ROSSBURG, OH (June 3, 2026) – The dirt Late Model world knew ahead of time that the inaugural Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway was going to be a big weekend. But no one knew quite how big it would become.
Thanks to some unprecedented generosity from the Niss family, drivers competed for two $100,000 paydays on the same weekend for the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. When it was all set and done, Series regulars Tyler Erb and Nick Hoffman emerged victorious on the biggest nights of their respective careers.
Due to the last-minute nature of the gesture, drivers didn’t realize what was at stake on Friday’s opening night until they were on the track preparing to go green for what they thought was a standard $12,000-to-win Feature. Moments before the field rolled off, race director Mitchell Hedstrom came over the one-way radio with a message Erb in particular will never forget.
“It was just wild,” Erb said of the last-minute purse boost. “Never really heard of anything like that. Wasn’t on my radar that it would ever happen, but you know, it did, and we were in the right position and it worked out.”
Erb was starting on the outside of the front row when he got the news, so his mind was instantly on the prospect of winning $100,000. It was a slightly different story for Hoffman, who was starting sixth with only 40 laps to get to the front.
“It makes you drive way harder,” Hoffman said. “At that point, I’m starting decent, but I don’t want to kill myself, just get out of here with an OK points night, which is how it ended up for me, anyway. I just ended up seventh, and it was just whatever, it was OK. [Saturday], they tell us that, and I’m starting in an even better spot. I feel like I’ve got a better car I set up a little bit different. It was unreal.”
In the moments after their triumphs, both drivers got the chance to thank the one who made it possible. While he preferred to stay behind the scenes for most of the weekend, Dan Niss came down to the frontstretch on both nights to congratulate the winners and take a photo in Victory Lane.
“Obviously, that guy’s got it,” Erb said. “He was just super excited. He loves the community, and that was kind of what he was telling me. Obviously, I’ve never met this guy, I don’t know who he is. It was really cool, super nice guy, super nice family. I really appreciate his wild idea to just throw 88 grand on top of the pot right there last second. Just really cool, really special, happy that I was able to be the best benefactor of it all.”
“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”
Of course, Mansfield was the first of two huge weeks of racing in the state of Ohio, the second being Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream. Many teams made the 150-mile drive across the state immediately after action concluded at Mansfield, but not Hoffman’s. They had to make the eight-hour tow back to Mooresville, NC to pick up the car built with only one mission – winning at Eldora.
Reserving a car specifically for “The Big E” that otherwise sits in the corner of the shop for 50 weeks a year isn’t a new strategy. It’s one utilized by Hoffman’s close friend, Jonathan Davenport, whose “Eldora car” is arguably the most successful chassis in the history of the sport with three Dream wins, two World 100s and the 2022 Eldora Million under its belt since it rolled out of the Longhorn Chassis shop in 2021.
Hoffman’s “Eldora car” made him the only driver in the sport to finish on the podium in the Dream and the World last year, and his Mansfield victory has him among the favorites to break through for another six-figure payday on Saturday night.
“Definitely way more confident, for sure,” Hoffman said. “Luckily, our car that we ran in both the Dream and the World last year was sitting there pretty much ready to go. We buttoned that thing up on Monday and Tuesday and got over to the racetrack. Super confident, I know our cars are good enough.”
Erb’s recent hot streak is one of a multitude of reasons for him to look forward to Eldora. For one, it has become his home track, as he lives near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, OH, 40 minutes from Eldora. Erb will also unload a tribute wrap honoring Kyle Busch at the Dream, as his ride resembles the No. 51 Super Late Model that “Rowdy” drove to victory in several of the biggest pavement short track races in the nation.
Additionally, a portion of his merchandise revenue this week will be donated to the Future Family Development Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The gift is a continuation of Erb’s support for the facility where he was once a patient while battling cancer as a child.
“Just trying to bring good to the world,” Erb said. “Same as last year when we did the other wrap [designed by children at the hospital]. You know, we can’t really do the same wrap we did last year, so it was just a perfect play. The things that his [Bundle of Joy Fund] has done is similar, obviously on a larger scale. A lot of bad and hateful stuff goes on in what we do, just trying to bring some light and good to it every night.”
Whether or not Erb crosses his first Eldora crown jewel win off his to-do list on Saturday, his five-race top-10 streak in World of Outlaws competition has him in an enviable position when the season resumes next weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway. Erb is up to third in points and has built a 40-point gap between himself and Drake Troutman in fourth ahead of Erb’s debut at the newly-reconfigured 3/8-mile, which kicks off the busiest portion of the season with 15 race nights packed into 30 days.
“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”
Erb, Hoffman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will continue the 2026 season at West Virginia Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.
Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.
Six-Figure Success Has Erb, Hoffman Rolling Into Eldora, World of Outlaws Summer Stretch
ROSSBURG, OH (June 3, 2026) – The dirt Late Model world knew ahead of time that the inaugural Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway was going to be a big weekend. But no one knew quite how big it would become.
