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New Track Brings Exciting Racing To Reno - Crowds Love it!
Mixed Bag of Victors in Round 12
With the drivers having had their first taste (in anger) of the new Wild West Motorsports Park here in Sparks, NV yesterday, they returned with sharpened focus’, improved setups, and an ever-greater burning desire to win. Round 12 of the 2012 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, was once again held on a splendid northern Nevada afternoon, and the new Reno-area fans once again packed the house, cheering wildly throughout the day’s events. After a melee of rough and tumble races yesterday, things were somewhat more subdued today, but the competition was as fierce as ever, so in case you weren’t here to witness it in-person, read on to find out how the sharp end of each field shook out.
Junior 2 Kart
In the first race of the day, it was “Hot Sauce” Darren Hardesty who had the early lead in Junior 2 Kart, ahead of Parker Porter, Travis PeCoy, Dylan Winbury, and Shelby Anderson. The top five quickly started to break clear of the rest of the field, with lots of moving and shaking going on amongst those top five. On lap three, both Porter and PeCoy got around Hardesty to slot into first and second, with PeCoy then getting by Porter out of turn seven on the same lap to take over first in his #411 Fox Racing Shox/Simpson kart. Porter then got his spot right back after going by PeCoy on the inside at turn four on the next lap, re-taking first in his #461 Redline Performance/Advantage Boats machine. Just behind, Winbury and Anderson also got by Hardesty, moving up to third and fourth in the process, with Winbury then taking his #469 Famous Stars and Straps/Black Rhino truck up to second on lap five. On that same lap, Porter had a half spin at turn six, but managed not to lose too much ground, though he did force several other drivers to check up. The Competition Yellow then came out, and the running order in the top five was now PeCoy, Winbury, Porter, Anderson, and Trevor Briska in the #459 JH Sims Trucking Co, Inc./Prolong Super Lubricants kart. On the restart lap, Briska and Broc Dickerson got by Anderson on the inside at turn two, which moved these two up to fourth and fifth, respectively. Briska then spun at turn six (he may have had some help from Dickerson), dropping him to last place. Up front, Winbury got alongside PeCoy at the end of lap eight, and moved up to first as the two headed into turn one on lap nine.
Junior 1 Kart
In Junior 2 Kart, it was Travis PeCoy in the #211 Simpson/King Off-Road Racing Shocks kart who led the field past the stripe at the end of lap one. Behind PeCoy, it was Conner McMullen in the #288 Monster Energy/Kevin McMullen Fabrication & Transaxles truck, Blaze Nunley in the #230 RC10.com entry, Broc Dickerson in the #1 KarTek/Walker Evans Racing machine, and Darren Hardesty in the #231 Bilstein Shock Absorbers/Hoosier kart. Dickerson got by Nunley for third on lap two, but then spun at turn six, collecting Nunley in the process, which dropped these two to the last two spots in the running order. The running order was now PeCoy, McMullen, Hardesty, Parker Darland, and Barrett Nunley in the top five, with the top three running well clear out front. On lap four, McMullen got inside PeCoy at turn six, and went by and into the lead. One lap later, Hardesty got by PeCoy coming out of turn seven, moving himself up to second just ahead of the Competition Yellow. At this point, the running order up front was McMullen, Hardesty, PeCoy, Darland in the #241 Alexander Ford/Lincoln/RC10.com truck, and Barrett Nunley in the #215 RC10.com kart. The first restart didn’t meet the satisfaction of race officials, who called for a second restart, and on their second try, the young drivers got it right. On the second restart, PeCoy got by Hardesty on the inside at turn one, and grabbed second spot as a result. Dickerson also had a good restart lap, and moved from sixth to third. On the final lap, Dickerson then got by PeCoy on the inside as they climbed the hill up to turn two, moving himself up to second place. Up front, McMullen had a bit of a gap over those behind, and he came home the winner for the fifth time this season. Dickerson finished up second, with PeCoy third, Hardesty fourth, and Barrett Nunley fifth.
