11/3/2025
WISSOTA
Vernon vaults to first WISSOTA Midwest Modified national championship
Mason, Wisconsin’s Tyler Vernon, 31, has had a successful racing career over the first sixteen seasons he has been behind the wheel of a car. Still, nothing compares to the 2025 season he just wrapped up, in which he won 26 times and took home the title of WISSOTA Midwest Modified National Champion.
Tyler set out to chase the national championship at the start of the season, and after picking up his first win in only his fourth night out during the first weekend of May, he knew he had what it would take to contend for his first-ever national title. Vernon went on to win four features in May, then another seven a piece in June and July before getting to victory lane six more times in August and capping the season with another pair of wins in September to seal the title, which went down to the final day of the national point season before Tyler could officially take in the fact that he was a National Champion for the first time.
As mentioned, Tyler scored 26 feature victories throughout the 2025 season, with 25 of them coming in the Midwest Modified. He also added one Modified win to his resume as well. In total, he entered 87 feature races, finishing the season with 26 victories and racing inside the top ten in an impressive 77 of the 87 events he entered, demonstrating the consistency of his season. He also picked up 66 top-five finishes in the 87 events he entered from April through October.
Tyler’s racing career started in the ABC Six Cylinder division, where he competed for the first four years of his racing career, before hopping into a WISSOTA Midwest Modified eight years ago. He has achieved considerable success in the Midwest Modified division throughout his career and has also competed in a WISSOTA Modified over the past five seasons, often doing double duty on many nights throughout the year.
Tyler grew up around racing, watching his great uncle Wayne race his #44, then his grandpa George race his #43, his uncle Dick #42, his uncle Todd #41 and his dad #40, which is why Tyler’s number has been #40jr for his entire career, but in 2025 he decided to do a throwback paint scheme dedicated to his uncle Todd and run the blue and yellow #41 for this dream season.
Tyler raced at many different tracks across WISSOTA-country including Ogilvie Raceway, Rice Lake Speedway, Fiesta City Speedway, Granite City Motor Park, Thunder City Speedway, ABC Raceway, Bemidji Speedway, Gondik Law Speedway, Proctor Speedway, Red Cedar Speedway, Grand Rapids Speedway, Hibbing Speedway, Emo Speedway, Greenbush Race Park, Victory Lane Speedway, Dead Horse Creek Speedway, Norman County Raceway, I-94 emr Speedway and Big Sky Speedway. He was able to pick up those 26 wins at ten of those tracks across two states and Canada.
Of those 26 wins, Tyler remembers winning the 50th annual Red Clay Classic at his hometown track in Ashland as his #1 memory of the season. This event has meant a lot to him, his family, and his team, so to be able to win the 50th running in front of a packed crowd was special. He also mentioned winning the Labor Day Shootout in Hibbing, the Dirt Track Nationals, and Heartbeat Hot Sauce June Invitation at Thunder City, the Emo Fair in Emo, and the Farm Stock Special at ABC as memorable moments along the way as well.
Tyler is sponsored by Northern Clearing Inc., 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 Race Cars and Fastlane Motorsports. He is also supported by his family, which consists of his wife Molly, boys George and Dallas, the couple’s third baby due in March as well as his other crew members, Adam Austin, Fuzz Ylitalo, Adam Lucius, Jason Bellile, Devin and Hailey and Craig Adamzack.
Tyler wanted to thank his sponsors, family, friends, and fans, and also send a shout-out to fellow SSR Race Cars driver Joey Jensen for making the chase for the national title so nail-biting, right down to the final day of the season.
Congrats to Tyler and his team!
WISSOTA is proudly sponsored by their official marketing partners:
Hoosier Racing Tire, My Race Pass, NAPA Auto Parts, Dirt Race Central, Speedway Motors, Gondik Law and All The Dirt Racing News, along with their Platinum partner, Raceceiver, plus their Gold sponsors, which include EngineQuest and World Products.
WISSOTA is also sponsored by Silver partners AFCO and Willy’s Carburetor & Dyno Shop, plus Bronze sponsor Stakt Products.
WISSOTA also has a great group of contingency sponsors, including Brodix Cylinder Heads, BuyRaceShirts.com, Manley, Allstar Performance, AMI Graphics, Winning Edge Graphics, Velocita, RaceCals, RaceGear Designs, All Star Trophy & Awards, Minuteman Press, Performance Auto, UEM Pistons, Mahle Motorsports, Performance Auto, Freedom Race Lifts, Victory Fuel, Power Lodge, Deatherage Opticians and MD3.
For more information on WISSOTA, log on to www.WISSOTA.org.
The WISSOTA Promoters Association exists to benefit its member tracks to enhance safe, profitable and successful dirt track racing, through unified, cost-effective rules, policies and procedures enacted within a democratic environment.
The WISSOTA Promoters Association was founded in 1981 by eight track promoters in Wisconsin and Minnesota, with an intent to offer uniform rules for the promoters and drivers involved in the Late Model division. Soon, the group decided to do the same for the growing Modified division.
In 1984 a voluntary steering committee was formed to oversee the business aspects that developed and to guide the future of WISSOTA’s racing divisions. That steering committee evolved into a board of directors, and the non-profit racing organization became incorporated in 1986.
Submitted By: Jacy Norgaard