The dirt Late Model world knew ahead of time that the inaugural Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway was going to be a big weekend. But no one knew quite how big it would become.
Thanks to some unprecedented generosity from the Niss family, drivers competed for two $100,000 paydays on the same weekend for the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. When it was all set and done, Series regulars Tyler Erb and Nick Hoffman emerged victorious on the biggest nights of their respective careers.
Due to the last-minute nature of the gesture, drivers didn’t realize what was at stake on Friday’s opening night until they were on the track preparing to go green for what they thought was a standard $12,000-to-win Feature. Moments before the field rolled off, race director Mitchell Hedstrom came over the one-way radio with a message Erb in particular will never forget.
“It was just wild,” Erb said of the last-minute purse boost. “Never really heard of anything like that. Wasn’t on my radar that it would ever happen, but you know, it did, and we were in the right position and it worked out.”
Erb was starting on the outside of the front row when he got the news, so his mind was instantly on the prospect of winning $100,000. It was a slightly different story for Hoffman, who was starting sixth with only 40 laps to get to the front.
“It makes you drive way harder,” Hoffman said. “At that point, I’m starting decent, but I don’t want to kill myself, just get out of here with an OK points night, which is how it ended up for me, anyway. I just ended up seventh, and it was just whatever, it was OK. [Saturday], they tell us that, and I’m starting in an even better spot. I feel like I’ve got a better car I set up a little bit different. It was unreal.”
In the moments after their triumphs, both drivers got the chance to thank the one who made it possible. While he preferred to stay behind the scenes for most of the weekend, Dan Niss came down to the frontstretch on both nights to congratulate the winners and take a photo in Victory Lane.
“Obviously, that guy’s got it,” Erb said. “He was just super excited. He loves the community, and that was kind of what he was telling me. Obviously, I’ve never met this guy, I don’t know who he is. It was really cool, super nice guy, super nice family. I really appreciate his wild idea to just throw 88 grand on top of the pot right there last second. Just really cool, really special, happy that I was able to be the best benefactor of it all.”
“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”
Of course, Mansfield was the first of two huge weeks of racing in the state of Ohio, the second being Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream. Many teams made the 150-mile drive across the state immediately after action concluded at Mansfield, but not Hoffman’s. They had to make the eight-hour tow back to Mooresville, NC to pick up the car built with only one mission – winning at Eldora.
Reserving a car specifically for “The Big E” that otherwise sits in the corner of the shop for 50 weeks a year isn’t a new strategy. It’s one utilized by Hoffman’s close friend, Jonathan Davenport, whose “Eldora car” is arguably the most successful chassis in the history of the sport with three Dream wins, two World 100s and the 2022 Eldora Million under its belt since it rolled out of the Longhorn Chassis shop in 2021.
Hoffman’s “Eldora car” made him the only driver in the sport to finish on the podium in the Dream and the World last year, and his Mansfield victory has him among the favorites to break through for another six-figure payday on Saturday night.
“Definitely way more confident, for sure,” Hoffman said. “Luckily, our car that we ran in both the Dream and the World last year was sitting there pretty much ready to go. We buttoned that thing up on Monday and Tuesday and got over to the racetrack. Super confident, I know our cars are good enough.”
Erb’s recent hot streak is one of a multitude of reasons for him to look forward to Eldora. For one, it has become his home track, as he lives near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, OH, 40 minutes from Eldora. Erb will also unload a tribute wrap honoring Kyle Busch at the Dream, as his ride resembles the No. 51 Super Late Model that “Rowdy” drove to victory in several of the biggest pavement short track races in the nation.
Additionally, a portion of his merchandise revenue this week will be donated to the Future Family Development Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The gift is a continuation of Erb’s support for the facility where he was once a patient while battling cancer as a child.
“Just trying to bring good to the world,” Erb said. “Same as last year when we did the other wrap [designed by children at the hospital]. You know, we can’t really do the same wrap we did last year, so it was just a perfect play. The things that his [Bundle of Joy Fund] has done is similar, obviously on a larger scale. A lot of bad and hateful stuff goes on in what we do, just trying to bring some light and good to it every night.”
Whether or not Erb crosses his first Eldora crown jewel win off his to-do list on Saturday, his five-race top-10 streak in World of Outlaws competition has him in an enviable position when the season resumes next weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway. Erb is up to third in points and has built a 40-point gap between himself and Drake Troutman in fourth ahead of Erb’s debut at the newly-reconfigured 3/8-mile, which kicks off the busiest portion of the season with 15 race nights packed into 30 days.
“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”
Erb, Hoffman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will continue the 2026 season at West Virginia Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.
Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.