Modified Kart
The final race of the weekend on the shortened kart track, which is very exciting in and of itself, was Modified Kart, and this one was a real thriller. Sheldon Creed was out front early in his #574 Trophy Kart/PAC Racing Springs machine, ahead of Myles Cheek in the #557 Rockstar/Metal Mulisha kart, Cole Mamer in the #535 Simpson/Full Tilt Trophy Karts entry, Bradley Morris in the #504 Trophy Kart/K&N truck, and Jeff Hoffman in the #547 Cactus Asphalt/BRT Signs machine. Up front, the top three were quickly starting to pull clear in the opening laps, but the top five held their running order through the first five laps. Hoffman then got around Morris early on lap six, but Morris got back by on the inside at turn five. At the Competition Yellow, the running order in the top five was still the same, but on the restart lap, Sterling Cling moved by Hoffman and into fifth in his #584 Cling’s Manufacturing/KyleGreenFab.com truck. Cling then rolled at turn six on the next lap, dropping him to the back of the pack. Hoffman also rolled in this corner, and while Cling had landed on his wheels and was able to continue un-aided, Hoffman did not, and this forced a full course yellow. Once Hoffman was righted, racing resumed with a green-white-checkers finish in-store, and on the restart lap, Cheek was shuffled back four spots from second to fifth, and some further bumping and banging meant that at the white flag, it was now Mamer out front, with Morris, Creed, Blake Lenk in the #521 Team Associated/Racer X Motorsports kart, and Cheek in the top five. On the final lap, several drivers forced Lenk way wide at turn one, and sent him over the outside burm and into a scary-looking end-for-end crash into the ditch below. Fortunately, Lenk was able to come up on his wheels, re-fire, and finish the lap, to the collective applause of the crowd. Up front, the lead pack was well-bunched, and after such a strong run early on, Creed spun in turn six, dropping him from second to sixth. Meanwhile, at the head of the field, Mamer got another win, his third in four races, and made it a clean sweep of the weekend. Morris finished up in second, with Cheek third, Gavin Harlien fourth in the #555 Full Tilt Trophy Karts/Simpson kart, and Brock Heger fifth in the #511 Kacon Framing Inc/LGEPaint.com truck.
Limited Buggy
The final race before Opening Ceremonies was Limited Buggy, and it was points leader John Fitzgerald who had the early lead in his #314 BFGoodrich Tires/Wiks Racing Engines buggy, with Jordan Poole, Bradley Morris, Keaton Swayne, and Kevin McCullough in-tow. McCullough got by Swayne on the inside at turn one on the second lap, and McCullough’s teammate Dillon Ayers also got by Swayne on the same lap. Two laps later, Ayers then passed his own teammate on the inside at turn one, moving himself up to fourth in the #398 Gear One/Fat Performance Lothringer. On lap five, Poole got a little squirrelly through the jumps into turn two, allowing Morris to get by him in turn two and move up to second in his #304 Lucas Oil/K&N Penhall. Once into second, Morris moved up to start really putting the pressure on the leader Fitzgerald, but on lap seven, Fitzgerald squeezed Morris up against the inside barrier in turn three, which dropped Morris back to third. Ayers also fell back on the same lap, dropping to seventh, which moved Jim Price up to fifth in his #383 Specialty Fasteners/General Tire Lothringer. Up front, the top three were now running very close in a race for the lead, but the Competition Yellow put a temporary break in that battle.
At this time, the running order in the top five was Fitzgerald, Poole in the #310 Riot Racing/Yokohama Fraley, Morris, McCullough in the #389 Gear One/Broken Cartel Geiser, and Price. On the restart lap, both Poole and Morris got by Fitzgerald out of turn one, but Morris then came to a near-stop out of turn two after apparently missing a shift big time, which allowed Fitzgerald and McCullough to get by, dropping Morris back to fourth. Morris moved back up to third after passing McCullough on the inside at turn one on lap twelve, with Ayers also getting by McCullough and up to fourth as the two came down the long front straight at the end of lap thirteen and into lap fourteen. On the final lap, Fitzgerald had a very uncharacteristic half spin in turn three, which dropped him from second clear down to eighth, ending any last hopes he’d had of picking up a win at every track this season, a streak which he’d kept intact through Glen Helen. Up front, it was series rookie Jordan Poole who picked up his first career Lucas Oil Off Road win- way to go Jordan! Second place was Morris, third was Ayers, fourth was McCullough, and fifth was Price.
