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40th annual "the Hell Tour"

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Hell Tour Set to Celebrate 40 Years with Big Names, New Tracks

BROWNSTOWN, IL (June 8, 2026) — Summertime is a season of relaxation and calm for some. But for an elite group, it’s hell. And it’s time for them to jump back into the fire.

Saluting four decades of being the toughest grind in motorsports, the 40th anniversary year of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models begins Tuesday, June 9 at Brownstown Bullring and will set drivers on a more than 5,000-mile Hell Tour across 10 states during 33 nights of competition in 34 days.

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals, entering their 16th consecutive season, will join the Late Models for 27 nights before wrapping up their championship season in the 36th running of the Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway, July 24–25.

A massive points fund total of over $150,000 will be distributed to the Late Model competitors by the week as teams contest for the weekly points championship throughout the summer. An additional $10,000 will be awarded to the overall points champion at the end of the tour at Wayne County Speedway in Ohio on July 12.

The Summit Modified Nationals counts each driver’s best 12 finishes toward the overall points championship, worth $5,000 to the driver with the most points at the completion of the Prairie Dirt Classic.

If you can’t be at your favorite track this summer, how can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is streamed live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow during Week 1 of the Hell Tour:

NEW VENUES – If 33 races in 34 days weren’t enough, a trio of tracks will debut during the 40th anniversary season for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

The first will be Coles County Speedway on Friday, June 12. Dubbed “The Oldest Micro Sprint Track in the United States,” the 1/8-mile Mattoon, IL facility will be the smallest track the tour has ever competed on. Coles County has hosted two Late Model events already, including a MARS Late Model Championship event in May, won by former Hell Tour champion Brandon Sheppard. The Summit Modifieds will also join the program.

Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway in Dubuque, IA will make its Hell Tour debut on Thursday, June 18, part of Week 2 of the series. The facility is no stranger to big Late Model races, having hosted the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision multiple times – last in 2018, a race also won by Sheppard.

Camden Speedway in Camden, TN will host both the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and Summit Modifieds on Monday, June 29, for the series’ only trip to Tennessee in 2026.

HELLUVA TIME – In a schedule more reminiscent of the early days of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, the off days are no more.

Drivers, teams, and their cars will be pushed beyond limits they’ve experienced before. Once the tour kicks off at the Brownstown Bullring on Tuesday, June 9, there is not a currently scheduled break until Monday, July 6.

The lone break follows one of the biggest events of the tour, the prestigious Herald & Review 100 at Macon Speedway in Macon, IL on Sunday, July 5.

Then, the final six-race stretch during Week 5 — ending at Wayne County Speedway on Sunday, July 12 — will determine who will come out on top as the 2026 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model champion. And this year, the champion will be bestowed with a trophy like no other.

A candy apple red metal pitchfork, representing the hell drivers endure, will be awarded to the champion, truly showing they are the king of the Hell Tour. The trophy will become a new tradition, with a pitchfork trophy awarded to the Late Model champion every year.

Fans and drivers can see trophy on display at each event at the Summer Nationals souvenir trailer, sitting on a large base that lists every DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model champion.

FIRST-TIMER – NASCAR Cup Series winner and current NASCAR Truck Series competitor Justin Haley will debut with the Summit Modifieds during Week 1.

Haley will pilot the No. 99 Modified at Brownstown Bullring and compete the entire opening week Modified schedule, which includes Kankakee Speedway, Peoria Speedway, Coles County Speedway, and Fairbury Speedway.

Haley is a four-time Feature winner during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in DIRTcar UMP Modified competition.

REIGNING KING – Jason Feger is back to race for weekly championships in 2026.

Feger, a two-time Hell Tour champion, will contend on a week-to-week basis kicking off his campaign during week one at Brownstown.

Feger sits sixth on the all-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature wins list with 35 career victories. His last triumph came at Red Hill Raceway on July 4, 2025.

RETURNING FACES – Benton, KY-driver Tanner English is scheduled to compete in over half of the races on the Hell Tour slate, vying for weekly points titles along the way.

English is a six-time winner with the series and will look to kick off his campaign as the series opens for only the second time in history in Brownstown, IL.

