Dirt on Dirt - Erb wins contact-heavy Hell Tour race at Butler

July 11

Butler Motor Speedway,

Quincy, MI

Sanction: DIRTcar Summer Nationals - $5,000

Information provided by: Series and track reports (last updated July 12, 10:23 am)

Erb wins contact-heavy Hell Tour race at Butler

Tyler Erb
Rusty Schlenk
Dillon McCowan
Trey Mills
Clay Stuckey
Eric Spangler
Carter Murday
Ashton Winger
Michael Archer
Jackson Hise
Jake Rendel
Mark Voigt
Thomas Hunziker
Carter Schlenk
Chad Finley
Wil Herrington
Rylee Knoll
Devin Shiels
Brad Harden
Mike Vandermark
Rusty Smith
Travis Stemler

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Photo slideshow Feature highlights

Tyler Carr

Tyler Erb celebrates his second straight Summer Nationals victory.

What won the race: In a race where frontrunners traded sheetmetal multiple times in the final laps, Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, rubbed past Wil Herrington during a lap-26 slide job in turn four and led the rest of Thursday's 30-lapper at Butler Motor Speedway for his second straight DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory and ninth overall. Herrington, who led laps 5-25 in the Big Frog Motorsports car previously fielded by Tyler Clem, departed a lap later after tangling with Chad Finley in turn four. Erb, nearly taken out when Herrington made contact with a lapped car on lap 25, wrapped up his $5,000 payday with eighth-starting Rusty Schlenk 1.149 seconds behind at the checkers.

Quotable: "I wasn't very good at the start I couldn't hold the bottom. Wil and Chad were actually really good in the bottom. I was just kind of waiting for the racetrack to widen out and get clean and I worked that top and worked that top," the series-points leading Erb said. "I was able to pass literally the leader and three lapped cars getting into (turn) three (on lap 25). I don't know what transpired but I gotta (replace) a nose. ... I just think it's fair that other people got to work on their (cars), too, so it's all good."

Key notes: Making his series debut, Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, Ga., led 21 laps but Tyler Erb got rolling on the high side in the second half of the 30-lapper. A key moment on lap 25 when Erb got alongside Herrington on the outside. Herrington accelerated into turn three in trying to keep Erb at bay, making contact with Brad Harden's slower car, sending him spinning off the top of turn four with Erb narrowly avoiding disaster. ... Two laps after the ensuing restart, Erb, who'd led the first two laps, made contact in sliding under Herrington to regain command on lap 26. ... Home-state driver Chad Finley led laps 3-4 but his race ended while he was running second after contact from Herrington with four laps remaining. ... Besides the lap 25 and 27 yellows, two other cautions slowed the action. ... On lap 11, Rusty Smith spun into the infield and slid into Travis Stemler's car that apparently arrived just before and was stuck in the mud. Both retired. ... On the initial start, outside front-row starter Finley slipped over the banking in the first set of turns but retained his starting spot. ... The tour's fifth visit to Butler was unofficially the 800th series event overall. ... Third-finishing Dillon McCowan of Urbana, Mo., is the lone driver to make every feature event. ... The 30-lapper lasted 21 minutes, with 14 competitors completing the distance.

On the move: Carter Murday of Adrian, Mich., started 13th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: Erb’s winning Best Performance Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Langenfelder Mechanical Contractors, Bulk Material Lift, First Class Septic, Roberts Bee Company, Anthony’s Pizza, JRR Trucking, Base Racing Fuel, Base Oil, Sani-Weld, Inc., Keyser Manufacturing, Integra Racing Shocks, Go Lithium Batteries, Midwest Sheet Metal, Terbo Threads and KBC Graphix.

Points chase: Overall points after Butler: 1. Tyler Erb (1,134); 2. Dillon McCowan (1,105); 3. Jason Feger (1,005); 4. Tanner English (922); 5. Tyler Clem (831). Week 5 points after Butler: 1. Tyler Erb (79); 2. Rusty Schlenk (74); 3. Dillon McCowan (69); 4. Trey Mills (64); 5. Clay Stuckey (59).

Current weather: Scattered Clouds, 73°F

Car count: 29

Fast qualifier: Tyler Erb

Time: 16.177 seconds

Polesitter: Tyler Erb

Heat race winners: Tyler Erb, Dillon McCowan, Chad Finley

Consolation race winners: Mike Vandermark

Provisional starters: Mark Voigt, Brad Harden, Carter Schlenk, Thomas Hunziker

Next series race: July 12, Crystal Motor Speedway (Crystal, MI) $10,000

Editor's note: Corrects Erb's series winning streak to two in a row.

From staff reports

QUINCY, Mich. (July 11) — Updates from Thursday’s 20th round of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Butler Motor Speedway, an event highlighted by a 30-lap, $5,000-to-win feature for Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

In a race where frontrunners traded sheetmetal multiple times in the final laps, Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, rubbed past Wil Herrington during a lap-26 slide job in turn four and led the rest of Thursday's 30-lapper at Butler Motor Speedway for his second straight DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory and ninth overall. Herrington, who led laps 5-25 in the Big Frog Motorsports car previously fielded by Tyler Clem, departed a lap later after tangling with Chad Finley in turn four. Erb, nearly taken out when Herrington made contact with a lapped car on lap 25, wrapped up his $5,000 payday with Michigan native Rusty Schlenk 1.149 seconds behind at the checkers.

