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Wichita Late Model Showdown
81 Speedway | Wichita, Kansas
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Race Recap  

CHAMPION’S HEARTLAND: Dennis Erb Jr. Wins Wichita Late Model Showdown, Earns First World of Outlaws Win of 2023

With one of the biggest paydays of the year on the line, Dennis Erb Jr. returned to familiar form Saturday night at 81 Speedway.

The defending World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Series champion stormed past Ryan Gustin on Lap 22 and held off a hard-charging Nick Hoffman to win the Wichita Late Model Showdown.

Polesitter Kyle Bronson grabbed the early lead, holding the top spot for the first six laps before a caution for Dustin Walker slowed the field.

On the restart, Ryan Gustin challenged Bronson for the lead, powering underneath the Brandon, FL driver, and taking the lead in Turn 4 on Lap 7.

But as “The Reaper” pulled away from the field, Nick Hoffman and Dennis Erb Jr. moved to the front, taking over second and third as Bronson fell out of the top five.

Hoffman started to close on Gustin but missed his mark in Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 20, opening the door for the defending Series champion.

Erb snuck under the Germfree Labs Rookie of the Year contender for the position and set his sights on Gustin.

He only needed two laps to get within a few car lengths of the #19R as Gustin started to work through lap traffic

Then, in Turn 2, Erb found the daylight he needed on the bottom, diving under Gustin and taking the lead down the backstretch on Lap 22.

Ryan Gustin and Dennis Erb Jr.
Dennis Erb Jr. battles Ryan Gustin for the lead in traffic at 81 Speedway/Jacy Norgaard photo

From there, Erb held off a challenge from Hoffman and was cruising to victory until a caution for Chase Junghans flew on the final lap, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.

Hoffman tried to go around Erb in Turn 2, but Erb drove away down the backstretch, holding on to score the $30,000 prize.

“To get out here and win again is a really good feeling,” Erb said. “Things haven’t been going well this year. The car’s been good, but we’ve been caught up in some things. To get back here and get a win really feels good.”

Erb’s win is the 14th World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win of his career and the first in 364 days.

He took a patient approach despite only needing 22 laps to move from seventh to the lead.

“The car was running really good, and I was trying to pace myself and watch what them guys were doing,” Erb said. “I was able to get underneath them and get a clean track, and everything was really good there until that last lap. That caution at the end got me a little nervous. Luckily, everything fired off good, and we were able to hold them off.”

Hoffman settled for second, earning his fourth straight top-five, and 10th consecutive top 10 finish.

The Rookie of the race said once he left the bottom open for Erb on Lap 20, he knew he’d have a tough time getting back around the defending champion.

Nick Hoffman and Dennis Erb Jr.
Nick Hoffman tries to pass Dennis Erb Jr. on the outside/Jacy Norgaard photo

“No one remembers who runs second,” Hoffman said. “But we were really good, and I feel like we were keeping pace with Gustin. But obviously, Dennis just slipped by me. We missed the bottom one time, and he never misses the bottom.

“I tried the middle for quite a bit of time, and with like 10 to go, I went and blitzed the top and almost wadded her up. So, I thought I just better cut my losses here and run second.”

Hoffman’s runner-up finish broke a three-way tie for second in points between himself, Bobby Pierce, and Bronson.

The driver of the Tye Twarog Racing #9 is now second in points, 16 points behind Chris Madden, who finished 14th.

For a complete look at the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models points standings: CLICK HERE.

Tanner English rounded out the podium, moving from fifth to third on the race’s final restart.

Tanner English
Tanner English hasn’t finished worse than 3rd in a 60 lap race in 2023/Jacy Norgaard photo

The Benton, KY driver took advantage of a battle between Gustin and Pierce and seized an opportunity on the final lap.

“Gustin went in there and missed the bottom, and Bobby went underneath him in the next corner and got a little tight,” English said. “Both of them missed the bottom then, and I got a really good run off [Turn 4] and just snuck up underneath Bobby. Then I got a run on Gustin on the backstretch, and it all worked out perfectly. I needed a restart earlier,

“I felt like I was faster with them but couldn’t do anything with them. It just didn’t fall my way.”

Gustin, who led 15 Laps slipped to fourth, and Bobby Pierce rounded out the top five.

Early race leader Kyle Bronson finished 24th after breaking a rear-end on Lap 24.

UP NEXT: World of Outlaws Heartland Speedweek continues as the Series heads north to visit Off Road Speedway in Norfolk, NE, on Sunday, June 25.

Then, the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models head to Mason City Motor Speedway (June 27), Red River Valley Speedway (June 28), River Cities Speedway (June 30), and I-94 EMR Speedway (July 1).

For Tickets: CLICK HERE.

