CHICAGO — Before getting too far into the New Year, let’s recap some of 2022’s racing champions.
Veteran dirt-track racer Dennis Erb Jr. captured the World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Model Series championship, scoring four victories.
The 50-year-old Carpentersville, Ill., speedster outpointed Tanner English and Max Blair to win the title. Erb and his crew chief Heather Lyne, the “Dynamic Duo,” made up the team’s crew at each and every race.
“We race against high-dollar teams and I’ve never steered away from it,” said Erb, commenting about his championship. “I know what we’re dealing with. I know the costs, the work and it’s nothing that I ever complain about. We just go out and do our thing.
“It does make it a lot more satisfying knowing that we’ve accomplished this, owning everything myself with the budget that I have, making back money to put back in and keep fighting for it. It’s definitely a real good feeling knowing the way we got this done.”
Erb Jr. began his racing career at Chicagoland’s Santa Fe Speedway in 1990, following his dad Dennis’ footsteps. Erb Sr. was a front-running competitor in the Chicago area for years, winning track championships at LaSalle and Santa Fe Speedways. Erb Sr. died from injuries suffered in a work-related accident in 1997 at the age of 43.
Erb Jr. was the DIRTcar UMP national champion in 2007-’08, and won three consecutive UMP Summer Nationals championships in 2007-’09. Some of his early accomplishments were winning track championships at LaSalle and Kankakee County Speedway in 1994. Erb’s biggest victory to date was capturing the $100,000 top prize in the 2016 Dirt Late Model Dream at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway.
An Overview of Champions
Scott Koerner captured his sixth Illini Racing Series midget racing title, his fifth in a row. Koerner, winner of four features during the season, outpointed Doug Orseske and Tom Schnabel.
Ron Vandermeir Jr. scored his fifth consecutive championship with the Mid-Am Racing Series, winning three stock car main events and finishing ahead of Clay Curts, the series’ rookie of the year.
Vandermeir, who also made some runs with the ARCA Menards Series, has 21 Mid-Am victories.
D.J. Weltmeyer claimed the late model track champion at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill. Weltmeyer and his family-owned No. 16 entry won two features on the way to the championship at the third-mile paved oval.
Weltmeyer began competing in late model stocks in 2010. His father Dave Weltmeyer was a track champion at Grundy twice, three times at Blue Island’s Raceway Park and once at Illiana Motor Speedway.
D.J. bested Jim Weber, seven-time track champion Eddie Hoffman, James Gregait and Larry Schuler.
D.J. Weltmeyer was the late model champion at the Grundy County Speedway. (Stan Kalwasinski Photo)
Hoffman is the all-time late model feature winner at Grundy, racking up his 150th win this past season.
David Einhaus grabbed top honors in Grundy’s sportsman division, defeating two-time division champion Kevin Murphy and Marqus Hoover.
Scotty Gardner earned Grundy’s street stock division champion, following his dad’s footsteps of a year ago.
Johnathan Stevens claimed the Grundy pure stocks (four-cylinder) title.
Jake Gille became a two-time NASCAR late model champion at Rockford (Ill.) Speedway. Grabbing four features,Gille, who won the title at the quarter-mile paved oval in 2015, finished ahead of Dennis Smith Jr. and four-time track champion Jon Reynolds Jr.
Other Rockford champions were Chad Smith (sportsman), Matt Berger (American Short Tracker), Austin Fowler (roadrunners), Stephen Hillary (bandits), Adam Dlubak (original sixers) and Charles Schork (figure-8 bandits).
Kankakee County Speedway
In its first year under the promotion of Billy Knippenberg, Kankakee saw Matt Hammond win the track’s DIRTcar Pro Late Models championship.
Hammond won six features on the quarter-mile dirt oval and bested two-time champion Torin Mettille and Amber Crouch.
Steven Brooks won his second DIRTcar modified title at Kankakee, repeating his 2020 effort. Brooks scored two feature wins and finished ahead of three-time champion Jamie Lomax and two-time titlist Mike McKinney.
Other Kankakee champions were Jerad Krick (stock cars), Cameron Maty (four-cylinder compacts), Deece Schwartz (Pro Modifieds) and Lee J. Hall (factory stocks).
