PHENIX CITY, AL (March 26, 2026) – When East Alabama Motor Speedway appeared on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision schedule for the first time in two decades, no one was more excited about it than Tyler Erb.

And for good reason. “Terbo” has been fast at the Phenix City, AL facility ever since his debut there seven years ago. He finished second in his first two National 100 starts behind Chris Madden in 2019 and then Brandon Overton in 2022. His worst finish in the track’s signature event came in 2023 when he ran fifth, but he’s been lights out ever since, winning the last two editions in 2024 and 2025.

Erb isn’t known as someone who wins everywhere he goes in the southeast, but for one reason or another, the “Playground of Power” has always been an exception.

“Just the nature of how you run the racetrack, you have to drive really hard and kind of use the banking to carry speed and race around it,” Erb said. “I really don’t have a rhyme or reason why, it’s just a place that, since day one, I’ve always felt comfortable at and obviously have run really well at.”

Both of Erb’s victories in the event have come under a unique set of track conditions. In 2024, the groove appeared to be narrowing through the middle until Erb found enough traction on the bottom to wrestle the lead away from Jimmy Owens. Then last year, the race took on a much faster pace that allowed Erb to trade sliders with 2025 track champion Dalton Cook for the top spot.

“It’s fast. You don’t have a lot of time to contemplate your move, you just kind of go in there, make a split-second decision and have to be the aggressor most of the time,” Erb said. “You’re obviously going really, really fast for the shape of the track and how big it is. You can go around there fairly fast for being a bigger racetrack. It just produces good racing, a lot of slide jobs. The top is kind of where you want to be, but it’s tricky to get around there and not fly out of there or do something crazy.

“Like last year, I pitted because I thought I had an issue and was able to start at the tail and drive back to the lead in 20, 30 laps. It’s just a place that you can pass cars, and any place that you can pass cars, I really enjoy racing.”

However, Friday’s race will present a vastly different set of circumstances than what Erb and the rest of the field are used to at East Alabama. Rather than a 100-lap contest held in early November, the Chattahoochee Clash will include a 40-lap sprint held on a springtime evening with a forecasted high of 86 degrees.

“Phenix City has always been a place that’s hard on tires,” Erb said. “You have to manage your tires in a 100-lap race. But the last couple years, they’ve had some prelim races before the 100-lapper on Sunday, and those races tend to be even more aggressive. You want to get the lead, get out front and try to set a really good pace. Forty laps, I don’t think tires ever really come into play, 50 is where it gets a little tricky. Then anything after that, sometimes you plan a pit stop, sometimes you base it off of, ‘Well, I start last, I need to just go as fast as I can.’ The racing will definitely be a little bit different, but still, watching races there, it’s one of the most exciting places to watch a race.”

East Alabama’s reputation for producing unforgettable racing has helped the track cultivate one of the most passionate groups of Late Model fans found anywhere in the country. They get plenty of chances to see the division at the National 100 along with several regional shows each year, but Erb knows it’s been way too long since they last saw the World of Outlaws in 2006. He’s more than ready to put on a show worth waiting 20 years for.

“I’ve heard stories of 20, 30 years ago, how crazy it was, all the people that would come and camp for a week,” Erb said. “The people that go there every weekend and every time they open the gates, I’m sure they’re super, super excited. No different than everywhere we’ve been the last couple of weeks. Magnolia [Motor Speedway] was the most people I’ve ever seen there since I’ve been racing. And obviously, Smoky Mountain [Speedway] and Bulls Gap were the same way.”

As far as Erb’s Best Performance Motorsports team is concerned, there’s reason to believe he’s trending in the right direction early in his return to full-time World of Outlaws racing. His fifth-place finish on Saturday at Magnolia was his first Series top five since Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, and he backed it up with another top five on Sunday at Talladega Short Track in a Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series race that featured many of his fellow Outlaws.

The main item left on his agenda is scoring his first win of the year, and with this weekend’s schedule taking him to East Alabama and Senoia Raceway – where he won a Southern Nationals Series race in 2018 and has finished top five three times in national action – it could be his best chance yet to check that box.

“We’ve been fast all year, it’s just you’ve got to get in a little bit of a rhythm and have some momentum,” Erb said. “Right now, I feel like things are definitely headed in that direction, that’s what you’ve got to do to contend all year. I’m super excited to continue racing. We haven’t been home in a couple months, but I’m just excited that we have some momentum going into two tracks, Phenix City and Senoia, that I really, really enjoy racing at and have won races and had success at. We’re excited and ready to rip.”

Erb and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will resume the 2026 season at East Alabama Motor Speedway (Friday, March 27) and Senoia Raceway (Saturday, March 28). East Alabama tickets are available in advance by clicking here, Senoia tickets will be available at the track on race day.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

This article was republished with the permission of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Original article can be found here:https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/two-time-national-100-winner-erb-eager-to-add-to-east-alabama-legacy/

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