LASALLE, Ill. – Making a nifty outside pass for the lead late in the race, Texas racer Tyler Erb came home the winner of the 75-lap American Ethanol Tour Thaw Brawl presented by Hoker Trucking at LaSalle Speedway Sunday afternoon.
Erb took home a $15,000 payday for his efforts.
The event, originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday night, had to be rescheduled because of weather issues with Sunday’s matinee program held under sunny skies but with temperatures only in the high 30s.
A field of 21 took the green flag at the start of the race with Brian Shirley and Kyle Bronson battling for the top spot during the early laps. A number of yellow flags slowed the early racing with Shirley finally securing the lead with Bronson, Jason Feger, last year’s Thaw Brawl winner Chris Simpson, Dennis Erb Jr. and Bobby Pierce, both former Thaw Brawl winners, giving chase.
Bronson had a good run going only to see a bout with the turn two wall put him out of the race after completing 37 laps. A few laps later, leader Shirley had problems and found himself out of the contest. Simpson inherited the top spot and was chased by Pierce with Tyler Erb now in the hunt.
With slower, lapped traffic becoming an obstacle, Erb got by Simpson only to see Pierce get by him for the lead. As the laps wound down, another lapped car slowed Pierce’s charge with Erb taking the lead with an outside pass on lap 72.
Wheeling his Ohio-based Best Performance Motorsports Mustang No. 1, Erb, who hails from New Waverly, Texas, charged to the checkered flag with a .735-second advantage over Pierce at the finish. Simpson, Dennis Erb Jr. and Ricky Weiss rounded out the top five.
“I wanted to go to the top (groove), said Erb after his victory. “It was kind of rough up there and I was afraid I would break something. Once we hit those lappers (lapped cars), I just maintained. We got bunched up and I’d give myself three laps to go up there. I got around Chris (Simpson) and I said I better just stick it out (to the outside). He (Simpson) got bunched up behind a lapper.   Bobby (Pierce) got the lead and he got behind a slower car and I made the right decision. I wanted to follow him on the bottom but I’m glad I went high like I did. “
Thirty-one late models were on hand at the banked, quarter-mile oval with Pierce grabbing fast time honors with a lap of 12.834 seconds.
Support feature races saw Allen Weisser win the 30-lap headliner for American Ethanol modifieds. Weisser led flag to flag and bested Frank Marshall, Tommy Sheppard Jr., John McClure and Bob Pohlman Jr.
Ricky Thornton captured the 25-lap IMCA modified feature over Jeff Larson and Travis Denning with Skyler Woods winning the 20-lap feature for IMCA sport modifieds.
The finish:
Tyler Erb, Bobby Pierce, Chris Simpson, Dennis Erb Jr., Ricky Weiss, Jeremiah Hurst, Brandon Thirlby, Rich Bell, Spencer Diercks, Travis Stemler, Bob Gardener, Logan Arntz, Rusty Schlenk, Brandon Sheppard, Frank Heckenast Jr., Brian Shirley, Jason Feger, Kyle Bronson, Shannon Babb, Hudson O’Neal, Scott Schmitt.