RPW Exclusive: Mike Gular Dominates Short Track Super Series’ Hard Clay Finale At OCFS

Column By: JOHN DOUGLAS / RPW – MIDDLETOWN, NY – Jerry Higbie started on the front row of the 50-lap Hard Clay Finale Short Track Super Series event at the Orange County Fair Speedway Thursday night but his lead didn’t last long as Mike Gular took control by lap 10 and never looked back.

Gular took the win with Mat Williamson coming home second and Anthony Perrego taking third.

Higbie grabbed the lead from the drop of the green but his lead was not to last long, however.  Within the first 10 laps, Gular took control.  A caution on lap 12 bunched up the field and on the restart Gular continued to lead. Higbie on the other hand, began a slow fall through the field as Andy Bachetti, Matt Sheppard and others surged to the front of the field.

By halfway the field had stabilized with Gular, Bachetti and Sheppard the top three. Higbie’s fall stalled out in the sixth position, just in front of Stewart Friesen’s No. 44 Halmar Racing machine. However, caution would fly on the 27th lap. Bunching the field up once again.

On the restart Bachetti lost multiple positions falling to sixth, while Matt Sheppard assumed second place with Mat Williamson in tow.Anthony Pereggo and Stewart Friesen found themselves rounding out the top five for the first time on the evening.

Gular began to stretch his lead over Sheppard to the tune of 3.3 seconds with just under 20 laps to go. However Sheppard had no such luxury as he battled with Williamson who found his way past Sheppard just one circuit later. Unfortunately for Sheppard, his momentum was lost and he fell to 8th position as the caution flew with 17 laps to go.

On the restart, Friesen, who’d found himself in 4th position, had issues and fell down the running order and out of contention for the win. Gular continued to lead over Williamson.

Mike Mahaney began a charge to the front of the top 10 along with Tyler Dippel as the field clicked off lap No. 35. However that charge would be temporarily halted by another caution with 11 laps remaining.

When green flag racing resumed Gular and Williamson led the field into turn one. The top three held station but Dippel found his way around Mahaney for the fourth position. Stewary Friesen had crawled his way back to seventh place, but with just nine laps remaining time was running out of the Sprakers, NY driver to make the move to the front.

Gular built a lead of 1.3 seconds coming to the final five laps of the race and it only increased until the checkers flew. Williamson held on for second place, with Anthony Pereggo, Tyler Dippel and Mike Mahaney completing the top five.

Stewart Friesen made his way back to sixth place, with Jerry Higbie, Danny Creeden, Billy Decker and Craig Mitchell completing the top 10.

With his finish, Decker took home the 2018 Short Track Super Series North region championship and the $12,500 top prize that goes along with it.

Modified Feature Finish (50 laps): MIKE GULAR, Mat Williamson, Anthony Perrego, Tyler Dippel, Mike Mahaney, Stewart Friesen, Jerry Higbie, Danny Creeden, Billy Decker, Craig Mitchell, Jimmy Horton, Billy Pauch Jr., Matt Sheppard, Bob McGannon, Jeremy Smith, Ryan Godown, Jackie Brown, Tyler Boniface, Andy Bachetti, Sammy Martz, Duane Howard, Brian Krummel, Billy Van Inwegen, Rich Eurich, Allison Ricci, Mike Kolka, Donnie Elliott, Mike Ricci, Stan Frankenfield, Shane Jablonka, Matt Hitchcock.

Did Not Qualify: C.G. Morey, Brett Tonkin, Rick Laubach, Ric Hill, Tommy Meier, Corey Lowitt, Steve Dodd, Nick Nye, Joe Bonetti, J.R. Hurlburt, Roger Henion Jr., Kurt Hundeland, Leo Fotopolous Jr., Yanick Mathieu, John Ferrier, Dillon Steuer, Ricky Davis, Cass Bennett, Mark Pullen, Kyle Armstrong, Chris Stevens, Ed Burgess, Gary Edwards, Sean Mandel, Marc Johnson, Jeremy Markle, Jason Kosch, Brett Haas, Austin Smith, LJ Lombardo, Anthony Falanga, Craig Hanson, Rich Eggers, Tom Hindley, Frankie Harper, Tom Foley, Michael Horton, Danny Cronk, Jessica Friesen, Joe Falanga, Jeff Heotzler, Donnie Wilson, Connor Otten, Mike Storms, Brett Hearn, Rob Rowe.

360 Sprint Car Open Feature Finish (25 laps): LUCAS WOLFE, Davie Franek, Billy Van Inwegen, Justin Barger, Coleman Gulick, Joe Kata, Kyle Smith, Tyler Jashembowski, Thomas Radivoy, Mike Walter, Eric Jennings, Geoff Quakenbush, Bill Unglert, Floyd Billington, Scott Flammer, Matt Tanner, Scott Goodrich.