Thanks to some unprecedented generosity from the Niss family, drivers competed for two $100,000 paydays on the same weekend for the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. When it was all set and done, Series regulars Tyler Erb and Nick Hoffman emerged victorious on the biggest nights of their respective careers.
Due to the last-minute nature of the gesture, drivers didn’t realize what was at stake on Friday’s opening night until they were on the track preparing to go green for what they thought was a standard $12,000-to-win Feature. Moments before the field rolled off, race director Mitchell Hedstrom came over the one-way radio with a message Erb in particular will never forget.
“It was just wild,” Erb said of the last-minute purse boost. “Never really heard of anything like that. Wasn’t on my radar that it would ever happen, but you know, it did, and we were in the right position and it worked out.”
Erb was starting on the outside of the front row when he got the news, so his mind was instantly on the prospect of winning $100,000. It was a slightly different story for Hoffman, who was starting sixth with only 40 laps to get to the front.
“It makes you drive way harder,” Hoffman said. “At that point, I’m starting decent, but I don’t want to kill myself, just get out of here with an OK points night, which is how it ended up for me, anyway. I just ended up seventh, and it was just whatever, it was OK. [Saturday], they tell us that, and I’m starting in an even better spot. I feel like I’ve got a better car I set up a little bit different. It was unreal.”
In the moments after their triumphs, both drivers got the chance to thank the one who made it possible. While he preferred to stay behind the scenes for most of the weekend, Dan Niss came down to the frontstretch on both nights to congratulate the winners and take a photo in Victory Lane.
“Obviously, that guy’s got it,” Erb said. “He was just super excited. He loves the community, and that was kind of what he was telling me. Obviously, I’ve never met this guy, I don’t know who he is. It was really cool, super nice guy, super nice family. I really appreciate his wild idea to just throw 88 grand on top of the pot right there last second. Just really cool, really special, happy that I was able to be the best benefactor of it all.”
“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”
Of course, Mansfield was the first of two huge weeks of racing in the state of Ohio, the second being Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream. Many teams made the 150-mile drive across the state immediately after action concluded at Mansfield, but not Hoffman’s. They had to make the eight-hour tow back to Mooresville, NC to pick up the car built with only one mission – winning at Eldora.
Reserving a car specifically for “The Big E” that otherwise sits in the corner of the shop for 50 weeks a year isn’t a new strategy. It’s one utilized by Hoffman’s close friend, Jonathan Davenport, whose “Eldora car” is arguably the most successful chassis in the history of the sport with three Dream wins, two World 100s and the 2022 Eldora Million under its belt since it rolled out of the Longhorn Chassis shop in 2021.
Hoffman’s “Eldora car” made him the only driver in the sport to finish on the podium in the Dream and the World last year, and his Mansfield victory has him among the favorites to break through for another six-figure payday on Saturday night.
“Definitely way more confident, for sure,” Hoffman said. “Luckily, our car that we ran in both the Dream and the World last year was sitting there pretty much ready to go. We buttoned that thing up on Monday and Tuesday and got over to the racetrack. Super confident, I know our cars are good enough.”
Erb’s recent hot streak is one of a multitude of reasons for him to look forward to Eldora. For one, it has become his home track, as he lives near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, OH, 40 minutes from Eldora. Erb will also unload a tribute wrap honoring Kyle Busch at the Dream, as his ride resembles the No. 51 Super Late Model that “Rowdy” drove to victory in several of the biggest pavement short track races in the nation.
Additionally, a portion of his merchandise revenue this week will be donated to the Future Family Development Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The gift is a continuation of Erb’s support for the facility where he was once a patient while battling cancer as a child.
“Just trying to bring good to the world,” Erb said. “Same as last year when we did the other wrap [designed by children at the hospital]. You know, we can’t really do the same wrap we did last year, so it was just a perfect play. The things that his [Bundle of Joy Fund] has done is similar, obviously on a larger scale. A lot of bad and hateful stuff goes on in what we do, just trying to bring some light and good to it every night.”
Whether or not Erb crosses his first Eldora crown jewel win off his to-do list on Saturday, his five-race top-10 streak in World of Outlaws competition has him in an enviable position when the season resumes next weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway. Erb is up to third in points and has built a 40-point gap between himself and Drake Troutman in fourth ahead of Erb’s debut at the newly-reconfigured 3/8-mile, which kicks off the busiest portion of the season with 15 race nights packed into 30 days.
“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”
Erb, Hoffman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will continue the 2026 season at West Virginia Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.
Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.
ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/six-figure-success-has-erb-hoffman-rolling-into-eldora-world-of-outlaws-summer-stretch/
What They’re Saying – Qualifying – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 
The Corvette E-Ray Pace Car at the Phoenix Raceway in 2026. Pacing the field
Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend looking to rebound from a string of tough breaks and capitalize on a track that has historically been one of the Wood Brothers’ strongest venues.In 107 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan, the team has recorded 11 victories, 28 top-five finishes, 41 top-10s and nine poles. The Wood Brothers also earned the distinction of winning the first Cup Series race ever held at Michigan when Cale Yarborough took the checkered flag in the track’s inaugural event in 1969.Berry has made four Cup Series starts at Michigan, highlighted by a 12th-place finish one year ago. After showing solid speed in recent weeks despite results that haven’t reflected their performance, Berry believes the No. 21 team is capable of putting together a strong weekend.“Michigan is a place where I felt like we had a solid run going last year, so I’m looking forward to getting back there,” he said. “The last couple of weeks haven’t gone the way we wanted, but I think we’ve shown more speed than the results indicate.“Hopefully we can put together a clean race, execute all day and get the No. 21 team back where we belong.”He also said he’d like to deliver a strong result for both the Wood Brothers and Ford Motor Company at the manufacturer’s home track.“It’s also a special track for the Wood Brothers with everything they’ve accomplished there over the years,” he said. “And being Ford’s backyard, it would be great to have a strong showing for them this weekend.”Practice for the FireKeepers Casino 400 is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. ET, with qualifying set to follow at 6:10 p.m. ET.Sunday’s 400-mile race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, with stage breaks planned for Laps 45 and 120. Prime Video will provide television coverage throughout the weekend.
Josh BerryAge: 35 (Oct. 22, 1990)Hometown: Hendersonville, TennesseeCrew Chief: Miles StanleyIG: @joshberry88X: @joshberry
About Motorcraft®
June 4th, 2026 – Ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans next week, we caught up with hometown hero and Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver Sébastien Bourdais. 
Winning design, selected by Josh Berry, to be featured as pit wall banner at IndianapolisSTUART, Va. (June 3, 2026) – Wood Brothers Racing, in partnership with PPG, is excited to announce the return of the Kids Color PPG contest, a fan-favorite initiative designed to engage young racing enthusiasts through creativity and racing tradition.Now open to fans 15 and under, this year’s edition of the contest invites kids to design a custom PPG pit wall banner themed around “America’s Birthday Celebration” in honor of America’s 250th birthday. One lucky winner will have their artwork, selected by Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry, brought to life and displayed as the No. 21 team’s pit wall banner during the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, where Berry will pilot the No. 21 PPG Ford Mustang Dark Horse.In addition to seeing their design featured on pit road at one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, the winner and their family will also receive a VIP race-day experience at The Racing Capital of the World. The winning entry will additionally receive the race-used pit wall banner and the original artwork as a keepsake.Templates are available for download at 
THE START OF A CHAMPIONSHIP CAREERA visit to Michigan International Speedway during the 2016 season saw Kyle Larson break through as a first-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, with the Team Chevy driver joining NASCAR Hall of famer, Dale Jarrett, as one of just two drivers in history to earn their first career victory at the track. Going on to sweep both Michigan races the following season, Larson heads into the weekend as the series’ winningest active driver at the track with three career victories to his name. In his 17 career starts at the track, Larson’s three wins have been accompanied by eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, including an impressive stretch of results no worse than seventh in five of the last six races. While a last-lap misfortune stripped away a deserving finish for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team at Nashville Superspeedway last weekend, the strength of the reigning champions still prevailed with a runner-up finish in Stage One and 56 laps led – just one short of the race winner Denny Hamlin – to maintain the sixth position in the points standings. 
For the second time this season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports team earned the spot as the best finishing Chevrolet. With a four-tire call by veteran crew chief, Mike Kelley, to set up for a four-lap dash to the finish, Stenhouse Jr. made an impressive charge from 13th to fourth to earn the team’s best intermediate oval finish of the season. The night ended with an accumulation of 41 points – the second highest of the race behind the race winner Denny Hamlin – to move the team up three positions in the standings to start the second-half of the regular season. 
Shane van Gisbergen continues to impress in his progression on the oval tracks. Battling within the top-10 through much of the race, the New Zealand native took the checkered flag in the fifth position to earn his season-high, and career-best, result on a traditional oval track. The showing extended a stellar stretch for the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team – earning an average finish of 5.67 over the last three races, which is the second-best in the series behind the points leader, Tyler Reddick. 
BRYON READY TO REBOUND William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team have earned runner-up finishes in two of the last five NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway. But it was one year ago that the North Carolina native came just short of his first Michigan triumph when late-race fuel mileage woes took the team out of contention. Despite the finishing result, Byron’s overall performance throughout the race proves the driver will be one to watch in Sunday’s event. In the 2025 race, Byron turned a fourth-place starting spot into a pair of top-two stage finishes en route to a race-high 98 laps led. 
ENFINGER EYEING OPPORTUNITY CR7 Motorsports’ Grant Enfinger left Nashville Superspeedway with a strong four position gain in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, with the Alabama native heading to a track where he’s built a stout resume. When the series returned to the Irish Hills last season after a five-year hiatus, Enfinger came just one spot short of a trip to victory lane, ultimately leading Chevrolet with a runner-up finish. With the result, the veteran driver has finished no worse than eighth in five of his six career starts at the track. The No. 9 Chevrolet team is also coming off one of their best performances on pit road of the season, with the team’s veteran pit crew topping the speed chart in “Music City” with the best average four-tire pit stop time of 14.16 seconds.