Michael Ledford will focus on a pick-and-choose schedule in his Late Model during this year’s Summer Nationals slate and will run his Modified at the Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury.

Mike McKinney will be a frequent entry with the Summit Modifieds, running a majority of the 2026 schedule.

Daniel Adam will pilot the Adams Family Motorsports No. 75 machine on the Summer Nationals with plans to run through the end of Week 4 at Macon.

Feger Reflects on Importance of Summer Nationals With 40th Anniversary Season Ahead

 

CONCORD, NC (June 5, 2026) — Few dirt Late Model drivers of the modern era know the DIRTcar Summer Nationals like Jason Feger, both on and off the track.

 

 

 

As celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, starting with the kickoff at Brownstown Bullring on June 9, the two-time and reigning champion recalls much of its history. First as a youngster in the grandstands at the local Saturday-night speedways of Illinois, and later as a crewmember and driver — now a two-time Series champion and winner of 35 Features on the tour dating back to his first in 2009.The Hell Tour

 

 

 

“It’s always been special to me because, as a kid, back then, that’s basically all there was around the Illinois area,” Feger, of Bloomington, IL, said. “The was like a $10,000-to-win race, a smaller deal, and there was no Illini 100 or Lucas or Outlaws stuff like that. The Hell Tour races, the ones that came through Illinois, that was your big events for the year. That was it — that handful of events through the Midwest.Prairie Dirt Classic

 

 

 

“We looked so forward to that time of the summer every year, especially when we had that one really good week, which was like LaSalle, Spoon River, Macon, Farmer City, Fairbury and Danville. It stayed the same for so long, and it was just an amazing week that was. A lot of good memories.”

 

 

 

Starting up his own driving career in the Sportsman ranks in 1996, Feger didn’t turn his first laps in a Late Model until 2002. But he had experienced a bit of the grind of the before, having worked as a crewmember for fellow Bloomington native and 11-time Summer Nationals Feature winner, Billy Drake. During that time, Feger built the framework of his mechanical abilities and witnessed Summer Nationals greats like Bob Pierce, Billy Moyer, and Rick Auckland put their talents on display, night after night.Hell Tour

 

 

 

Since then, Feger has become a household name in the Illinois dirt Late Model scene, just trying to do it like those that came before him.

 

 

 

“I think I’m getting old because I’ve probably raced in most of or half of them,” Feger said with a chuckle. “And I was with Billy Drake at a lot of them before that. It’s hard to believe.

 

 

 

“I was a little kid when (Summer Nationals) first came out, and watching those guys, a lot of my heroes do it, is hard to believe it’s been that long. But it’s sustained and still does what it does.”

 

 

 

In making at least one Summer Nationals start in nearly every year of his Late Model career, Feger’s notebook has grown exponentially. But what’s been the biggest thing the has taught him?Hell Tour

 

 

 

“To me, it teaches you how to take care of your equipment,” Feger said. “I’ve tried to preach this to all the other guys — you know when it’s your night and when it’s not your night, and you figure out really quick that it’s really easy to dig yourself a bigger hole.

 

 

 

“When you’re really young and dumb, and you want to work really hard, you can dig a hole and keep getting out of it. But the older you get, the more you don’t like doing that.”

 

 

 

From his three national DIRTcar Late Model points championships, multiple national Late Model series Feature wins, regional Late Model series titles, and two points titles, there’s no question of Feger’s mastery of the Midwest.Hell Tour

 

 

 

Now at 48 years old, he’s had a chance to take a look back on all of those accomplishments. And with his age has come a great deal of invaluable knowledge and experience that keeps him competitive as he celebrates 30 years of his racing career in 2026.

 

 

 

“I feel like we’re older and wiser,” Feger said. “As far as my racecraft, I’m as smart as I’ve ever been. Technically, on the race car, I’m as good as I’ve ever been. I’ve got a really good crew.

 

 

 

“I think we’ve just gotten smarter over the years. I don’t necessarily have to just drive the top anymore; we’ve gotten really good at being able to run the bottom and through the slick and stuff like that. I’m probably not as good on the cushion or in the rough as I once was, but we’re better in a lot of areas.”

