(Minersville, Pa. 2-27-26) When Mike Gular held off a charging Ryan Krachun and captured the 2025 Open Day checkers at Big Diamond Speedway in the BQ Concrete 358 Modified feature, he went on to etch his name amongst an impressive list of previous Opening Day winners.
Securing a victory on Opening Day holds considerable importance, as many of the region’s top dirt Modified stock car drivers will be on hand and it gives fans a great look into what lies ahead for the weekly action.
For the driver who can pull off the win it distinguishes themselves as a superior force among what will surely be an outstanding cast of entries.
When Gular crossed the line for the win the 2020 track champion became the 36th different driver to claim an Opening Day Modified victory.
Throughout the history of Big Diamond Speedway, Opening Day has featured a distinguished roster of winners. Among these are several who have claimed first place on multiple occasions and establish themselves as some of the track’s most successful competitors.
Leading the group of multi-time Opening Day winners is Duane Howard, who sits atop the list with an impressive seven victories. Not far behind is Jeff Strunk, with six triumphs. Of his track all-time record of 106 feature wins, Craig VonDohren has captured the checkered flag five times during the opener. Charlie Eckert’s four Opening Day wins further demonstrates the level of top-quality Modified standouts who have raced at Big Diamond Speedway.
Kenny Brightbill, Doug Hoffman, and Rick Laubach each have achieved the mark on three separate occasions. Rounding out the list of multiple Opening Day winners are Keith Hoffman and Ryan Watt, both of whom have earned the honor twice.
Furthermore, only fourteen times has the Opening Day winner gone on to subsequently secure the track championship within the same season and only eight different drivers have been able to attain that accolade.
Paul Lotier set the precedent in 1979 as the first to win both the Opening Day race and the championship in the same year. VonDohren leads this group, having earned three such titles in 2012, 2013 and 2019.
D. Hoffman (1988 & 2004), Howard (1992 & 1998), and Strunk (1997 & 2007) twice achieved the accomplishment. Brightbill and K. Hoffman followed with their respective successes in 1991 and 2000 and the most recent was Timmy Buckwalter in 2021.
Dating back to 1972 when Earl “Drick” Hendricks made history by becoming the very first Modified feature winner at the then newly opened Big Diamond Speedway and heading into the upcoming April 3, “Thaw Brawl” for the 54th Season Opener, the excitement level continues to mount in anticipation for the start of another year of “Racing in God’s Country” at the popular Schuylkill County 3/8-mile dirt oval.
Focusing ahead to the lid-lifter the question is will there be another repeat winner or can a new name emerge as the driver who lands the big score.
The Opening Day Modified feature will have a payout of $4,054. This notable prize serves not only as an added incentive for drivers to compete for the top spot but also ignites the excitement surrounding the season’s inaugural race with many more high-paying events to follow throughout the season.
Joining the Modifieds will be the USS Achey Inc., 602 Crate Sportsman racing in a 20-lap main with $1054-to-win, the Red White and Blue Autos Inc., Roadrunners racing for a top prize if $454 plus the Big Creek Concrete Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman.
A test and tune session is scheduled for Sunday, March 29 from noon until 4:00 pm