PHENIX CITY, Ala. — Tyler Erb knew what he was getting into Sunday in the 50th annual National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway, and yet, he still had a hard time envisioning himself winning the $30,000 prize
“This is not the type of race I’d see myself winning,” the 27-year-old Erb eventually said in XR Super Series victory lane. “But I guess as a whole we’re all doing better. That’s all you can ask for.”
Indeed, the New Waverly, Texas, driver conquered an attrition-filled National 100 that saw every driver pit for at least one fresh tire and 10 total cautions that slowed the 100-lap, hour-long feature. Erb led the final 28 laps and proved himself wrong in a way when he thought he couldn’t get back to the front after giving up third place in pitting during the lap-52 caution period.
In three previous starts at the National 100, Erb’s finished runner-up twice (2022 and ’19) and fifth in 2023.
“My guys did a great job. I told them before the race, we’re gonna have to pit, just the way the track was today,” Erb said. “It’s hard to make yourself pull in when you’re running good. Like, (race-long leader) Ethan (Dotson) didn’t want to pull in leading.”
Dotson and his No. 74 ASD Motorsports team were the class of the field for most of the long-distance feature as the Bakersfield, Calif., driver commanded the opening 62 laps from the outside front row. By that point, many drivers had already pitted, including Erb and pole-starting Montana Dudley.
Dotson’s flat right-rear tire on lap 63 handed the lead to Jimmy Owens, who used a slightly different strategy on tires when he pitted from 10th during the feature’s first caution period on lap 37. From lap 38 to 64, Owens climbed his way from 17th and to the lead.
But from laps 53 to 73, Erb and his fresh set of tires vaulted him from 14th and to the lead for good, a charge through the field that saw Erb beat his competitors around the bottom of the 3/8-mile.
“When I was running third, I felt like I was a little better better than Montana,” Erb said. “I was just like, ‘Don’t wreck or do something crazy here and just get to where you need to be.’ When they told me to pit, it was kind of a relief because I was like, ‘Well s---, if I run bad, it’s their fault at this point.’ They did a great job. They executed everything that we needed to do.
“We found a little something on fresh tires. I could slide those guys and get to the rubber real quick. It was fun, man, I was racing with Jimmy there. I didn’t want to blast him out of the rubber, but I was trying to move him as best I could. It was an awesome race.”
Erb made his winning move through turn four on lap 73 as he kept his brand-new Rocket Chassis pinned down toward the bottom of the racetrack while Owens’s car hung wide and upset itself through a series of ruts rounding the frontstretch. Owens backslid to fourth finishing the final 63 laps on the same set of tires.
“To win this race is cool,” Erb added. “We’ve been here for four weeks it feels like now, so it makes it all worth it. I couldn’t be happier for my team, my guys, who buys T-shirts and supports us.”
Zack Mitchell, meanwhile, finished second, 0.644 of a second behind Erb. The Enoree, S.C., driver pitted out of eighth during the race’s second caution on lap 45 and steadily worked his way forward from there.
“I kind of knew who pitted right there with us, so I was trying to get ahead of them halfway through the race. Terbo, he snuck around me on the bottom right there. And, man, this thing was good. We ain’t had a great weekend, but I have to thank Coltman (Farms Racing) and all them. … We’ll take it and go onto Charlotte next week (for Nov. 6-9’s World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte).”
Mark Whitener, on the other hand, had an eventful evening and took an unconventional way to his third-place finish. The Middleburg, Fla., driver caused one of the feature’s 10 cautions on lap 52 when his right-rear blew out and inflicted considerable damage to his right-rear quarterpanel. Nevertheless, Whitener marched back through the field — from 17th on lap 54 — to claim the final podium spot.
“We just went with the wrong tire I think today. I just didn’t have a great car and ended up having a flat,” Whitener said. “Starting this National 100, it’s pretty good to be up here on the podium, I think. Went to the tail and came back out. Blowing the tire to pit, I think that helped us. Just kept it straight and proud to be up here with these guys.”
Notes: Tyler Erb’s National 100 victory is his 19th overall victory of his 2024 campaign. … Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was running sixth aboard the No. 58v Viper-Big Frog Motorsports machine until a flat tire on the final lap dropped him to a 12th-place finish. … Driving Kevin Rumley’s No. 6 Longhorn, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., exited the race on lap 45 when he couldn’t make it out of the hot pit before the ensuing restart. Davenport turned the second-quickest lap in time trials, but his night took a nosedive when he lost control on his second qualifying lap in turns three and four, thus sliding off the racetrack and slamming into the corner’s barriers. … Ten cautions slowed the 100-lap feature: Lap 37 for 18th-running Parker Martin, who slowed on the backstretch just short of the pit entrance; lap 45 for 17th-running Cody Overton, who spun in turn three; lap 52 for fifth-running Mark Whitener and Cla Knight; lap 61 for fifth-running Dennis Erb Jr.’s flat right-rear tire; lap 63 for Ethan Dotson’s flat right-rear tire; lap 80 for eighth-running Haiden Cowan’s flat right-rear tire; and lap 90 for ninth-running Spencer Hughes; lap 91 for Carson Ferguson’s flat tire; the lap-91 restart for Cody Overton; and lap 93 for sixth-running Dalton Cook. ... Thirteen drivers finished on the lead lap in the feature that lasted 62 minutes. ... The tour's top three in points, Bobby Pierce, Devin Moran and Ryan Gustin, didn't enter the event.