 If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Feature (60 Laps): 1. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[7]; 2. 9-Nick Hoffman[6]; 3. 96V-Tanner English[3]; 4. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 5. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 6. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 7. 1ST-Johnny Scott[9]; 8. B1-Brent Larson[23]; 9. 174-Ethan Dotson[11]; 10. 54-David Breazeale[15]; 11. 25-Shane Clanton[12]; 12. 11-Gordy Gundaker[16]; 13. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[18]; 14. 44-Chris Madden[8]; 15. 97-Cade Dillard[10]; 16. 30-Todd Cooney[24]; 17. 18-Chase Junghans[19]; 18. 14W-Dustin Walker[25]; 19. 92S-Delbert Smith[22]; 20. 28S-Dustin Sorensen[14]; 21. 99-Jesse Sobbing[21]; 22. 60-Kip Hughes[17]; 23. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 24. 7D-Dusty Leonard[20]; 25. B5-Brandon Sheppard[13] Fox Factory Hard Charger: Brent Larson [+15].

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Results  
Feature Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
17+628Dennis Erb Jr610.00040Running150$30,000
26+49Nick Hoffman 61-0.982Running146$15,000
33096VTanner English 61-1.852Running144$7,000
42-219RRyan Gustin 61-2.02115Running142$6,000
54-132Bobby Pierce 61-2.656Running140$5,000
65-13SBrian Shirley 61-3.029Running138$4,500
79+21STJohnny Scott 61-3.470Running136$4,000
823+15B1Brent Larson 61-4.157Running134$3,600
911+2174Ethan Dotson 61-4.712Running132$3,300
1015+554David Breazeale 61-5.051Running130$3,000
1112+125Shane Clanton 61-5.498Running128$2,800
1216+411Gordy Gundaker 61-6.090Running126$2,600
1318+522Daniel Hilsabeck 61-6.100Running124$2,500
148-644Chris Madden 61-6.401Running122$2,400
1510-597Cade Dillard 61-6.609Running120$2,300
1624+830Todd Cooney 60-1 LapsRunning118$2,200
1719+218Chase Junghans 59-2 LapsRunning116$2,100
1825+714WDustin Walker 42-19 LapsDNF114$110
1922+392SDelbert Smith 34-27 LapsDNF112$2,000
2014-628SDustin Sorensen 29-32 LapsDNF110$2,000
2121099Jesse Sobbing 28-33 LapsDNF108$2,000
2217-560Kip Hughes 26-35 LapsDNF106$2,000
231-2240BKyle Bronson 24-37 Laps6DNF104$2,000
2420-47DDusty Leonard 13-48 LapsDNF104$2,000
2513-12B5Brandon Sheppard 11-50 LapsDNF104$2,000
FOX Factory Hard Charger: Brent Larson
Last Chance Showdown Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11060Kip Hughes 100.00010Running0$0
22018Chase Junghans 10-1.338Running0$0
33099Jesse Sobbing 10-5.373Running0$0
46+204Tad Pospisil 10-8.100Running100$110
58+3B1Brent Larson 10-9.772Running0$0
65-1B1XDustin Bolster 10-10.737Running100$110
77047Chris Kratzer 10-11.764Running100$110
84-476Blair Nothdurft 2-8 LapsDNF100$110
99019MColby Moore 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
1011+118BBob Bills 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
1110-1229Damian Patocka 0-10 LapsDNS100$110
Last Chance Showdown 2 Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11022Daniel Hilsabeck 100.0009Running0$0
24+27DDusty Leonard 10-2.0471Running0$0
35+292SDelbert Smith 10-5.022Running0$0
42-230Todd Cooney 10-6.361Running0$0
56+112Scott Crigler 10-7.448Running100$110
67+114WDustin Walker 10-8.986Running0$0
710+3112Tyler Smith 10-14.448Running100$110
88010TeeJay Janousek 10-14.603Running100$110
90-9229Damian Patocka 10-15.211Running0$0
109-115BBraxton Berry 10-15.211Running100$110
113-8XJacob Magee 0-10 LapsDNF100$110
1211-127Rayce McCord 0-10 LapsDNF100$110
Heat 1 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
12+140BKyle Bronson 90.0009Running
23+144Chris Madden 9-0.959Running
34+11STJohnny Scott 9-1.519Running
41-3B5Brandon Sheppard 9-2.300Running
55060Kip Hughes 9-2.829Running
66099Jesse Sobbing 9-3.681Running
770B1XDustin Bolster 9-5.624Running
89+147Chris Kratzer 9-5.677Running
98-119MColby Moore 6-3 LapsDNF
1010018BBob Bills 4-5 LapsDNF
Heat 2 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
11019RRyan Gustin 80.0008Running
2203SBrian Shirley 8-0.735Running
330174Ethan Dotson 8-2.901Running
44054David Breazeale 8-4.062Running
58+318Chase Junghans 8-4.538Running
67+176Blair Nothdurft 8-6.270Running
75-204Tad Pospisil 8-6.866Running
86-2B1Brent Larson 8-7.865Running
990229Damian Patocka 0-8 LapsDNS
Heat 3 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
11032Bobby Pierce 80.0008Running
2209Nick Hoffman 8-1.164Running
33097Cade Dillard 8-2.864Running
44028SDustin Sorensen 8-4.412Running
55022Daniel Hilsabeck 8-5.656Running
660XJacob Magee 8-9.244Running
77092SDelbert Smith 8-11.069Running
88014WDustin Walker 8-12.314Running
99015BBraxton Berry 8-18.408Running
1010027Rayce McCord 0-8 LapsRunning
Heat 4 Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
11096VTanner English 80.0008Running
22028Dennis Erb Jr8-1.362Running
34+125Shane Clanton 8-5.703Running
43-111Gordy Gundaker 8-5.860Running
56+130Todd Cooney 8-6.783Running
65-17DDusty Leonard 8-8.055Running
77012Scott Crigler 8-9.031Running
89+110TeeJay Janousek 8-14.238Running
98-1112Tyler Smith 8-15.915Running
Hot Laps Results
POSStartCarDriverHometownTimeDifference
1123SBrian Shirley Chatham, IL16.5730.000
23530Todd Cooney Des Moines, IA16.606-0.033
33096VTanner English Benton, KY16.658-0.085
416B1Brent Larson Lake Elmo, MN16.746-0.173
51818Chase Junghans Manhattan, KS16.784-0.211
62297Cade Dillard Robeline, LA16.820-0.247
7240BKyle Bronson Brandon, FL16.842-0.269
813174Ethan Dotson Bakersfield, CA16.857-0.284
9219Nick Hoffman Mooresville, NC16.872-0.299
101504Tad Pospisil Norfolk, NE16.920-0.347
113128Dennis Erb JrCarpentersville, IL16.994-0.421
121B5Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL17.086-0.513
133325Shane Clanton Zebulon, GA17.116-0.543
143211Gordy Gundaker St. Charles, MO17.137-0.564
152032Bobby Pierce Oakwood, IL17.140-0.567
162328SDustin Sorensen Rochester, MN17.156-0.583
171119RRyan Gustin Marshalltown, IA17.160-0.587
181454David Breazeale Four Corners, MS17.189-0.616
191776Blair Nothdurft Renner, SD17.193-0.620
202422Daniel Hilsabeck Earlham, IA17.197-0.624
2141STJohnny Scott Las Cruces, NM17.338-0.765
22344Chris Madden Gray Court, SC17.378-0.805
23347DDusty Leonard Marysville, KS17.435-0.862
243612Scott Crigler Alton, MO17.464-0.891
2525XJacob Magee Caney, KS17.492-0.919
262692SDelbert Smith Wichita, KS17.663-1.090
277B1XDustin Bolster Belle Plaine, KS17.701-1.128
282927Rayce McCord , 17.759-1.186
29560Kip Hughes Enid, OK17.923-1.350
30947Chris Kratzer , 17.941-1.368
31819MColby Moore Springtown, TX18.069-1.496
322714WDustin Walker Polk, MO18.221-1.648
3337112Tyler Smith Gibbon, NE18.244-1.671
34699Jesse Sobbing Malvern, IA18.376-1.803
353810TeeJay Janousek Hays, KS18.582-2.009
361018BBob Bills Wichita, KS18.653-2.080
372815BBraxton Berry Colby, KS18.685-2.112
3819229Damian Patocka Enid, OK18.685-2.112
DIRTVision Highlights  
Event Info  

