7/13/2025
Sharon Speedway
MIKE MARLAR ENDS BOBBY PIERCE’S 3-RACE SHARON WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL WIN STREAK & EARNS $15,000; 1ST EVER FOR ZACH MORROW IN RUSH SPRINTS
By Mike Leone
July 12, 2025
(Hartford, OH)...For the second straight day, Mother Nature tried to intervene with late afternoon heavy rain showers but once again Sharon Speedway was able to prevail completing night two of the “Battle at the Border”. The rain coupled with the high humidity and cloud cover delayed the program by more than one-hour after everything had already been pushed back 30 minutes due to the high temperatures. A strong crowd watched lightning-fast speeds on the 3/8-mile red clay oval as Mike Marlar (World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models) and Zach Morrow (RUSH Sprint Cars) celebrated in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Victory Lane.
Bobby Pierce brought a three-race win streak in World of Outlaws action at Sharon Speedway into Saturday’s 50-lap program. Pierce had swept last year’s $25,000 “Battle at the Border” and was fresh off a $12,000 win on Friday night. Pierce was looking to add another $15,000 to the bank account Saturday, but Mike Marlar wasn’t about to sit and watch that happen. Marlar tracked down Pierce and made the winning pass on lap 42 and led the final laps to win the 50-lapper for his first career Sharon victory as he became the 13th different winner in 17 World of Outlaws races run all-time at Sharon. It was also Marlar’s first national touring series victory in Super Late Model competition in nearly two years.
“Haven’t been really running very good, and we stayed around closer to home the last couple weeks,” explained the 47-year-old Winfield, Tennessee winner. “I got second last Thursday and then won Saturday in a regional deal. That just really helps me dial my car in. I think sometimes when I’m out here racing the toughest guys all the time, it just gets you out in left field a little bit. If you’re struggling, it’s hard to beat these guys. It was nice to stay around home for a few weeks and get my stuff working a little better, then come back and give them a better shot.”
“It’s just a racy track, I love going to places that are like that,” Marlar added. “When I came up that other time, I really didn’t have it dialed in, but I thought ‘dude, this track’s awesome.’ Last night, I thought the track was fun and it was a totally different thing. So obviously it can be good in a lot of different conditions. With the rain today, it was way faster obviously. It’s a fun track, I enjoy coming up here, and I like that kind of reddish-pink Pennsylvania, Ohio-type dirt, it’s fun.”
Veteran Dennis Erb, Jr. raced into the early lead over Pierce and Marlar. The top two pulled away from the pack by lap five as Pierce was all over Erb in the battle for the lead. A trio of cautions slowed action with six laps completed. When racing resumed on lap seven, Pierce dove under Erb racing into turn one to grab the lead. Pierce continued to hold serve until the event’s final caution slowed action with 16 laps completed as the final 34 would go green-to-checkered.
Back under green, it was three-wide for the lead with Pierce holding on, but Marlar was able to shoot into second as Erb dropped to third. Pierce had a half-straightaway advantage over Marlar when he caught lapped traffic on lap 29. Pierce stretched his margin to over a straightaway in lapped traffic, but Marlar began to close the gap by lap 37 in open air. As the laps ticked off, Marlar continued to get closer. On lap 43, the lead duo raced side-by-side and Marlar was able to rip around Pierce on the cushion off turn four.
Marlar pulled away over the final laps and took the checkered flag first by 2.013 seconds for his 18th career World of Outlaws victory in the Quick Supply Co./Mesilla Valley Transportation/Truck Country/BRP/Bilstein Shocks-sponsored #157.
Pierce was second as he continues to lead the World of Outlaws points. After leading the first six laps, Erb held on to third for his first podium finish at Sharon. Tanner English was fourth. Shirley joined Pierce as the only drivers to record top five finishes both nights as he rounded out the first five. After finishing a Sharon best second on Friday night, Drake Troutman went ninth to sixth. After going 18th to 6th on Friday night, Tim McCreadie moved forward once again in the feature- this time 14th to 7th. Ryan Gustin charged from 17th to 8th as Max Blair and Ethan Dotson completed the top 10.
Pierce set fast time overall in qualifying against the 35-car field with a blistering lap of 15.328 seconds. Heat winners were Pierce, Marlar, Erb, and Dustin Sorensen. The last chance B mains were won by Gustin and Miley. A total of 41 different cars competed over the two nights of competition.
John Mollick had swept all four RUSH Sprint Car events to date this season at Sharon; however, was not in competition Saturday night due to mechanical setbacks the prior two races on the Series’ circuit. With none of the other Series’ winners in competition as well Saturday it left the playing field wide open; in fact, only one other driver had ever won a feature at Sharon- that being Arnie Kent. Kent looked primed to score another one, but Zach Morrow had other ideas. Morrow passed Kent on lap 14 and held him off over the final laps to score the 20-lap victory worth $800.
