You most often find Mike Gular behind the wheel of a modified. Last Sunday he took out a 600 sprint at Action Track USA. His goal: To shake it down for Brian and Kaylee Miller’s nine-year-old son, Brody.
“As a driver, I will race anything,” Gular, of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, said. “Any time you can get in a different type of car and race it, it can only help your driving skills. It is good practice.”
Gular has competed in modifieds for 25 years, with championships at Big Diamond, Grandview and New Egypt speedways. While he practiced in a 600 sprint, he never competitively raced one until last Sunday.
“The 600 micros drive a little different than a modified, the modified being so much heavier,” said Gular. “There are not a whole bunch of similarities between a modified and a 600 micro. I found the micro was not hard to drive — it was real easy to maneuver.”
Gular picked quite the night to race the 600. Action Track USA attracted a field of 65 entries. Just 29 qualified. Gular was not among those that made the feature. Nevertheless, he achieved his initial goal, with providing feedback for the Miller family.
“I’m a lot heavier than a nine-year old, so I couldn’t offer much in setup,” Gular said. “There are a couple of things to work on. The engine programming — was a little off.”
Mike Gular enjoyed the experience of racing a 600 sprint, but he does not expect to compete in any more events with one.
“I would do it if a car owner offered me a ride,” said Gular. “I don’t have enough hours in a week to work on a micro after the time it takes to maintain my modified and my son Chase’s 602 crate sportsman, and take in my girl’s gymnastics competitions.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