Wichita Late Model Showdown
Saturday, June 24, 2023
81 Speedway
7700 N Broadway St
Wichita, Kansas 67219 

Event Description
The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models roll into 81 Speedway for a doubleheader showdown!

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Late Model Series

To Win Amount
$30,000.00

Feature Laps Length
60

Event Schedule
2PM Pit Gates open
4PM Registration open
5PM Grandstand Gates open
6:30PM Drivers Meeting
7:00PM Hot Laps/Qualifying

All times are CT.
*All times Central

Entertainment/Additional Events
Autograph session on Saturday at 5:30PM.

Ticket Options  
Options And Prices
Friday June 23
General Admission Adults $30
General Admission Kids (12 & under) $10
Pit Pass $40
Tailgate Parking $50 (plus cost of pit pass)
Other Non-Tow Vehicles $20 (plus cost of pit pass)

Saturday June 24
General Admission Adults $35
General Admission Kids (12 & under) $10
Pit Pass $45
Tailgate Parking $50 (plus cost of pit pass)
Other Non-Tow Vehicles $20 (plus cost of pit pass)

Frequently Asked Questions  
To Win Amount
$30,000.00

Credit Card Use
Pit Gate, Ticket Window

Track Info  

81 Speedway
7700 N Broadway St
Wichita, Kansas 67219 

Track Phone
(316) 755-1781

Track Type
0.375; Dirt Oval

Sprint Car Track Record
13.207 by Travis Whitney on 8/20/04

Late Model Track Record
15.718 by Mike Marlar on 10/22/22

Track Map
Competitor Info  
Competitor Downloads
 https://www.dirtcarmembers.com/downloads.php

Tire Rules
Left Front Tire: Hoosier (Open)
Left Rear & Right Front Tire: Hoosier (90) LM30, (90) W30, (90) NLMT3 Right Rear Tire: Hoosier (92) LM30, (92) W30, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM40, (92) NLMT4 **Grooving & Siping will be allowed**

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