Dakota Ewing[2]; 7. 17-Ian Logan[7]; 8. (DNS) 96-Bobby Brandon
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[1]; 2. 25-Dakota Ewing[7]; 3. 19-Jeff Dotzert[2]; 4. 54-Tommy Elston[4]; 5. 5-Jason Oenning[5]; 6. 7Z-Michael Maestas[6]; 7. 17-Ian Logan[3]; 8. (DNS) 96-Bobby Brandon
Qualifying 1: 1. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer, 00:14.526[3]; 2. 19-Jeff Dotzert, 00:14.903[6]; 3. 17-Ian Logan, 00:15.221[5]; 4. 54-Tommy Elston, 00:15.432[1]; 5. 5-Jason Oenning, 00:15.534[4]; 6. 7Z-Michael Maestas, 00:16.333[8]; 7. 25-Dakota Ewing, 01:06.180[7]; 8. (DNS) 96-Bobby Brandon
B Modifieds
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 292-Jake Allen[1]; 2. M16-Blake Monroe[3]; 3. 24B-Brent Weaver[2]; 4. 47-Dakota Traver[4]; 5. 88-Steve David[5]; 6. 6PACK-TJ Bolen[6]
Qualifying 1: 1. 292-Jake Allen, 00:15.217[2]; 2. 24B-Brent Weaver, 00:15.335[5]; 3. M16-Blake Monroe, 00:15.674[4]; 4. 47-Dakota Traver, 00:15.764[3]; 5. 88-Steve David, 00:15.829[1]; 6. (DNS) 6PACK-TJ Bolen
DIRTcar Sport Compact
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. J28-Jeremy Hancock[1]; 2. 501-Matthew Mackey Jr[3]; 3. 30J-Nick Johnson[11]; 4. 79-Ryan Harbaugh[10]; 5. 71C-Brandon Cornwell[6]; 6. B55-Haylee Mackey[12]; 7. 27B-bryce baker[8]; 8. 32G-Will Grosclaude[5]; 9. H28-Huntley McMullen[9]; 10. 7C-Spencer Coats[2]; 11. 17K-Hunter Kelley[7]; 12. (DNS) 01-Matthew Mackey
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. J28-Jeremy Hancock[1]; 2. 501-Matthew Mackey Jr[4]; 3. 32G-Will Grosclaude[3]; 4. 17K-Hunter Kelley[5]; 5. H28-Huntley McMullen[6]; 6. 30J-Nick Johnson[2]
Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 7C-Spencer Coats[3]; 2. 01-Matthew Mackey[1]; 3. 71C-Brandon Cornwell[2]; 4. 27B-bryce baker[4]; 5. 79-Ryan Harbaugh[6]; 6. B55-Haylee Mackey[5]
Qualifying 1: 1. J28-Jeremy Hancock, 00:17.434[1]; 2. 01-Matthew Mackey, 00:17.439[3]; 3. 30J-Nick Johnson, 00:17.492[11]; 4. 71C-Brandon Cornwell, 00:17.677[2]; 5. 32G-Will Grosclaude, 00:17.711[12]; 6. 7C-Spencer Coats, 00:17.746[8]; 7. 501-Matthew Mackey Jr, 00:17.843[4]; 8. 27B-bryce baker, 00:18.035[6]; 9. 17K-Hunter Kelley, 00:18.210[5]; 10. B55-Haylee Mackey, 00:18.586[9]; 11. H28-Huntley McMullen, 00:18.940[7]; 12. (DNS) 79-Ryan Harbaugh
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