Pro 4 Unlimited
Following Opening Ceremonies, the next race out on track was Pro 4 Unlimited. Corry Weller started on the pole following the inversion, and she led the field past the start/finish line after lap one in her #18 Tilted Kilt/Maxxis Ford. Behind her, Curt LeDuc ran second in the #43 KCHiLites/Toyo Tires Ford, with Carl Renezeder third in the #1 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan, Greg Adler fourth in the #10 4 Wheel Parts/Affliction Ford, and Todd LeDuc fifth in the #7 Rockstar Energy/Makita Power Tools Ford. Curt LeDuc moved into the lead going into turn two on the second lap, with Renezeder moving up to second in the next corner. Adler, Kyle LeDuc, and Todd LeDuc also all got by Weller by the lap’s end, with Kyle LeDuc then passing Adler for third early on the next lap. Up front, Renezeder got by Curt LeDuc for the lead at turn two on lap three, with Kyle LeDuc following suit as he out-pulled his dad up the hill towards turn four. Adler then pulled off at the hot pits at the end of the lap, and the running order was now Renezeder, Kyle LeDuc in the #99 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford, Curt LeDuc, Todd LeDuc, and Weller. Todd LeDuc then passed his dad Curt on the inside at turn one on lap five, while ahead of him, his brother Kyle seemed to be slowing down slightly. By the Competition Yellow, Renezeder was comfortably out front, followed by Kyle LeDuc, Todd LeDuc (who’d nearly caught his brother), Curt LeDuc, and Weller.
On the restart lap, Todd got by his brother for second place, while Jerry Daugherty passed Weller for fifth in his #23 E3 Spark Plugs/K&N Chevrolet. Kyle LeDuc was now definitely off the pace, as his shocks were apparently going away badly, and those behind were quickly reeling him in as he was forced to slow substantially over the jumps. Curt LeDuc got back around his son on lap twelve, and a bit further back, Weller overtook Daugherty to re-take her fifth place. Weller then slowed at the start of lap fourteen, allowing both Daugherty and Carey Hart to get around her, both of whom then passed Kyle LeDuc to move into fourth and fifth. The running order was now Renezeder, Todd and Curt LeDuc, Daugherty, and Hart in the #46 eBay Motors/Hart and Huntington Ford in the top five. Behind these guys, Kyle LeDuc was starting to pick up some speed again, as he tried to pick off a few drivers for some extra points by pushing hard in the smoother sections. LeDuc got by Hart up the hill into turn one on lap seventeen, moving himself back into the top five. On the last lap, LeDuc was flying through the final corner, and got by Daugherty for fourth, making it a 2-3-4 finish for one of the most successful families in off-road racing. Ahead of everyone, though, it was Renezeder who picked up the win, his 99th career short course off-road victory, as he continues to try and track down number 100. Todd LeDuc took second, with his dad Curt in third, Todd’s brother Kyle in fourth, and Daugherty in fifth.
Pro Buggy Unlimited
Following a pile-up in turn one and a few more incidents in turn two of the opening lap, a full restart was called in the Pro Buggy Unlimited race. After a second start, it was Dave Mason Jr. out front in his #65 Competitive Metals/Eleven Western Builders Alumi Craft, with Steven Greinke, Larry Job, Doug Fortin, and Cameron Steele just behind. Steele got by Fortin on the inside at turn two on lap two, moving his #16 Monster Energy/Horizon Hobby Alumi Craft up to fourth. In the next corner, Greinke got his #23 SC Fuels/Concourse Racer by Mason Jr. and into the lead. On lap four, Fortin re-took fourth from Steele in turn one in his #96 Fortin Racing, Inc./McGrath Fiberglass Products Racer, with Fortin and Steele then both making a pass on Job for third and fourth one corner later. Three laps later, and Fortin was starting to close on Mason Jr., and on lap eight, he got a good run around the outside in turn two. With Mason Jr. coming out of the corner somewhat slowly, Fortin was able to get by and into second, but he was then black flagged for contact with Mason Jr. in the “no touch” zone of turn one, one corner before the pass. At the Competition Yellow, it was Greinke, Fortin, Mason Jr., Steele, and Jerry Whelchel in the #5 Camburg/General Tire Foddrill in the top five, with Fortin contesting the black flag.
