Mike Marlar Dominates at Deer Creek for His First Gopher 50 Win

Photo Credit: Mike Marlar Racing
Mike Marlar Dominates at Deer Creek for His First Gopher 50 Win
Photo Credit: Mike Marlar Racing

World of Outlaws late model driver Mike Marlar was in a league of his own during Saturday night’s 39th Annual Gopher 50 World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series race at Deer Creek Speedway. Kicking things off with the top qualifying speed and a heat win, Marlar moved on to dominate the 24-car field during the 50-lap Sears Craftsman Feature en route to his third Series win of 2018.

After rebounding from a loss during Friday night’s feature race, Marlar decided to refocus his efforts on the racing and not on the WoO point standings, which seemed to turn things around for the No. 157 Delk Equipment team.

Although Marlar had to race his way past pole-sitter Shane Clanton, who led the first 29 laps of the 50-lap shootout, the No. 157 dirt driver broke free to take the lead from Clanton on lap 30. From there, Marlar never looked back as he expanded his lead to more than four seconds for the final laps of this race.

Despite a heated battle between Series veteran Clanton and young gun Tyler Erb behind the dominant driver, nothing would stop Marlar from achieving his goal of winning the Gopher 50. Given his performance, it is obvious that Marlar’s focus never deviated from the goal, which gave him both the win and a big boost in the WoO point standings. In fact, Marlar now sits only two points shy (or one position in the feature) from overthrowing Chris Madden for the lead of the World of Outlaws Championship point standings.

“It was an honor to get a win in this race,” said Marlar. “We just came here to race and do the best that we can do. To make a huge move in the points battle is just icing on the cake.”

The World of Outlaws battle will continue as the future Series champions trek nearly nine hours to Black Hills Speedway in Black Hills, SD for a 50-lap $10,000-to-win shootout on Tuesday night. Stay tuned to RacingJunk.com for your World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series 2018 racing action.

About Ellen Richardson 491 Articles
Ellen Richardson is the author of Behind The Wheel for RacingJunk.com. This automotive sports junkie has a passion for telling an athlete's story while also covering various racing activities. Find out more about her at ellennrichardson.wordpress.com or follow Ellen on Twitter at @ellennrich or Instagram at elnrich33.

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