Pete Berner

It was an incredibly satisfying victory for Gillig, who only drove Larry O’Brien’s Bear’s Performance Products 2010 Dodge Avenger for the final three races of the 2011 season.

“It’s just been a crazy season for me, but I want to thank Larry and this brother (Wayne) for this opportunity. They’re great guys and to have Larry step out of the seat is just awesome,” Gillig said.

Gillig, the No. 14 qualifier, picked up his first ADRL win thanks to an outstanding effort on the starting line on Sunday. He won via holeshots in every round of what was a record qualifying field, ousting heavy hitters like Dean Goforth and Pete Berner before cutting an .027 light in the finals.

“We just had a great day and I’m just fortunate to have an opportunity like this,” Gillig said. “It was just amazing and I just truly enjoyed this day.”