CONCORD, NC — April 2, 2026 — Over the 40 years of lore packed in the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, few drivers have been able to dominate the grind that mixes national and regional talent over a month-long span.
Since the inception of the Hell Tour in 1986, there have been six drivers who have amassed a single-season win rate of 45% or higher. All six then went on to become some of the biggest stars of dirt Late Model racing.
Let’s take a look at who’s part of the elite club:
Scott Bloomquist (1990)
Before he became one of the quintessential faces of dirt track racing, Bloomquist made his name known with a masterclass season to commence the final decade of the 20th century.
Bloomquist earned his first touring championship in a year that saw him win 10 Features through 14 races, which has kept him at the top of the Summer Nationals single-season win rate with 71% through the 1990 campaign.
The Mooresburg, TN driver went on to score his second consecutive Hell Tour title in 1991, then morphed into the “Dirt Track Dominator” with a career that highlights 10 national-touring championships between the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series (1994-1995, 1998, 2000), Xtreme DIRTcar Series (2003), World of Outlaws Late Models presented by DIRTVision (2004), and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models (2009-2010, 2016).
In 2002, Bloomquist captured his third and final Summer Nationals title by outrunning Billy Moyer and Don O’Neal for a tour-record $100,000 check to cap off the highest-paying season of UMP’s history.
Billy Moyer (1993, 1994, 1999, 2001)
“Mr. Smooth” is a keystone figure of the Summer Nationals since his first of 101 Feature wins arrived in the inaugural race at Spoon River Speedway.
Through the tour’s first seven years, Moyer took a Feature win in each year except 1988, but never finished as the champion. The statistic changed in 1993 when the Batesville, AR native bagged six wins in 12 Features to leave the season with the crown for the first time – a 50% winning percentage.
Moyer took one step further in 1994 with nine triumphs across 13 events contested to clinch his second-straight honors with a 69%-win rate. In 1999, Moyer’s fourth Summer Nationals title came on the heels of a performance that saw 12 scores across 22 contests to close out the decade with a 54% winning percentage. His fifth of six career Hell Tour titles, which arrived in 2001, included a rating of 45% with an overall 10 victories in 22 races.
Don O’Neal (2004)
The Martinsville, IN, racer came within striking distance of a Summer Nationals title by winning the most races in 2000 and 2003, falling short to Kevin Weaver and Moyer for the year’s title, respectively.
In 2004, O’Neal was not going to be denied another chance at the crown by posting 11 wins in 22 races for an even 50% winning percentage. In the points fight, “The Real Deal” topped Shannon Babb by 242 points for his only “Hell Tour” championship.
O’Neal used the lessons learned from the title-winning season to progress up to the Lucas Oil Late Models in 2005, capturing 46 Feature wins and the 2015 championship.
Shannon Babb (2005, 2006)
Shannon Babb has been a fixture in the most discussed moments in the Summer Nationals since he began racing dirt Late Models in the 1990s.
Losing the 2004 championship formed a launching pad for the “Land of Lincoln” pilot to take liftoff in 2005 by dominating the trail with 15 wins in 27 races – the most by any Summer Nationals driver in a single year to snag his first title for a 55% single-season win rating.
The “Moweaqua Missile” did not relinquish the throne in 2006 when he totaled an even 13 wins across 26 events to become a two-time Hell Tour champion by 163 points over Jeep Van Wormer.
While Babb earned two more championships in 2011 and 2014, he owns the honor of being the all-time winningest Summer Nationals driver with 102 Feature triumphs scored across 27 years.
Bobby Pierce (2016)
Growing up in the heart of the Midwest and being shown the ropes by his father, Bob Pierce – a two-time Hell Tour champion – Bobby Pierce used his teenage years to build versatility before rising to national prominence.
The “Smooth Operator” won his first race on the tour in 2013, but missed out on taking the championship to Brandon Sheppard by a mere 15 points. Two years later, an 18-year-old Pierce captured his first Summer Nationals title by edging ahead of Billy Moyer Jr by 10 points.
His best overall season with the Hell Tour came in 2016 when he bagged 11 wins across 24 races for a career-high 45% single-season win rate, culminating in his second straight Hell Tour championship.
Pierce then scored his third consecutive crown in 2017 and two more in 2021 and 2022, solidifying his place as the second-highest all-time champion to Billy Moyer. In 2023, the Oakwood, IL driver joined the World of Outlaws Late Models, currently standing as a two-time champion (2023, 2025) and leading the 2026 Series points.
Tyler Erb (2024)
While most drivers begin their success on the Summer Nationals to help them move up the ladder to the national ranks, Tyler Erb forged a different path on his way to the hottest tour in dirt racing.
The New Waverly, TX driver started his career in both the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Late Models before deciding to attempt the full slate in the 2024 edition. The choice for “Terbo” proved to be beneficial as he took home 11 Feature wins through 24 races for a 45% single-season win percentage, capturing his first career championship in what he coined the “Fun Tour.”
Erb returned to the Summer Nationals in 2025 and took the checkered flag six times en route to a runner-up finish to Jason Feger. For 2026, the Best Performance Motorsports No. 1 returned to the World of Outlaws for the first time since 2018 and currently sits sixth in the points standings.
The 40th anniversary of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals will begin at Brownstown Bullring on Tuesday, June 9, featuring the Super Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.
How can you watch every lap of the Summer Nationals? Live on DIRTVision.
