Tristan Chamberlain has been looking for a spark all season long, and he finally got it two weeks ago.
The 18-year-old’s sophomore campaign with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision had brought its share of growing pains as Chamberlain looked to prove he belongs on the biggest stage in dirt Late Model racing. Then came the Sooner State Showdown at Arrowhead Speedway.
Chamberlain started the weekend by setting Quick Time in his group on Friday night and backed it up with the first Heat Race victory of his World of Outlaws career. That led to his career-best starting spot of third in the Feature, and he crossed the line fifth at the end of 40 laps for his first top five of the year.
Saturday’s mission was to ensure that Friday wasn’t a fluke, and he did exactly that with a seventh-place run for his second-straight top 10. Chamberlain’s goal for 2025 at the start of the season was to go from a competitor to a contender with the World of Outlaws, and he took a big step in that direction in Oklahoma.
“We needed these good runs, so definitely happy with what me and my dad, what we’ve been able to do,” Chamberlain said. “I don’t know what it is about Arrowhead. I don’t know if it fits my driving style or if I’m just super comfortable there, but it’s definitely a super fun racetrack. I just feel like I can race all over it and put my car wherever I want to go.”
As for what led to Chamberlain’s recent turnaround, the answer could lie in a step outside his comfort zone earlier this summer. On an off weekend from the World of Outlaws tour in early August, Chamberlain and crew made the short drive north to Montpelier Motor Speedway for a weekly show at one of their home tracks. But instead of the usual No. 20TC Super Late Model, the team unloaded a brand-new DIRTcar UMP Modified.
Chamberlain didn’t take long to get the hang of the new machine, as evidenced by the Victory Lane photos from the end of the night.
“My car owner, Wayne Gibson, he raced Modifieds for quite a while,” Chamberlain said. “Last year, we raced some COMP Cams [Super Dirt Series] races down in Louisiana at Boothill [Speedway], and Cade Dillard was nice enough to let us stay down there. When we were working on our cars down there, we saw his Mods that he was putting together. They were really nice looking Modifieds, really good craftsmanship. We sent pictures to my car owner, and it just came about eventually.
“He wanted to have a Modified for me to race, and we ended up getting it. The first night out, we won at Montpelier in it. Seemed to adapt to it pretty quick. The plan is to run it whenever we’re not racing big shows like the World (100), World of Outlaws races or something like that. Maybe run some big-paying Modified races, go to the $100,000-to-win [Modified World Championship at Mississippi Thunder Speedway] next year if they still have that. We’ll see what pans out.”
Unlike most of his Midwestern peers, Chamberlain bypassed the Modified ranks on his way up the ladder, instead opting to dive straight into the Super Late Model ranks at 13 years of age. However, Chamberlain sees the benefits of honing his craft in a variety of different cars and knows there’s plenty of lessons to be learned in the Modified that can make him better in the Late Model.
“Not having that much experience, it’s kind of hard to adapt when you’re driving both cars at once,” Chamberlain said. “It’s definitely something I was having to adjust to driving that Modified, almost slowing down to drive it. You don’t have as much tire and you’ve still got a good amount of motor, you’ve got to drive it straighter. I think that will apply to the Late Model, too, once it gets slick, having that experience driving the Modified straight. I mean, you look at a Ryan Gustin, Drake Troutman raced Mods for a while, and they’re both really good in both. I think it will definitely help me in the long run racing both.”
If Chamberlain’s weekend at Arrowhead wasn’t enough evidence that the Gibson Racing team is on the upswing, he backed it up with his third top 10 in a row one week later in the Baltes Classic at Eldora Speedway. The results show a solid P6 finish in Sunday night’s prelude to the World 100, but Chamberlain endured one of his most eventful nights of the season to get there.
The Richmond, IN pilot maintained his recent Qualifying prowess by going to the top of the board in his group, and he was running second in his Heat Race until he slowed to a crawl and pulled into the infield.
“That car that we raced Sunday was a brand new Infinity,” Chamberlain said. “We actually wrapped it at 11 o’clock the night before going to the Baltes. It was in powder coat that Tuesday before, so we kind of rushed it getting it done. My dad and my other crew member were at Eric Wells’ to build that car, and then we got back just in time to wrap it and put the seat in.
“I think it was a six-coil bolt, just something we left loose trying to hurry up. It was partly our fault just not going over the car good enough. The bolt came loose and broke, which caused the driveshaft to break, and then when it did that, it broke the transmission as well. We definitely didn’t have the intention of running the B-Main or anything. We were going to go out and just make sure we got it fixed, but once I was out there, I knew my car was plenty fast enough, I knew I could at least race my way in, so I went ahead and did it.”
Running well at Eldora is nothing new for Chamberlain, as he made the Feature at the 2023 World 100 in his first attempt and won top rookie honors that year in 18th. It was a career-defining moment for the then 16-year-old regional racer, but Chamberlain believes he can do more than replicate that showing this weekend – he can beat it.
“That’s probably the best I’ve been at Eldora in that type of condition,” Chamberlain said of his speed during this year’s Baltes Classic. “I definitely think that we’ve got a car that can make it, even run in the top 15, 10 if we make the World. I think our car’s definitely fast enough, it’s just if everything goes our way in Qualifying, pulling a good pill draw, I just think it’ll all have to work itself out. I think our car is definitely fast enough to make the World, so I’ve definitely got high confidence going into this week.”
Following the World 100, Chamberlain will continue his season with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision at Needmore Speedway (Friday, Sept. 12) and Senoia Raceway (Saturday, Sept. 13). For more information, click here.
If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.