“I’m thrilled,” expressed the 35-year-old Gibsonia, Pa. driver. “I’ve run here since 2016. It’s always slick and I’ve always known I needed an elbows-up race track to win here and we pulled it off! This is my first win for the Engles team. We’ve had a trying year, but to finally break through and get one is awesome. I was pretty nervous on the final restart. Arnie Kent is a really good race car driver. I knew he was going to give it all he had; he’s a clean race car driver and I just drove the shit out of it entering turn one and it was fine.”
Second year RUSH Sprint Car racer, Luke Mulichak, raced out to the early lead. Kent was scored fourth on the opening lap, but was able to pass Ricky Tucker III and rookie Grayson Bayle for second on lap two, while sixth starting Morrow followed in third. Kent slipped under Mulichak in turn two to lead lap three. Following a caution for a spin by Samantha Priest, Morrow drove around Mulichak for second on lap four.
Morrow hounded Kent every lap and put a slider in turns one and two on the veteran to grab the lead on the 14th circuit. Kent didn’t go away as he pulled even with Morrow on lap 15. The two battled to the finish with Mulichak in hot pursuit as well. When the checkered flag waved, it was Morrow crossing the finish line first by just 0.323 seconds in the Tim Engles-owned Ausome Cre8ions by Maddie/doTerra Essential Oils/Two7 Manufacturing/Anchored Properties-sponsored. Morrow, who also received a $100 Summit Racing Equipment gift card for being the event’s hard charger, became the 15th different driver to win in the division at Sharon since its inception in 2018.
Kent was second for his third straight podium at Sharon. Mulichak was a close third to match his career best finish at the track. Zack Wilson and Ricky Tucker III were able to record their career best Sharon finishes in fourth and fifth respectively. Brian Cressley, Bayle, Charlie Utsinger, newcomer C.J. McClintock, and Rich Womeldorf completed the top 10. Heat winners were Morrow and Wilson.
Racing returns to Sharon next Saturday (July 19) for a “Steel Valley Thunder” program featuring the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply UMP Modifieds along with the Gibson Insurance Agency Pro Stocks, HTMA/Precise Racing RUSH Sportsman Modifieds, Alcon Mechanical Econo Mods, and the Crown Vics. Race times in 7 p.m.
World of Outlaws Late Models (50 laps, $15,000 to-win): 1. 157-MIKE MARLAR[3]; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 3. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 4. 96-Tanner English[5]; 5. 3S-Brian Shirley[8]; 6. 22-Drake Troutman[9]; 7. 9M-Tim McCreadie[14]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin[17]; 9. 111-Max Blair[13]; 10. 74X-Ethan Dotson[7]; 11. 19-Dustin Sorensen[4]; 12. 2-Cody Overton[12]; 13. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[19]; 14. 1-Chub Frank[11]; 15. 1Z-Logan Zarin[22]; 16. 49-Jake Timm[16]; 17. B1-Brent Larson[21]; 18. 9-Nick Hoffman[6]; 19. 99B-Boom Briggs[20]; 20. 10M-Jared Miley[18]; 21. 1C-Alex Ferree[15]; 22. 66-Justin Kann[10]; 23. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[23]; 24. J4-John Garvin Jr[24]
DNQ for the feature: 57-Caiden Black, 9K-Mike Knight, 48-Colton Flinner, 10-Gary Lyle, 9S-Breyton Santee, 555-Brock Pinkerous, 217-Eric Wilson, 55-Chris Schneider, 5M-Ryan Markham, 24-Tyler Wyant, 25Z-Mason Zeigler.
RUSH Sprint Cars (20 laps, $1,000 to-win): 1. 68-ZACH MORROW[6]; 2. 9-Arnie Kent[3]; 3. 55-Luke Mulichak[2]; 4. 1-Zack Wilson[5]; 5. 1T-Ricky Tucker III[4]; 6. 62-Brian Cressley[8]; 7. 21-Grayson Bayle[1]; 8. 23-Charlie Utsinger[9]; 9. 17M-CJ McClintock[11]; 10. 2R-Rich Womeldorf[13]; 11. 21N-Samantha Priest[10]; 12. 13K-Kevin Kaserman[15]; 13. 20A-Jesse Armstrong[12]; 14. 48T-TJ Rosario[14]; 15. 213-Lucas Roessner[7]. DNS: 63L-Wyatt Long.
Sharon Speedway is owned by the Dave Blaney, Ryan Blaney, and Will Thomas III and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out the website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @sharonspdwy.
Article Credit: Mike Leone
