Ted Malinowski/NASCAR

Dirt Late Model racer Joey Tanner of Portland, Ore., has officially won the 2026 NASCAR Local Racing Series powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts national championship with 12 victories in 15 starts at Willamette Speedway in Portland, Ore.

Tanner, who pilots the Darren Coffell-owned No. 46, is the first dirt racer to win the NASCAR’s weekly crown since Gary Webb of Blue Grass, Iowa, in 2000.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the team I race for and the people who support us,” Tanner said. “This is a big win for the state of Oregon, for the West Coast, for our team and my family, my crew — everyone involved.”

Tanner and secured the title by two points. The title is the culmination of a focused season-long effort by Tanner, Coffell, crew chief Chris FitzJohn and the entire No. 46 team. Once the group recognized it was gaining ground in the national standings and building its advantage in the regional standings, it committed fully to the title pursuit.

“We were definitely focused on winning this championship,” Tanner said. “When we really started to notice us creeping up in the points nationally and the gap was getting bigger for the regional title, we really dug in. Darren stepped it up. We had more tires than I had ever seen. The equipment was always beautiful. He showed up ready to go.”

The 36-year-old Tanner works as a sales professional for Maletis Beverage. His racing career began in indoor go-karts at age 10. He later advanced through street stocks and Late Models before beginning his dirt-racing career in 2005.

Tanner said the title validates what the close-knit No. 46 team believed it could accomplish, while bringing national recognition to a program built through years of work and steady success.

“I’m just so proud of our accomplishments with what we have,” said Tanner, also the season’s I-5 Silver Bullet Late Model Series champion. “We know as a team we have a great program, but now everybody knows on a national level. We’ve been fast for a couple years, and I’ve been winning races for a long time. Doing it with a small team shows what you can accomplish with people who work hard and put all their effort into it.”