BROWNSTOWN, Ill. — 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 of more than $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.
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 eighth-mile Mattoon, Ill., 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, Iowa, 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, Tenn., 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, Ill., 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 victories. His last triumph came at Red Hill Raceway on July 4, 2025.
RETURNING FACES
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, Ill.
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.
