After last weekend, Tristan Chamberlain will forever hold one of dirt racing’s most prestigious titles: Eldora Speedway winner.
A win on Late Model racing’s most hallowed grounds is special for any driver, but particularly Chamberlain. He grew up an hour south of the track in Richmond, IN, and made countless childhood memories watching his father, “Insane” Duane Chamberlain, race and win at Eldora.
A decade removed from Duane’s latest Eldora triumph with the American Late Model Series in 2016, Tristan was back on the Victory Lane stage on Sunday night – this time with his own name on the car. The third-year World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision competitor led wire-to-wire in the Baltes Classic to kick off World 100 week in the best way possible.
“My grandma actually showed me a picture of my dad in Victory Lane, and I was standing up there with him. I think it was like 2011, 2013, something around there, so I was just a little guy then,” Chamberlain said. “Definitely a special night. We can both say we’ve been on the stage at Eldora.”
Sunday’s program was a meaningful one long before the checkered flag flew, as it was the first time that Duane and Tristan were in competition together at the “Big E.” The elder Chamberlain was back in the driver’s seat last weekend for the first time since the fall of 2023, with Duane spending the three years since focusing on his role as Tristan’s crew chief on tour with the World of Outlaws.
The 47-year-old ran Saturday’s Northern Allstars Late Model Dirt Series event at Brownstown Speedway followed by the Baltes Classic on Sunday to get back up to speed ahead of his first World 100 appearance since 2022. Making his second Feature start in the event would be ideal, but the primary reasoning behind Duane’s return to racing is to improve Tristan’s program in the long run.
“Him being my crew chief, I’m always telling him what I’m feeling in the car,” the younger Chamberlain said. “He wanted to hop back in the seat and just feel how the cars have changed over these last couple years. That way, he can relate more to me when I’m telling him what I feel when I’m driving. It was more about him just getting laps and trying to understand different shock sets from when he was racing. It’s more about the more communication, the better.”
While Duane was strapping in ahead of the second split-field Feature on Sunday, his son was busy keeping some of Eldora’s best behind him in the first 25-lapper. They included runner-up Brandon Overton, the only man in history to win the Dream twice in one week in 2021 as part of his four total Eldora crown jewels. Max Blair trailed in third, who finished second in the Dream three months ago as part of a breakout 2026 campaign, and is someone many are eyeing as a dark horse pick to win his first World 100 on Saturday night.
Both drivers made a bid for the lead at different points in the race, but Chamberlain denied both of them. That run went a long way toward proving to the world that he’s capable of holding his own against the best, and maybe more importantly, proving it to himself.
“Definitely a confidence booster for me,” Chamberlain said. “Brandon’s won the World and the Dream, and holding off guys like that isn’t easy. We’ve definitely got speed, we just need everything to go our way and hopefully we can make the Feature on Saturday.”
If Chamberlain can race his way into the World 100 for the second time in his career this weekend, it would be the latest example of a recent uptick in performance out of the No. 20TC team. In the latest weekend of World of Outlaws racing in Iowa, Chamberlain recorded back-to-back top 10s with a ninth-place run at Adams County Speedway and a season-best fourth at Shelby County Speedway.
As a whole, Chamberlain’s seven World of Outlaws top 10s in 2026 have him ahead of his first two seasons on tour with nine races still remaining. If he can hold onto his 94-point lead over Brent Larson for 11th in the standings, it would be a new career-best points finish as well. The progress remains slow and steady, but Chamberlain firmly believes he’s on his way to his ultimate goal of being a nightly contender.
“I guess we’re just all clicking finally,” Chamberlain said. “Like I said in my interview Sunday, it just takes time and experience. Eventually, everything will click, and right now I’m feeling really confident. Racing’s really mental, so as long as you stay positive about everything, things will usually work out in your favor.”
Chamberlain and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will return to action at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park for the King of the Arch on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.
Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.