‘Hell Tour’ brings NASCAR’s Dillon to Farley Speedway

FARLEY - There may not be many Open Late Model races in Eastern Iowa anymore, but when the big motors and big tires show up to a racetrack around here, the big names come with.

The DIRTCar UMP Summernationals make their way into Farley Speedway for its only stop in Iowa on Wednesday night, and the 'Hell Tour” - as it's called - will run for $10,000 to win. Some of the biggest names in Late Model racing across the country will take to the 3/8-mile track, as well as one of the rising stars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Austin Dillon.

In an off-week from the Cup Series, Dillon is racing three nights in a row this week on tracks he's never been to in his Late Model.

'I've never seen any of the tracks, so I'm going in blind. I love the challenge,” Dillon said. 'Last weekend we went to Merritt (Speedway in Michigan) and I'd never seen it before. We qualified eighth, started outside pole and won the heat race. We ran third and had a shot to win. It doesn't bother me too much. I enjoy the challenge, really.”

The competition level on the Hell Tour is as elite as it gets among Open Late Model tours in the United States. The tour gets its names because it runs 28 events in Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin, starting June 10 at Brownstown Speedway in Indiana (won by Dennis Erb Jr.) and ending July 11 at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, with just four off days total. Past champions include Scott Bloomquist, Billy Moyer, Don O'Neal and Bob Pierce - names Open Late Model fans know very well.

Moyer, his son Billy Moyer Jr., Bobby Pierce, and defending champion Shannon Babb will be among those following the whole tour in attendance. Local racers Chad and Chris Simpson, Jason Rauen and Justin Kay are expected to be there competing as well.

The latter four have run at Farley many times before, and between the Hell Tour regulars and locals, Dillon knows he has his work cut out for him.

'The competition is so tight, and then you go to places where you get five or six guys who go there on a regular basis and really know what the track does, they've got an advantage because they run there every weekend,” Dillon said. 'You've got to overcome that advantage because your driving ability or adjusting to the track is hard when you've never seen the place. The competition level is really right.”

Another local racer, Cosgrove's Dave Eckrich, will be in Farley as well. And while he loves when NASCAR racers come run dirt, it's more to fill the profile of the event.

Because Dillon isn't a regular on the Hell Tour, nor does he have a ton of experience at Farley Speedway, Eckrich is more worried about beating them than the NASCAR star.

'I'm more worried about beating the Shannon Babb and guys like that. Nothing against Austin Dillon, I'm sure he'll be good, but I don't think he'll be the guy to beat,” Eckrich said. 'He's going to be out of his element a little bit. He's got good equipment, good stuff, but these guys have been racing (on dirt) the whole year with these rules. They've got the advantage that way.”

Eckrich is coming in a little blind himself. He's a native of the area, and has run at Farley Speedway before, but not in several years. His brothers Denny and Andy run both Open and IMCA Late Models, but Dave only runs various Open shows.

When he last raced at Farley, the Open Late Models ran on the ½-mile, but Wednesday's race will be run on the 3/8. That, among other things, Eckrich said, is why more local racers likely won't run with the Hell Tour, but rather stick with the IMCA Late Models, which are running in support.

'I've never raced the 3/8, but Andy has run on it both Open and (IMCA) and he said it's no comparison. You're going so much faster with the Open cars (on the 3/8) that you can't really take the setup from the IMCA to the Open,” Eckrich said. 'We don't have very many Open races (around here), so a lot of the weekly guys don't have the motor or tires to do it.

'I don't know what to expect. We're making some wholesale changes on our car right now. We'll see, you know.”

Wherever the winner comes from - a Hell Tour regular, a local racer or a NASCAR driver - one thing both Eckrich and Dillon agreed on was how much they're looking forward to the race and how much fun they expect it to be.

Especially for Dillon, who gets to take a break from the ultra-high-stakes world of Sprint Cup racing to go enjoy himself.

'We just get to go out there and do our thing without any pressure,” Dillon said. 'We're all still racers at heart. We want to go out anywhere and compete with anybody. It's fun to come to a track like I've never seen and get to race against guys who are pretty competitive there every weekend. It makes it fun and a challenge.”

Hot laps Wednesday night at Farley Speedway are set for 6:30 p.m., with qualifying for the UMP Late Models at 7. The IMCA Late Models will be the only support class, running for $1,000 to win.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com