On the restart lap, Garrett George moved up to fifth in his #71 Anenberg/Abu Dhabi Funco, but Whelchel got the position back at turn one on the next lap. Further forward, Steele moved by Mason Jr. and into third, with controversy really starting to stir as Fortin continued to refuse to serve his black flag. A full course caution then came out after Eric Fitch rolled up in turn four, and Fortin finally gave in and tried to serve his black flag, but was forced to wait and serve it properly, under green flag racing conditions. On the restart lap, Fortin ran a bit slowly, and several drivers got by him before he pulled in at lap’s end to serve his penalty, leaving the new running order of Greinke, Steele, Whelchel, Mason Jr., and George in the top five with one lap to go. On the final lap, Mason Jr. got into Whelchel and knocked him out really wide in turn three, causing Whelchel to spin around, and dropping him from third to eighth by race’s end; Mason Jr. escaped without a penalty, and finished in third. At the head of the field, a big win by Greinke has helped put him right back in the fight for the title, while second went to Steele, third to Mason Jr., fourth to George, and fifth to Geoffrey Cooley in the #22 Competitive Metals/BFGoodrich Tires Alumi Craft.
Pro Lite Unlimited
After a tumultuous race yesterday, today was set to provide another landmark race in Pro Lite Unlimited. RJ Anderson took the early lead in his #37 Monster Energy/South Point Dodge, followed by Brian Deegan in the #38 Rockstar Energy/Makita Power Tools Ford, Ryan Beat in the #51 Premiere Motorsports Group/Black Rhino Ford, Bradley Morris in the #24 GoldStar Asphalt!/Lucas Oil Ford, and Casey Currie in the #2 Monster Energy/General Tire Nissan. On lap three, Noah Fouch came to a stop in turn three, forcing officials to throw a full course caution to get him towed off. Once racing resumed, Morris got around Beat and up to third place, and on the next lap, Deegan got around Anderson on the outside at turn two, moving ahead and into the lead. On lap seven, Morris started to really put the pressure on Anderson for second place, and on the next lap, he may have gotten into Anderson at turn one, as Anderson went up on two wheels, allowing Morris to get by on the inside and up into second place. At the end of that lap, it was time for the Competition Yellow, and the running order up front was Deegan, Morris, Anderson, Beat, and Currie.
Currie pulled into the hot pits with a flat as soon as the Competition Yellow came out, which moved Austin Kimbrell up to fifth in his #88 Toyo Tires/ProAm Ford for the restart. The restart had to wait a bit longer, though, as the track went from yellow to red flag conditions after a small fire broke out onboard Chad George’s truck. The fire was quickly subdued by safety crews, and when racing resumed, the top five held their places through the end of the next lap, when a rollover in turn one forced another full course caution. On the restart, Deegan was simply caught napping, and several of those behind him swarmed up alongside, with a few getting past him. At the end of the restart lap, it was now Beat out front, ahead of Morris, Deegan, Anderson, and Matt Cook in the #55 Supercross.com/Loctite Toyota. Deegan re-gained a position by moving past Morris and into second on lap fifteen, with Anderson also getting by Morris on the next and final lap. Out front, however, Beat could not be caught, and he brought it home for the first victory of his career in this class- congratulations Ryan! Second went to Deegan, third to Anderson, fourth to Morris, and fifth to Cook.