BY THE NUMBERS: Breaking Down Four Decades of Dominant Summer Nationals Seasons
CONCORD, NC — April 2, 2026 — Over the 40 years of lore packed in the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, few drivers have been able to dominate the grind that mixes national and regional talent over a month-long span.
Since the inception of the Hell Tour in 1986, there have been six drivers who have amassed a single-season win rate of 45% or higher. All six then went on to become some of the biggest stars of dirt Late Model racing.
Let’s take a look at who’s part of the elite club:
Scott Bloomquist (1990)
Before he became one of the quintessential faces of dirt track racing, Bloomquist made his name known with a masterclass season to commence the final decade of the 20th century.
Bloomquist earned his first touring championship in a year that saw him win 10 Features through 14 races, which has kept him at the top of the Summer Nationals single-season win rate with 71% through the 1990 campaign.
The Mooresburg, TN driver went on to score his second consecutive Hell Tour title in 1991, then morphed into the “Dirt Track Dominator” with a career that highlights 10 national-touring championships between the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series (1994-1995, 1998, 2000), Xtreme DIRTcar Series (2003), World of Outlaws Late Models presented by DIRTVision (2004), and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models (2009-2010, 2016).
In 2002, Bloomquist captured his third and final Summer Nationals title by outrunning Billy Moyer and Don O’Neal for a tour-record $100,000 check to cap off the highest-paying season of UMP’s history.
Billy Moyer (1993, 1994, 1999, 2001)
“Mr. Smooth” is a keystone figure of the Summer Nationals since his first of 101 Feature wins arrived in the inaugural race at Spoon River Speedway.
Through the tour’s first seven years, Moyer took a Feature win in each year except 1988, but never finished as the champion. The statistic changed in 1993 when the Batesville, AR native bagged six wins in 12 Features to leave the season with the crown for the first time – a 50% winning percentage.
Moyer took one step further in 1994 with nine triumphs across 13 events contested to clinch his second-straight honors with a 69%-win rate. In 1999, Moyer’s fourth Summer Nationals title came on the heels of a performance that saw 12 scores across 22 contests to close out the decade with a 54% winning percentage. His fifth of six career Hell Tour titles, which arrived in 2001, included a rating of 45% with an overall 10 victories in 22 races.
Don O’Neal (2004)
The Martinsville, IN, racer came within striking distance of a Summer Nationals title by winning the most races in 2000 and 2003, falling short to Kevin Weaver and Moyer for the year’s title, respectively.
In 2004, O’Neal was not going to be denied another chance at the crown by posting 11 wins in 22 races for an even 50% winning percentage. In the points fight, “The Real Deal” topped Shannon Babb by 242 points for his only “Hell Tour” championship.
O’Neal used the lessons learned from the title-winning season to progress up to the Lucas Oil Late Models in 2005, capturing 46 Feature wins and the 2015 championship.
Shannon Babb (2005, 2006)
Shannon Babb has been a fixture in the most discussed moments in the Summer Nationals since he began racing dirt Late Models in the 1990s.
Losing the 2004 championship formed a launching pad for the “Land of Lincoln” pilot to take liftoff in 2005 by dominating the trail with 15 wins in 27 races – the most by any Summer Nationals driver in a single year to snag his first title for a 55% single-season win rating.
The “Moweaqua Missile” did not relinquish the throne in 2006 when he totaled an even 13 wins across 26 events to become a two-time Hell Tour champion by 163 points over Jeep Van Wormer.
While Babb earned two more championships in 2011 and 2014, he owns the honor of being the all-time winningest Summer Nationals driver with 102 Feature triumphs scored across 27 years.
Bobby Pierce (2016)
Growing up in the heart of the Midwest and being shown the ropes by his father, Bob Pierce – a two-time Hell Tour champion – Bobby Pierce used his teenage years to build versatility before rising to national prominence.
The “Smooth Operator” won his first race on the tour in 2013, but missed out on taking the championship to Brandon Sheppard by a mere 15 points. Two years later, an 18-year-old Pierce captured his first Summer Nationals title by edging ahead of Billy Moyer Jr by 10 points.
His best overall season with the Hell Tour came in 2016 when he bagged 11 wins across 24 races for a career-high 45% single-season win rate, culminating in his second straight Hell Tour championship.
Pierce then scored his third consecutive crown in 2017 and two more in 2021 and 2022, solidifying his place as the second-highest all-time champion to Billy Moyer. In 2023, the Oakwood, IL driver joined the World of Outlaws Late Models, currently standing as a two-time champion (2023, 2025) and leading the 2026 Series points.
Tyler Erb (2024)
While most drivers begin their success on the Summer Nationals to help them move up the ladder to the national ranks, Tyler Erb forged a different path on his way to the hottest tour in dirt racing.
The New Waverly, TX driver started his career in both the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Late Models before deciding to attempt the full slate in the 2024 edition. The choice for “Terbo” proved to be beneficial as he took home 11 Feature wins through 24 races for a 45% single-season win percentage, capturing his first career championship in what he coined the “Fun Tour.”
Erb returned to the Summer Nationals in 2025 and took the checkered flag six times en route to a runner-up finish to Jason Feger. For 2026, the Best Performance Motorsports No. 1 returned to the World of Outlaws for the first time since 2018 and currently sits sixth in the points standings.
The 40th anniversary of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals will begin at Brownstown Bullring on Tuesday, June 9, featuring the Super Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.
How can you watch every lap of the Summer Nationals? Live on DIRTVision.