Winger's Mag victory

Dirt Late Model winners often have a specific plan to stick with a specific groove. Not so much Friday for Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga., in Comp Cams Super Dirt Series action at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss.

“I had no idea where to be,” said Winger, among four leaders in the 30-lapper that paid $5,000 in opening the Clash at the Mag weekend. Winger and most of the other 54 Friday entrants will try it again Saturday with a $12,000 winner’s purse on the line.

A challenging track and competition that included leaders Shane Clanton, Cade Dillard, Jake O’Neil and eventual runner-up Tyler Erb kept things exciting of the 25-year-old Winger, who captured his third overall victory in 23 days for his most successful stretch of action since October 2023.

"It's so hard and and you have the holes down there and it's violent and it boggles your vision,” Winger said. “My car was just really good, I felt like I could be maneuverable. But the racetrack was just so much better down there on the bottom through them holes, it was (like) riding a bull.

“It just worked out. I'd say I definitely had somebody riding with me tonight. I don't know how the hell I got out from over there. I thought I was going to be in the woods.”

Winning at the 3/8-mile oval that’s one of his favorite tracks, Winger said the event provided “probably as many cars as I've ever had to race for $5,000, and they're good cars. This part of the country always brings real tough customers and, you know, Terbo's good, Jake's really good. We didn't qualify very good and one wrong move in the heat race and I'll probably end up in a B-main.”

Erb and O’Neil kept Winger’s hands full.

"I think at some point they both drove by me for the lead and when Jake got by me in the middle stage there, I was like, 'I don't know what I'm doing wrong,’ and then I just kind of got back to where I took the lead. Heck, I think he was doing the same thing and just bounced out of it. Like I said, I had no idea where to be,” Winger said. "We'll try to come out here tomorrow and get us another one.” — Staff and series reports

Elevated Erb

While Dennis Erb Jr. hasn’t been to victory lane with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series in more than two years, he’s never been closer to ending that drought.

Since his June 24, 2023, victory at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., Erb endured a 2024 season that fell short of expectations. It was his first winless World of Outlaws campaign in five years, and his top-five total was his lowest since joining the series full-time. The opening portion of the 2025 season wasn’t much better, but things finally started to click in June.

He’s had six podium finishes in his last 11 races, including a runner-up finish June 27 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.

“It’s going in the right direction,” Erb said. “Just glad to see we’re running consistent, being up there. I’d like to get some wins now, but as long as we keep running up front, we’re happy with that.”

The recent hot streak has sent Erb from eighth in the standings entering River Cities to six points shy of Drake Troutman in fifth. The Carpentersville, Ill., driver is hitting his stride at the perfect time with less than three months remaining until World of Outlaws World Finals, although he doesn’t plan on letting all the possible points scenarios distract him from the task at hand.

“You know, we’re just concentrating on running good,” Erb said. “You run good, win races, run up front and those points will take care of themselves.”

However, Erb isn’t the only one experiencing a return to form in 2025. It’s been a resurgent season for the entire Rocket Chassis fleet between Brandon Sheppard collecting three victories, and counting, in his first year back with Rocket1 Racing, Tyler Erb beating the World of Outlaws at Mississippi Thunder Speedway and contending for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals title, and plenty of other drivers winning on the local, regional and national levels.

“Just a lot of hard work,” Erb said when attributing the brand’s boost in performance. “Everybody’s working together here. Just trying to get these things running better and winning races.”

Erb will get four more chances to do that when the tour resumes next week in Illinois and Iowa. The first stop is Aug. 13 at  Highland (Ill.) Speedway, where Erb has one Summer Nationals victory from 2007 and finished 10th in World of Outlaws action last year. Then comes the one place Erb’s had circled on his calendar for months — Spoon River Speedway in Banner, Ill.

Aug. 14’s Spoon River Showdown will be the first WoO event at a track Erb has been among the best at for decades. He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 with any tour at Spoon River since 2005. The list of accomplishments includes wins with the Northern Allstars, Summer Nationals, Illinois Speedweek and most recently against the MARS Championship Series in May.

Late Model fans know that Erb ripping the cushion anywhere in the country is a rare sight, but that’s exactly what he did in the closing laps to fend off Shannon Babb for his only victory so far this year. Spoon River’s wide surface and high speeds make it unlike most Illinois tracks, but that’s also what makes it play right into Erb’s wheelhouse.

“It’s just a racetrack that I really like running,” Erb said. “It’s high-banked, it’s fast, just fits my driving style really good. Just a place that we’ve run good for years. I look forward to going there and really looking forward to trying to get a win.”

WoO’s four-race stretch continues Aug. 15-16 at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway. — Spence Smithback

Volunteer visitor

Retired NASCAR driver Mike Wallace is scheduled to run his first-ever laps at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., on Saturday behind the wheel of Vic Hill's No. 1 Super Late Model.

Wallace and Hill, the track promoter, are longtime friends, dating back to when Hill graduated from Sevier County High School and moved to North Carolina and worked for several NASCAR race teams.

Following Saturday's feature racing, you're encouraged to hang around to watch Wallace and Hill practice in the No. 1 Super Late Model.

Mike was born in Fenton, Mo., and he's the younger brother of past NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace, and older brother of Kenny Wallace, a former NASCAR driver and still a competitor in the dirt ranks.

Mike Wallace competed in 197 Cup Series events, 497 Xfinity starts (4 wins), and 115 Truck races (5 wins) in his NASCAR career spanning 27 years. — Track reports