WEST FARGO, N.D. — Mike Marlar wasn’t sure if he could pass race leader Ryan Gustin Thursday night at Red River Valley Speedway.
But on lap 27, the 2018 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series champion got the break he needed.
A flat tire forced Gustin to pit, handing the lead to Marlar with 13 laps to go. That was all he needed, leading the rest of the way to earn his first series win of 2023 in the Titan Machinery Showdown.
Gustin led the field to the green in the 40-lap feature, but a yellow flag came out in turn three for an incident involving Germfree Lab Rookie of the Year contenders Dustin Walker and Nick Hoffman.
The “Reaper” tried to get momentum out front, but several cautions slowed the field down, including one for Cade Dillard, who spun on lap 15.
That lap-15 restart is when Dennis Erb Jr. and Marlar tried to make a bid for the lead.
Marlar swung to the outside of the Erb in turns one and two, hoping to drive around him for second. But on that lap, Erb had the momentum as he stayed in front of the No. 157 in turns three and four. Then, the defending champion got a burst of speed down the frontstretch as he saw an opening underneath Gustin.
However, that opening closed immediately, as Gustin shut the door in turn one, holding onto the lead. That loss of momentum cost Erb the second spot as Marlar passed him in turn two and set his sights on Gustin.
The “Winfield Warrior” got another chance to wrestle the lead away from Gustin two laps later when the caution came out for Brent Larson on lap 17.
On that restart, Marlar nosed ahead of him as they hit turn two. But it wasn’t enough, as Gustin powered back by him down the backstretch, seemingly on his way to victory.
However, the race’s outcome changed on lap 26 when the caution flew for Chris Madden.
Gustin pitted with a right-rear flat tire during that yellow flag, handing the lead to Marlar.
That was the opportunity Marlar needed, as he led the final 13 laps to score the $10,000 prize and his 14th career World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win.
Marlar was relieved after the race, knowing how difficult it would’ve been to pass Gustin.
“We were having a heck of a race there,” Marlar said. “I almost got him off of [turn] two over there, and I hit that hole and bounced out probably close to hitting him. I got out of the gas, and he got back by me.
“When the caution came out, I thought, man, how am I going to get around that guy? And then the answer appeared in front of me. It’s kind of weird how that happens. It happens to a lot of people, and I hate that it happened to him today. He was going to be tough to pass, especially with 13 to go when he had clear sailing.”
Marlar said one of the reasons Gustin was so tough to pass was that the track surface threw him a curveball.
“The track was odd tonight,” Marlar said. “It actually gained grip instead of losing it. Usually, it’s not like that. There was more grip off turn four late in the race and in the middle, than there was early. So, I was able to find that and get out into the middle of the track and passed them guys.”
Tanner English crossed the line second, bouncing back after a flat tire cost him a potential win Tuesday at Mason City Motor Speedway.
“I think the key to winning was Marlar passing me there before that first restart when we went double-file,” English said. “He got to third, so it put him to the outside, and he just kind of stayed ahead. He was pretty good. I don’t know if we had anything for him if we stayed ahead. I just stayed on the bottom there that one time and should’ve moved up and got in his line. I tried to stay down there and find something, but there wasn’t anything left.”
Kyle Bronson finished third after an aggressive battle with Bobby Pierce.
“We’ve been having fast cars, but things haven’t been going our way,” Bronson said. “You can’t help flat tires and broken rear ends and stuff like that when it happens. Our cars had speed in it besides Tuesday. Tuesday was the only day I felt like we lacked a little speed.
“Hopefully, this will get us back on track here and get us back to where we need to be running and get going. We still have a lot of racing left to go, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Brian Shirley finished fourth and Pierce rounded out the top five.
Pierce extended his points lead to 48 points over Hoffman, and 52 ahead of Madden.
The finish:
Feature (40 Laps): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[2]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[9]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[15]; 5. 32-Bobby Pierce[12]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton[22]; 8. 11-Gordy Gundaker[8]; 9. 19R-Ryan Gustin[1]; 10. B5-Brandon Sheppard[11]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz[19]; 12. 1TPO-Tyler Peterson[17]; 13. 30-Todd Cooney[6]; 14. 97-Cade Dillard[4]; 15. 76-Blair Nothdurft[14]; 16. 00-Mitch Johnson[21]; 17. 18X-Shawn Meyer[18]; 18. 14W-Dustin Walker[7]; 19. 27-Rayce McCord[24]; 20. 44-Chris Madden[16]; 21. 1ST-Johnny Scott[20]; 22. B1-Brent Larson[13]; 23. 5E-Shane Edginton[23]; 24. 9-Nick Hoffman[10]