Mike Marlar leads wire-to-wire for $12,000 at Rocky Top
Mike Marlar led all 40 laps at the Rocky Top Rumble at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee, to take the $12,000 winner’s payday. The victory was his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series win at Volunteer in five Series starts and the 19th World of Outlaws triumph of his career; Marlar said it continued momentum after he scaled back his schedule and completed recent testing to get his program turned around.
Marlar had been slated to start third but was moved to the front row after Bilstein Pole winner Ricky Thornton Jr. jumped the initial start. Marlar then edged past Chris Madden early to take control and stayed out front despite a late caution when Tyler Erb suffered a flat tire with 12 laps remaining, surviving several restarts as Thornton and Bobby Pierce closed in.
Thornton recovered to finish second — a Volunteer career-best — while Pierce finished third, his first top-10 at Bulls Gap. Chris Madden finished fourth and Dale McDowell fifth, and the result kept the Rocky Top Rumble trophy in Tennessee.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is scheduled to resume its Tennessee doubleheader Saturday at Smoky Mountain Speedway.
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