Most of the tracks on the 2022 MLRA schedule will come as first time venues for Gundaker, but it’s a challenge he is ready to tackle head on. “When the schedule came out I went on there and looked at every race track and researched them, looking at the dimensions and mileage of each and nothing is really out of the ordinary. I ran at Tri-City every week and it’s a 3/8 mile and most tracks we run on are either 3/8 or probably a little smaller which is perfect for us because we have always been accustomed to running on those type of tracks.”

One of the biggest challenges he anticipates is learning how to adjust his driving style to the different types of dirt and track surfaces he will encounter on the road. Conditions such as the typically hammer down tracks like Lucas Oil Speedway and Lake Ozark Speedway, to what he expects to typically be slicker surfaces at places like Davenport and 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA.

“It’s going to be different getting on different dirt in the different regions of the Midwest,” stated Gundaker. “That part will be interesting, from the black gumbo to the different clays it will be interesting and a whole different ball game.”

Gundaker is quick to note that he still has a lot to learn in a sport that is continually changing and forcing drivers to look in every direction to find more speed. One such avenue for help that he looks to draw from in the season ahead lies well within the Gundaker family tree, in the form of his father Kevin and brother Gordy.

"These last couple years I have had my own program a bit but I have ran up and down the road with Gordy there for a bit too, running Summer Nationals and some regional races at Farmer City and Fairbury and places like that. But now I basically have my own program, and that’s greatly influenced by both Gordy and dad. It's nice to have their help, coming from dad which is a hall of famer and Gordy who has been racing for about ten years now they know a whole lot about these late models. For me in this basically new career I don’t know a whole lot, but I know just enough so there is always room for learning."

The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender plans to campaign behind the wheel of a new 2022 Black Diamond Chassis powered by a Bullet Racing Engine when the season opens on April 8th & 9th at the 81 Speedway in Park City, KS. “We are planning to go down in early March and build a car with Black Diamond again. Ronnie (Stuckey) and those guys have always been really great to us, and having guys like Alberson and Chad Simpson they have always greatly helped me too with everything, so hopefully that will help boost my experience.”

The MLRA schedule currently sits at 30 different events across six different states and includes a total of eight different events that are co-sanctioned with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. “It’s going to be a really good learning curve and a very good experience for what I’ve got to expect here in the next couple of years,” said Gundaker.

“Running tours is always about keeping your head straight and being able to finish and being there at the end. I hope it’s going to help me learn more about control and getting my mind set right and being able to focus on things rather than having to run a show here every weekend. Now that I’m following a tour I’ve got to be completely focused on points and being able to better myself,” he concluded. 

TGR Motorsports Partners:  Gateway Powdercoating, Keyser Manufacturing, Performance Bodies, Lucas Oil, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint and Body, Millard Family Chapels, Black Diamond Chassis, Advanced Racing Suspensions, & High Caliber Graphics.