BROWNSTOWN, Ind. — Defending World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. has a unique accomplishment to his resume.
As the series prepares for its return to Brownstown Speedway for the Hoosier Dirt Classic on Friday, Oct. 6, Erb is alone in one category of the track’s history books. He’s the only World of Outlaws winner at the quarter-mile bullring, winning in 2007.
However, that’s not his only triumph at Brownstown. He won the Indiana Icebreaker in 2012 before scoring two DIRTcar Summer Nationals victories in 2013 and 2015. He also added a Northern All-Stars Series win in 2004.
With that past success, the Carpentersville, Ill., driver is confident, especially after a top five finish last Saturday at Atomic.
“It’s always good to know that you’ve had success at a track,” Erb said. “So, we’re looking forward to going back to [Brownstown]. We were there [in September], and hopefully, we can come out of there with a victory.”
When the World of Outlaws arrive at Brownstown this weekend, it’ll look slightly different to the track Erb won on in 2007. Despite those changes, though, Erb knows what to expect thanks to his experience.
“It’s changed a little bit,” Erb said. “They’ve re-shaped the track a little bit. But once it dries up a little bit and gets racing, it’s still Brownstown. We’ll just see what we got over there and hope we get a win.”
Brownstown isn’t the only track the World of Outlaws will battle at this weekend, as Erb and the series also return to Fairbury Speedway for the FALS Frenzy on Saturday, Oct. 7. The 2004 Prairie Dirt Classic champion has three top fives at the track this season, including two seconds.
He said he’s excited to return to another track he cut his teeth at.
“A lot of them tracks in the Midwest are (my style),” Erb said. I grew up racing there. I raced Fairbury a lot, I raced Brownstown a lot, and all throughout the Midwest. Anytime we get back to those race tracks, we always look forward to it.”
Despite only one series win this year, the defending champion hopes to finish the season on a high note, with only four races until the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. He enters this weekend eighth in points but only 58 points behind Ryan Gustin for fourth.
With his championship experience, Erb knows the formula to have a solid finish to the season.
“We just have to run good each night,” Erb said. “The car’s been working good, and everything’s been going really good. But we get caught up in a few things that set us back a little bit. We have to hope things just stay clean, and we just keep doing what we’re doing and get a few more wins before the year is out.”
Erb hopes to stay the only World of Outlaws winner at Brownstown when the series visits this weekend for the Hoosier Dirt Classic on Friday, Oct. 6. The event is co-sanctioned with the Iron-Man Late Model Series.
Then, they’ll head to Illinois to finish the weekend at Fairbury Speedway for the FALS Frenzy on Saturday, Oct. 7.