2/15/2024
Hunt The Front Super Dirt Series
Tanner English jumps to Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series in 2024
Tanner English and Viper Motorsports have decided to chase the $50,000-to-win Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series championship in 2024. English of Benton, Ky., has spent the last two seasons with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, finishing ninth on the national circuit last season and runner-up to WoO champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., in 2022 when he also won the tour’s rookie of the year title.
English and the Viper Motorsports team, owned by Florida transplants Shawn and Lisa Martin, join the Hunt the Front Series with immediate championship potential, provided the 30-year-old son of 2020 National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame inductee Terry English can find success on the southern tracks, which he admits are not necessarily his forte.
English is well-versed in following both regional and national tours. Along with his World of Outlaws experience, he was the 2020 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series rookie of the year. He finished third in points while following the 2021 DIRTcar Summer Nationals and he’s the 2018 MARS Series champion. Among his 25 victories over the last five seasons, English has a dozen five-figure triumphs, including a career-high $30,000 WoO win at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway in 2022. His 16 career MARS wins rank him tied with Oakwood, Ill.’s Bobby Pierce for ninth on the Midwest series’ all-time win list.
While entering more than 100 events during his first year with Viper Motorsports last season, English picked up four wins and 35 top-five finishes. He finished inside the top 10 on 62 occasions.
English will likely be looking forward to the month of August, when the HTF tour visits two tracks — for doubleheaders at both — where he’s enjoyed success. He’s won $10,000 events at both Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, Ky., and Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn., including last season’s 35th annual Hunt the Front-sanctioned Gobbler. Four series events at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala., where he won a $4,000 WoO semi-feature last year, also bode well for English, who plans to utilize a new BMF Race Car powered by Andy Durham Racing Engines.
Article Credit: Robert Holman | Josh James Artwork