Story By: BEN SHELTON / MIKE MARLAR RACING – WINFIELD, TN – Last Wednesday night found Mike Marlar streaking to his first win of the year with his Skyline Motorsports No. 157 / Truck Country / Bruening Rock Products / Mesilla Valley Transportation / Can-Am Auto Salvage / Petroff Towing / Longhorn Race Car Super Late Model.
His maiden voyage to the Winner’s Circle came at Volusia Speedway Park during the DIRTcar Nationals. His second-career win at the Florida oval was worth $5,000.
“It felt really good ya know. We’re happy to win one man, we’ve had kind of a hard Speedweeks,” Marlar said on the frontstretch at the famed, ½-mile oval. “(We’ve) been fast a lot, just ain’t winning anything and tearing up a lot of stuff. So, happy to win one for sure there and the car was really good. A huge thanks goes out to Greg Bruening, Skyline Motorsports, and everyone who supports our team.”
With Monday’s opener postponed by Mother Nature, Mike Marlar returned to Volusia Speedway Park (De Leon Springs, Fla.) on Tuesday to pilot the Skyline Motorsports No. 157 Super Late Model the 53rd annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
Squeezing into the preliminary feature with the fourth-and-final transfer spot in his heat race, Mike was collected in a six-car skirmish on a lap-17 restart that ended his night.
On Wednesday with the 48-car field divided into three groups, Marlar topped his 16-car group before picking up a flag-to-flag victory in the 20-lap prelim. He earned a $5,000 payday for his first win of the season.
For Monday’s rescheduled feature, Mike retired from the race on lap 14 after challenging for the top spot early in the 25-lap affair.
Marlar’s Thursday night ended with a sixth-place result in the 40-lap feature after he led laps 1-7 and 11-19.
In a field of 48 World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series entries on Friday, Mike raced into the $16,000-to-win A-Main with a heat victory but was forced to retire from the feature on the pace lap with mechanical issues.
Saturday’s 53rd annual Federated DIRTcar Nationals finale fell to wet weather.
Mike’s attention now returns to Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) action this Friday and Saturday with a pair of events at Golden Isles Speedway (Waynesville, Ga.). The weekend includes a $10,000-to-win and $20,000-to-win program.
Marlar currently sits 13th in the latest series standings.