6/12/2023
Mike Marlar
Mike Marlar banks $12,000 Dirt Late Model Dream prelim at Eldora
Mike Marlar banked a $12,000 payday on Friday evening at Eldora Speedway during the second round of preliminary action for the Dirt Late Model Dream XXIX behind the wheel of his Delk Equipment Sales / Petroff Towing No. 157 Can-Am Auto Salvage / Mesilla Valley Transportation / Longhorn Race Car / Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.
“It was a busy weekend for our team, but overall a very successful one,” Marlar said. “We won on Friday night at Eldora (Speedway) and had a good car the other two nights as well, and then we had another strong run at Kokomo (Speedway) on Monday night. We’re looking forward to being home for a few days before heading to Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, Tenn.) for the $50,000 to win.”
The 29th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream kicked off for Mike Marlar on Thursday at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio) as a pair of $12,000-to-win preliminary features opened the three-day event.
With the 95-car field split into two groups, Marlar followed up the fourth-fastest lap in his qualifying group with a third-place finish in his heat race. Advancing forward nine spots in his 25-lap prelim, Mike reeled in a third-place finish, which came behind Ricky Thornton Jr. and Devin Moran.
For Friday’s round of prelims, Mike’s impressive fifth-to-first showing in his heat race placed him on the pole for his preliminary feature. Leading flag-to-flag in the 25-lap affair, Marlar fended off Jonathan Davenport amid lapped-traffic late to capture his fifth win of the season and a $12,000 prize. He took the checkers ahead of Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chris Ferguson, and Kyle Strickler.
On Saturday, Marlar grabbed the third-and-final transfer spot in his 15-lap heat race, which positioned him on the ninth row for the $129,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream finale. Inching forward seven positions in the 100-lapper, Mike climbed to an 11th-place finish.
The extended weekend drew to a close on Monday for Marlar with the XR Super Series at Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, Ind.) for the 100K Upgrade. With a third-place finish in his heat race pinning him on the sixth row for the $100,000-to-win A-Main, Mike steered forward five positions to cap off the weekend with a sixth-place finish.
Full results from the events available at www.EldoraSpeedway.com and www.XRSuperSeries.com.
The team will enter another big-paying event this weekend, as their home state Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, Tenn.) hosts the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) for the Mountain Moonshine Classic. The field will be divided into a pair of $5,000-to-win races on Friday night followed by a $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday.
Full event details are available at www.SmokyMountainSpeedway.com and www.LucasDirt.com.
Article Credit: Tyler Carr photo
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