 

 

 

Feger will join the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model field in the opening race of the at Brownstown Bullring in Brownstown, IL on Tuesday, June 9. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day.Hell Tour

 

 

 

If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live on .DIRTVision

 

 

 

ARTICLE: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/news/feger-reflects-on-importance-of-summer-nationals-with-40th-anniversary-season-ahead/

 

 Coles County Speedway Replaces Tri-City Speedway on Summer Nationals Slate June 12

MATTOON, IL (June 2, 2026) — For the first time in track history, Coles County Speedway will host the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals in a one-night-only showdown on Friday, June 12.

 

 

 

This event replaces the originally scheduled event at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL.

 

 

 

With Tri-City Speedway not set to be ready in time, the Gundaker family has kept the best interest of drivers, teams and fans in mind in reaching an agreement with Coles County Speedway to shift all operations of the event to the neighbor facility.

 

 

 

Coles County will award the first $10,000 check of the season to the winner of the 40-lap Late Model Feature, while the 25-lap Modified Feature winner will pocket $1,500.

 

 

 

Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t be there, stream every lap live on .DIRTVision

 

 

 

ARTICLE: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/news/coles-county-speedway-replaces-tri-city-speedway-on-summer-nationals-slate-june-12/

 

EVENT INFO: TRACK INFO: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/schedule/event-info/?event=4549556
https://www.colescountyspeedway.com/

 

Week #1
Tuesday, June 9 | Brownstown Bullring | Brownstown, IL
Wednesday, June 10 | Kankakee County Speedway | Kankakee, IL
Thursday, June 11 | Peoria Speedway | Peoria, IL
Friday, June 12 | Tri-City Speedway | Granite City, IL
Saturday, June 13 | Fairbury Speedway | Fairbury, IL
Sunday, June 14 | Sycamore Speedway | Maple Park, IL (Late Models only)

Week #2
Monday, June 15 | Wilmot Raceway | Wilmot, WI (Late Models only)
Tuesday, June 16 | West Liberty Raceway | West Liberty, IA (Late Models only)
Wednesday, June 17 | Davenport Speedway | Davenport, IA (Late Models only)
Thursday, June 18 | Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway | Dubuque, IA (Late Models only)
Friday, June 19 | Farmer City Raceway | Farmer City, IL
Saturday, June 20 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Pevely, MO
Sunday, June 21 | Lincoln Speedway | Lincoln, IL

Week #3
Monday, June 22 | Poplar Bluff Motorsports Park | Poplar Bluff, MO
Tuesday, June 23 | Benton Speedway | Benton, MO
Wednesday, June 24 | Quincy Raceways | Quincy, IL
Thursday, June 25 | Springfield Raceway | Springfield, MO (Late Models only)
Friday, June 26 | Paducah International Raceway | Paducah, KY
Saturday, June 27 | Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN
Sunday, June 28 | Windy Hollow Speedway | Owensboro, KY

Week #4
Monday, June 29 | Camden Speedway | Camden, TN
Tuesday, June 30 | TBA
Wednesday, July 1 | TBA
Thursday, July 2 | LaSalle Speedway | LaSalle, IL
Friday, July 3 | Red Hill Raceway | Sumner, IL
Saturday, July 4 | Highland Speedway | Highland, IL
Sunday, July 5 | Macon Speedway | Macon, IL

Week #5
Monday, July 6 | TBA
Tuesday, July 7 | Montpelier Speedway | Montpelier, IN
Wednesday, July 8 | I-96 Speedway | Lake Odessa, MI
Thursday, July 9 | Butler Motor Speedway | Quincy, MI
Friday, July 10 | Crystal Motor Speedway | Crystal, MI
Saturday, July 11 | Oakshade Raceway | Wauseon, OH
Sunday, July 12 | Wayne County Speedway | Orrville, OH (Late Model Championship Finale)

36th Annual Prairie Dirt Classic (Modified Championship Finale)
Friday-Saturday, July 24-25 | Fairbury Speedway | Fairbury, IL

 

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