Super Lite
Sheldon Creed and his #74 A.M. Ortega/BFGoodrich Tires truck took the lead from the get-go in the Super Lite race, and at the end of lap one, it was Garrett Poelman, Cody Rahders, Bryan Osborn, and Drew Britt who were following behind in the top five. Britt moved his #7 Quick Lane/Mickey Thompson entry up to fourth on lap two, and with Rahders then running slowly out of turn two on the next lap, Britt was able to get by him as well and take over third place. Rahders was again slow out of turn three, allowing Osborn and Fouch to get by and into fourth and fifth. Poelman then slowed as well on the next lap, and the Osborn/Fouch duo picked him off as well, before Poelman pulled into the hot pits with a right rear flat. Osborn then also picked up a flat, which allowed Fouch to get past him, with Osborn then pulling in to the hot pits for a tire change as well. Fouch then served a black flag penalty for contact in the “no touch zone” earlier in the race, and at the Competition Yellow, the running order in the top five was Creed, Britt, Matt Buyten in the #95 SMP/Exotic Engine machine, Jessie Johnson in the #15 SoCal Super Trucks/Speed Energy truck, and Poelman in the #62 Supercross.com/Toyo Tires entry. On the restart lap, Fouch moved by Poelman and into fifth place in the #21 Fouch Racing truck. Tee laps later, Johnson continued his remarkable charge through the field, which began back at turn one on lap one, where he was hit and then nearly driven OVER by Dawson Kirchner, dropping Johnson to second-to-last position. Johnson got by Britt for second with under two laps to go, but with the small remaining distance in the race, he was unable to get up to Creed to challenge for the lead. Out front, Creed brought it home for a wire-to-wire win, his sixth of the season, followed by Johnson, Britt, Buyten, and Fouch.
Pro 2 Unlimited
As is usually the case, Pro 2 Unlimited was the final race of the weekend. A big crash by erstwhile points leader Rob MacCachren yesterday meant that he had to call some friends in southern California last night, and have them bring his spare truck (the truck he’s driven in the last two seasons) up to the track overnight, and then have his crew install an engine, transmission, underdrive, the bodywork, and more, all in three hours! He managed to get one shakedown lap in earlier today, and was hoping things would go smoother here this afternoon.
Following a missed opportunity for a win in Pro Lite Unlimited, Brian Deegan was once again out front in this one, heading the pack after lap one in his #38 Rockstar Energy/Makita Power Tools Ford. Rodrigo Ampudia ran second in the #36 Lucas Oil/Toyo Tires Ford, with Carl Renezeder third in the #17 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan, Rob MacCachren fourth in the #21 Rockstar/Makita Ford, and Jeremy McGrath fifth in his #2 Monster Energy/Walker Evans Racing Ford. Rob Naughton’s truck came to a stop in turn two on lap two, forcing a full course caution as safety crews came to give him a tow. Once he got rolling, Naughton was able to re-fire and continue, and when racing resumed, McGrath got on the move. Pulling alongside MacCachren in turn one, McGrath stayed there through turn two and around on the longer outside line in turn three, before finally gaining the advantage in momentum, moving past MacCachren and into fourth place. On the same lap, Renezeder moved up to second coming through and out of turn four. Three laps later, McGrath then got by Ampudia with an inside pass at turn two, while up front, the top two (Deegan and Renezeder) were starting to open up a gap on the rest of the field. On lap nine, another full course caution came out when RJ Anderson (filling in for Patrick Clark) came to a stop in the middle of the long hill up to turn four. The yellow flag came just as the Competition Yellow was set to be waved, and as the field bunched up behind the Toyota Tundra Pace Truck, it was Deegan, Renezeder, McGrath, Ampudia, and Marty Hart in the #15 ReadyLift Off Road Suspension/GearUp2Go.com Ford in the top five.
Anderson got re-fired and was able to continue, and on the restart lap, Hart got into McGrath in turn two, but then bounced to his right and ended up driving up onto the inside k rail and getting stuck. This brought out another full course caution, which lasted for a couple of laps while safety crews brought the barriers that Hart had managed to move back into place. Hart was towed free, and continued at the back of the pack when racing resumed. On the restart lap, MacCachren moved up to fifth place, then got alongside McGrath coming up to and out of turn four, and the two charged down the front straight in a drag race for fourth spot (Ampudia had gotten by McGrath early on this lap). At the start/finish line, Ampudia suddenly slowed a fair amount, forcing McGrath and MacCachren to split to either side of him to avoid contact, with MacCachren moving ahead of McGrath up into turn one. Just afterwards, Naughton had a big rollover coming off the steep jump out of turn one, which brought out another full course caution. The crash was scary-looking, but Naughton was ok when he climbed out of the truck, if not a little dizzy following his multiple rollovers. Once Naughton’s wreck was cleared, it was going to be a green-white-checkers finish, and the running order up front was now Deegan, Renezeder, MacCachren, McGrath, and Jeff Geiser in the #44 Tap It Brewing Co./BulletProofDiesel.com Chevrolet. On the restart lap, Greg Adler moved past both Geiser and McGrath, and up into fourth place in his #10 4 Wheel Parts/Airaid Ford. He was the last driver to make a change in the top five, though, as Deegan brought it home for a masterfully-driven wire-to-wire win, ahead of Renezeder, MacCachren, Adler, and McGrath.
