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Miles of travel & long nights pay off in the form of the Mid Mod National Championship for Vernon

By Meghan Diemel, Editor

MASON, WI - After 73 total shows in 2025 that took him from Canada to all corners of the upper Midwest and back, Mason, Wisconsin’s Tyler Vernon can call himself a WISSOTA National Champion.

The Midwest Modified title holder won 26 times throughout the 2025 season, with 45 podium finishes and 56 top-fives. He also won at specials with stacked fields, including the Labor Day Shootout, Red Clay Classic, Thunder City Speedway’s Dirt Track Nationals, and the Heartbeat Hot Sauce June Invitational at Thunder City Speedway. He was also the Emo Speedway fair race champion, as well as the winner of the Farm Stock special at ABC Raceway. In total, he raced at 26 different tracks, and won at 11 of them.

Along with his wife Molly, the 31-year-old is parent to sons George and Dallas, with another child on the way, due in March of 2026. When not at the race track, you can find him working for Zielies Tree Service.

All The Dirt! Racing News: What was your favorite racing-related memory from the 2025 season?

Tyler Vernon: [The] 50th Annual Red Clay Classic victory at our home track.

ATD: What was the low light, racing related, of the 2025 season?

Vernon: [My] rollover in Hibbing.

ATD: What is your background in racing, and who has helped your racing career along the way, whether family, friends, or other racing mentors?

Vernon: [I have] 17 years racing: four years in ABC Raceway Six Cylinders, eight years in a Midwest Modified alone, and five years racing in both the Midwest Modifieds and Modifieds.

ATD: From a wider perspective, what are a few of your favorite moments from your career to this point?

Vernon: [My] first win was on graduation night in high school, with all my family up for my graduation party. [The] Red Clay Classic win will probably be the highlight of my career forever, it’s the superbowl for us local Ashland kids. [And my] first Modified win.

ATD: Break down the reality of a racing season for you. What is your advice regarding how much time and effort goes into a successful season like you’ve had, for drivers just getting their start in dirt track racing?

Vernon: We can honestly say we spent every minute we had either working on the car, heading to a track, or racing this summer. Not a single night off from March ’til October, either in the shop or at a race track. If you’re going to do it, go all in — that was our plan this year. As many drivers will tell you, winning races comes in the shop. It takes a lot of people and great support from family, sponsors, and friends.

ATD: What can be the hardest or most trying part of racing season for you, and why?

Vernon: In a normal season it’s all fun, but when we know we have to race 70-plus nights, the grind is real. There’s many nights after a big wreck or blown motor where we didn’t want to keep going, or at least wanted a night off, but the reality was that we couldn’t if we wanted to reach our goal of being the National Champion.

ATD: What is your favorite event of the year and why?

Vernon: Red Clay Classic — ask anyone who’s ever been to it. [There is] nothing like it.

ATD: Is there a race or race track you have never raced in/at, and why do you want to race there?

Vernon: As far as WISSOTA-land, [I] would love to hit the Seitz Memorial one year in Grand Forks. Non-WISSOTA, [I] would love to bring the Modified to Speedweeks or the Wild West Shootout one year.

ATD: What will be your favorite part of the offseason, as we head toward late 2025 and early 2026, for you?

Vernon: Time with the family that was hard to come by during the season, and bow hunting!

ATD: What are your racing plans for 2026?

Vernon: Back to normal. Relax and have fun, focus on the Modified program and hitting big shows like we normally do.

ATD: Who are your sponsors you’d like to thank?

Vernon: Northern Clearing; Concert in the Corn; Red’s Auto; Lulich Implement; Kully’s Truck Accessories; Mike and Theresa; Ashland Ford Chrysler; Windy Acres Farm; White River Ag Products; SSR Racecars; Fastlane Motorsports; and [my] crew: Adam Austin, Fuzz Ylitalo, Adam Lucius, Jason Bellile, Devin and Hailey, and Craig Adamzack.