As Brandon Sheppard stood in the pit area of The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., last month accepting congratulatory handshakes and hugs for a dramatic victory in the opening-night Textron Off Road World Finals feature that put a cherry on top of his 2017 World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series championship season, his biggest fan — and, often, biggest critic — was a few feet way wearing a smile that matched the one on the 24-year-old racer’s face.

That ecstatic person was MORE

Last year 21 people could claim perfect attendance on the grueling, month-long UMP DIRTcar Summernationals series.

And this year? With three more events contested than in 2016, the select group of diehards who attended every race actually swelled to 31. The Hell Tour honor roll features 19 team members (including three women), seven drivers, two officials, two media-types and one vendor. | Slideshow | Complete Summernationals coverage

What follows is our annual review of the hearty souls who MORE

WHEATLAND, MO. — Earl Pearson Jr. and Chris Simpson are good buddies, so it was no surprise to see them parked side-by-side in the pit area at Lucas Oil Speedway for last weekend’s 25th annual Show-Me 100 presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

The common subject the two drivers had to discuss, however, was a bit ironic. Both entered the crown jewel event having ridden out wild flips in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series shows during the previous week — Pearson (pictured) on May 18 at La Salle MORE