Feature lineup

(30 laps)

Row 1: Tyler Erb, Chad Finley
Row 2: Dillon McCowan, Ashton Winger
Row 3: Eric Spangler, Wil Herrington
Row 4: Rusty Smith, Rusty Schlenk
Row 5: Trey Mills, Clay Stuckey
Row 6: Jake Rendel, Michael Archer
Row 7: Carter Murday, Travis Stemler
Row 8: Jackson Hise, Mike Vandermark
Row 9: Ryle Knoll, Devin Shiels
Row 10: Mark Voigt, Brad Harden
Row 11: Carter Schlenk, Thomas Hunziker

Consolation race results

(8 laps; top three transfer)

B-main: Mike Vandermark, Ryle Knoll, Devin Shiels, Carter Schlenk, Mark Voigt, Brad Harden, Drew Smith, Joel Morton, Thomas Hunziker, Rachel Carpenter, Rich Ruff, Nicholas Fenner, Zach Calkins. Scratched: Jacob Stuhr

Heat race recap

Tyler Erb led all eight laps from the pole to win the first heat race by 1.082 seconds over Ashton Winger. Rusty Smith, sixth-starting Clay Stuckey and Carter Murday rounded out the top five, punching their ticket into Thursday’s $5,000-to-win 20th round. The race’s lone caution flew just before Erb took the white flag the first time, as Nicholas Jenner slowed from 10th. He continued and placed ninth. … Dillon McCowan scored a flag-to-flag victory in the second heat, winning by 3.096 seconds over Eric Spangler. Fifth-starting Rusty Schlenk finished third, Jake Rendel in fourth and sixth-starting Travis Stemler taking the fifth and final transfer spot into Thursday’s 30-lap feature. … Third-starting Chad Finley took advantage when race-long leader Wil Herrington pushed off turn two and exited the racing surface momentarily, leading the final lap to win the third and final heat race by 2.407 seconds over Herrington. Second-starting Trey Mills settled for third, with Michael Archer in fourth and sixth-starting Jackson Hise rounding out the top-five finishers.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Tyler Erb, Ashton Winger, Rusty Smith, Clay Stuckey, Carter Murday, Jacob Stuhr, Carter Schlenk, Rachel Carpenter, Nicholas Fenner, Drew Smith.

Second heat: Dillon McCowan, Eric Spangler, Rusty Schlenk, Jake Rendel, Travis Stemler, Mike Vandermark, Devin Shiels, Mark Voigt, Rich Ruff, Thomas Hunziker.

Third heat: Chad Finley, Wil Herrington, Trey Mills, Michael Archer, Jackson Hise, Rylee Knoll, Brad Harden, Joel Morton, Zach Calkins.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 16.177
2. Ashton Winger (12), Hampton, Ga., 16.701
3. Rusty Smith (71), Sylvania, Ohio, 16.910
4. Carter Murday (19m), Adrian, Mich., 17.389
5. Carter Schlenk (lil91), McClure, Ohio, 17.473
6. Clay Stuckey (15), Shreveport, La., 17.497
7. Jacob Stuhr (18), Harrison, Mich., 17.892
8. Nicholas Fenner (006), Morenci, Mich., 18.302
9. Rachel Carpenter (11), Lancaster, S.C., 18.431
10. Drew Smith (71ds), Sylvania, Ohio, 18.457
Group B
1. Dillon McCowan (8), Urbana, Mo., 16.818
2. Eric Spangler (27), Lake City, Mich., 16.856
3. Mike Vandermark (41), Cedar Springs, Mich., 16.874
4. Jake Rendel (06), Adrian, Mich., 16.959
5. Rusty Schlenk (91), McClure, Ohio, 16.982
6. Travis Stemler (4), Ionia, Mich., 17.078
7. Thomas Hunziker (38), Bend, Ore., 17.155
8. Devin Shiels (51), Britton, Mich., 17.502
9. Mark Voigt (30), Marine, Ill., 17.748
10. Rich Ruff (R4), Adrian, Mich., 17.833
Group C
1. Wil Herrington (58), Hawkinsville, Ga., 16.934
2. Trey Mills (14jr), St. Augustine, Fla., 16.959
3. Chad Finley (42), St. Johns, Mich., 16.979
4. Rylee Knoll (07), Lake, Mich., 17.041
5. Michael Archer (55), Jackson, Mich., 17.471
6. Jackson Hise (388), Ocala, Fla., 17.578
7. Joel Morton (36), Hudson, Mich., 17.755
8. Brad Harden (52), Ovid, Mich., 17.894
9. Zach Calkins (c4), Milford, Mich., 18.843

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local)
4 p.m. - All gates open
5:30 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Modified hot lap qualifying (3 laps)
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modified heats (8 laps)
- Modified consolation (8 laps)
- Late Model B-main (10 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- Late Model feature (30 laps)
- Modified feature (25 laps)