Feature lineup
(100 laps)
Row 1: Montana Dudley, Ethan Dotson
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Dalton Cook
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, Brandon Overton
Row 4: Zack Mitchell, Austin Horton
Row 5: Jimmy Owens, Mark Whitener
Row 6: Kaede Loudy, Haiden Cowan
Row 7: Austin Smith, Sam Seawright
Row 8: Dennis Erb Jr., Parker Martin
Row 9: Cody Overton, Carson Ferguson
Row 10: Pearson Lee Williams, Cla Knight
Row 11: Spencer Hughes, Chase Oliver
Row 12: Jonathan Davenport, Allen Styck
Consolation results
(10 laps, top four transfer)
First B-main: Pearson Lee Williams, Cla Knight, Spencer Hughes, Chase Oliver, Dusty Jones, Allen Styck, J.R. Moseley, Kyle Bryant, Thomas Langley. DNS: Jonathan Davenport.
Heat race results
(Eight laps; top six transfer)
First heat: Montana Dudley, Dalton Cook, Zack Mitchell, Mark Whitener, Austin Smith, Parker Martin, Cla Knight, Dusty Jones, Kyle Bryant, Thomas Langley.
Second heat: Ethan Dotson, Tim McCreadie, Austin Horton, Kaede Loudy, Sam Seawright, Cody Overton, Pearson Lee Williams, Chase Oliver. DNS: Jonathan Davenport.
Third heat: Tyler Erb, Brandon Overton, Jimmy Owens, Haiden Cowan, Dennis Erb Jr., Carson Ferguson, Spencer Hughes, Allen Styck, J.R. Moseley.
Time trials
Driver (car no.), hometown
- Dalton Cook (44D), Columbus, Ga., 14.103
- Jonathan Davenport (6), Blairsville, Ga., 14.147
- Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 14.150
- Montana Dudley (7), Phenix City, Ala., 14.163
- Austin Horton (16H), Whitesburg, Ga., 14.213
- Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 14.216
- Zack Mitchell (57), Enoree, S.C., 14.249
- Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 14.254
- Allen Styck (11), Americus, Ga., 14.274
- Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 14.277
- Pearson Lee Williams (121), Dublin, Ga., 14.307
- Haiden Cowan (14c), Rincon, Ga., 14.350
- Austin Smith (11s), Cedartown, Ga., 14.371
- Tim McCreadie (58v), Watertown, N.Y., 14.375
- Brandon Overton (14x), Evans, Ga., 14.413
- Parker Martin (6jr), Mount Pleasant, Tenn., 14.333
- Kaede Loudy (126), Rogersville, Tenn., 14.433
- Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 14.451
- Cla Knight (42), North Augusta, S.C., 14.471
- Cody Overton (97), Evans, Ga., 14.473
- Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.535
- Dusty Jones (888), LaGrange, Ga., 14.554
- Sam Seawright (16), Rainsville, Ala., 14.556
- Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., 14.562
- Kyle Bryant (79), Navarre, Fla., 14.736
- Chase Oliver (5c), Crossville, Ala., 14.919
- J.R. Moseley (99), Columbus, Ga., 14.947
- Thomas Langley (19), Parish, Ala., 15.044
- Ricky McClain (93m), Statesboro, Ga., no time
- Ray Cook (27), Brasstown, N.C., no time
- Dylan Knowles (66k), Lanett, Ala., no time
Sunday’s schedule
(All times local)
8 a.m. - Pits open
8:45 a.m. - Church outreach service (grandstands)
9 a.m. - Grandstands open
Noon - On-track activity
- 604 Crate hot laps
- 602 Sportsman hot laps
- Hobby hot laps
- Road warrior hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- 602 Sportsman consolations (10 laps)
- 604 Crate consolations (10 laps)
- Road warrior consolations (10 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- 602 Sportsman feature (40 laps)
- Hobby feature (25 laps)
- 604 Crate feature (40 laps)
- Road warriors feature (25 laps)
Autograph session (grandstands)
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- 50th annual National 100 feature (100 laps)
