{"id":4874,"date":"2022-06-14T13:03:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T17:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dirtcarsummernationals.com\/?p=4874"},"modified":"2024-05-23T14:16:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T18:16:54","slug":"what-to-watch-for-37th-hell-tour-kicks-off-in-illinois-iowa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dirtcarsummernationals.com\/news\/what-to-watch-for-37th-hell-tour-kicks-off-in-illinois-iowa\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT TO WATCH FOR: 37th Hell Tour Kicks off in Illinois, Iowa"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time to feel the heat on the trail of the Hell Tour<\/em>. The 37th DIRTcar Summer Nationals and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment<\/a> Modified Nationals is here.<\/p>\n

Illinois-Iowa Week kicks off the 32-race schedule Tuesday night at Kankakee County Speedway \u2013\u00a0the 34th visit in tour history. A potential $39,000 Late Model champion\u2019s check is on the line should all 32 races be completed by season\u2019s end, while the Modifieds chase the traditional $5,000 check.<\/p>\n

Illinois-Iowa Week schedule
\n<\/em>Tuesday, June 14 \u2013 Kankakee County Speedway (Kankakee, IL)
\nWednesday, June 15 \u2013\u00a0Peoria Speedway (Peoria, IL)
\nThursday, June 16 \u2013\u00a0Davenport Speedway (Davenport, IA)
\nFriday, June 17 \u2013\u00a0Tri-City Speedway (Pontoon Beach, IL)
\nSaturday, June 18 \u2013\u00a0Fairbury Speedway (Fairbury, IL)
\nSunday, June 19 \u2013\u00a0Sycamore Speedway (Maple Park, IL)<\/p>\n

Tri-City and Fairbury will stand as the first $10,000-to-win Late Model shows on the schedule, bringing the competition and racing action to a fever pitch as the tour gets underway.<\/p>\n

Tickets will be available at the gate on each race day. If you can\u2019t be at the track, the entire 2022 Summer Nationals will be broadcasted live on DIRTVision<\/a>. Get your FAST PASS subscription today or download the mobile app to watch from anywhere.<\/p>\n

Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this week\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

RETURN TO FORM<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0After two seasons following a never-before-seen schedule that stretched into the later weeks of August, the Summer Nationals returns to a format more like its traditional slate in 2022 with 32 race dates in 40 calendar days, predominantly racing an average of six days per week. The first, third and fourth weeks have six scheduled races, Week #2 and Week #5 have five scheduled races and the final week in Michigan is set for four races.<\/p>\n

This will crank up the heat on the competitors, once again offering the challenge the Hell Tour has come to be known for as teams fight to stay in the action night after night and keep their equipment, tempers and patience in check.<\/p>\n

Though the schedule reverts to a more traditional timeframe, the points fund will follow the format unveiled in 2021, with an upgraded purse for perfect-attendance drivers. For each race completed past 25, the champion\u2019s check will increase by $2,000. Positions 2-10 in points will receive prize money increases in different increments as well. Weekly bonuses and the all-new tow money program will also increase incentives for full-timers.<\/p>\n

THE CHAMPS ARE HERE<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0Defending Hell Tour champions Bobby Pierce, the reigning Late Model champ from Oakwood, IL, and Nick Hoffman, last year\u2019s Modified champion from Mooresville, NC, have made clear their intentions to be in-action during Illinois-Iowa Week and beyond.<\/p>\n

Pierce currently has every race through July 3 (end of Multi-State Week) on his schedule, giving several of the traditional Summer Nationals tracks and their fans the chance to see the four-time champion compete against the best from the region. Should he decide to divert from the schedule past that point, a new champion could potentially rise to the top by season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

As he has done in each of the past three seasons, Hoffman plans to tackle the majority of the Modified schedule, aiming for his fourth-straight and fifth career championship. New for this summer, he\u2019s taking NOS Energy Drink along for the ride with a brand-new sponsorship inked with the beverage brand for his already orange-and-blue colored #2.<\/p>\n

WELCOME TO HELL, ROOK<\/strong> \u2013 Multiple Late Model racers have already made their intentions of following all or most of the entire schedule known, creating an interesting roster of talent tackling the tour for their first time.<\/p>\n