Tragically, Hall and his wife, Felisha, and daughter, Madison, were killed in a highway accident, coming back from a night of racing in Illinois on Oct. 2.
Midwest Champs
Jay Brendle was the limited late model champion at Sycamore Speedway, retiring from the sport after posting his fifth championship at the northern Illinois dirt track.
• Zach Zuberbier scored his third championship in the street stock class while Stacy Doris was the pure stock champion.
Indiana’s Shadyhill Speedway
Brad DeYoung claimed his fourth career DIRTcar modified championship, winning two features at the quarter-mile track.
Jace Owens won the track’s pro late models crown, nailing down five feature wins.
Other Shadyhill champions were Sheldon Oberle (bombers), Josh Lank (four bangers) and Lee Hobbs.
• Oberle won 10 features at several different tracks.
From Indiana to Michigan
Indiana’s Plymouth Speedway was turned back to a paved oval with Steve Stacy winning the outlaw late model championship. Nick Pressler was the speedway’s sportsman champion with Terrence Hesters (street stocks) and David Keuhs (FWD – front wheel drive) winning titles in their respective divisions.
Frank Marshall was the modified champion at Michigan’s Hartford Motor Speedway, adding to his three career modified titles on the dirt at Plymouth.
Chicago area racer Mike “Opie” Spatola added another Fairbury American Legion Speedway late model championship to his résumé.
Another Indiana paved track, South Bend Motor Speedway saw Rich Boal (outlaw late models), Brandon Smith (sportsman), Andrew Coates (street stocks), Drew Davis (FWD) and Dakota Milbourn (hornets) win championships.
The Interstate Racing Association winged sprint car series saw Jordan Goldesberry win the championship. Veteran Tim Cox and Clayton Rossman tied for the Wisconsin WINGless sprint car crown. Two feature wins propelled Zach Boden to his first career championship with the Wisconsin-based Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, which competed locally at both Sycamore and Shadyhill.
Casey Johnson captured his third ARCA Midwest Tour late model championship, winning three main events on his way to the title.
Eddie Van Meter was the ARCA CRA Super Series titlist with Dakota Stroup winning the ARCA CRA Jegs All-Stars championship.
Dale Nottestad claimed the championship for the Big 8 Late Model Series.
DIRTcar Racing national champions were Bobby Pierce (late models), Mike Harrison (modifieds), Jose Parga (pro late models), Deece Schwartz (pro modifieds), Zach Sasser (sportsman), Zane Reitz (stock car), Trevor Isaak (factory stock) and Jacob Owens (sport compact).
• It was Pierce’s fifth DIRTcar national title, Harrison’s eighth and Parga’s third.
Hats off to Indiana’s Derek Losh for his impressive 23 feature wins in DIRTcar modified action, second only to champion Harrison’s 25.
The year was not without sorrow as numerous members of the racing community passed away including stock car drivers Ron Ogborn, Mike Tobuch, Dennis Ponton, Bill Davis, Randy Purcell, Bob Pohlman, Chuck Legg, Jimmy Walker, Bruce Schwartz, W.E. Smith, Donny Swenson, Roger Koehler, Frank Flory, Ron Shearer, Larry Conroy, “Corky” Knight, Bobby Mann, Joe Kilpatrick, Ray Freeman, Wayne Adams Jr., and Eddie Jast, along with Wisconsin’s Dennis Lampman and Michigan’s Tom Maier. Also, midget racers Bill Krueger, Bill Michaels, Kevin Olson, John Hartwig, Mike Smith Sr., Klaus Wever and Larry Hillerud in addition to Jody Deery of the Rockford Speedway and former owner/promoter Bob Kamp of Indiana’s Kamp Motor Speedway. Track officials that passed on include Albert Phillips and announcer Rick Eshelman in addition to racing writers/public relations workers John Jage, Rex Marskamp and Phil Pash, along with other members of the racing community including open-wheel car owner Bill O’Connor, Dale Offdenkamp, Doug Parkes, Denis Tatgenhorst, Dottie Byers, Joe Pressnell, Mary Schultz, Grayce Koehler and Barbara Sontag in addition to Lee J. Hall, his wife and daughter. All rest in peace.