The first race weekend at this terrific new facility is now in the books, and more improvements being planned for the future of Wild West Motorsports Park, this is sure to be a track that will host big things in the world of short course off-road for years to come. Right now, though, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series drivers are coming down to crunch time in the 2012 championship, and with just three regular season rounds left to run, everyone will be looking for every last valuable point as the season winds rapidly down. In just four weeks’ time, the battle will be on once again, as we return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Rounds 13 and 14, September 21 and 22. Tickets are on sale now, so get online and get yours today, because you won’t want to miss a minute!
Round 11: short course invades Reno!
Under the sunshine of a brilliant northern Nevada afternoon, the drivers of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, took to the track for Round 11 of the 2012 championship. In this all-new venue, the Wild West Motorsports Park, some drivers have found success quite quickly, while others have been, shall we say, less fortunate. The high speeds and large amounts of elevation change have been presenting a unique set of challenges for the drivers, but everyone has risen to the occasion to the best of their ability, and the local Reno-area fans, many of whom are seeing short course off-road racing for the first time, have been cheering loudly and smiling widely all afternoon long. To find out what went on here this afternoon, read on and see what all our new off-road fans will be talking about.
Junior 2 Kart
In addition to the great new full-length track, series head Tony Vanillo has also put together a terrific and challenging new track for our younger drivers, and the Junior 2 Karts were the first class to hit the course in a real race. Broc Dickerson got himself into the early lead in his #423 Driscoll’s Surf N Skate/Eibach Springs kart, with Parker Steele, Dylan Winbury, Shelby Anderson, and Hailie Deegan in-tow. Through the first half of the race, the top five drivers held their positions, leaving the second half of the race as the time when the big moves would take place. On the restart lap, Trevor Briska got around Deegan to take over fifth in his #459 JH Sims Trucking Co, Inc./Fiberwerx truck. Two laps later, Briska picked up another spot, as Anderson went wide at turn six, giving Briska a perfect space to get by on the inside and take over fourth. On the final lap, Briska again moved up, taking over third following a nice slide job on Winbury. Up front, the race looked to be all sewn up for Dickerson, until he nearly slid out at turn six, making himself very vulnerable to second-placed Steele. Unfortunately for Steele, he had to check up to avoid getting into Dickerson, and with Dickerson then shutting the door on Steele as the two raced down to the final corner, Steele had to remain content with second place. Dickerson managed to hold off Steele for the win, with Steele taking second in the #449 Steele Racing/Hoosier entry. Third place was Briska, fourth was Winbury in the #469 Famous Stars and Straps/Magnum Off-Road machine, and fifth was Anderson in the #405 Walker Evans Racing/Anderson’s Nu Power truck.
Junior 1 Kart
Next up were the Junior 1 Karts, the youngest field of drivers in our series, and it was Conner McMullen who jumped out to the early lead in his #288 Monster Energy/Hoosier kart. In second, it was Junior 2 Kart winner Broc Dickerson in the #1 KarTek/Eibach Springs machine, with Darren Hardesty third in the #231 Bilstein Shock Absorbers/KarTek entry, Blaze Nunley fourth in the #230 RC10.com truck, and Kamrin Dickerson fifth in her #223 Black Rhino/Racer X Motorsports machine. At the end of lap two, Broc Dickerson got alongside McMullen as the two crossed the start-finish line, and nosed ahead and into the lead at the beginning of lap three. At the Competition Yellow, the running order was now Broc Dickerson, McMullen, Hardesty, Nunley, and Kamrin Dickerson, but on the restart lap, Travis PeCoy got by the young lady Dickerson to take over fifth in his #211 Simpson/King Off-Road Racing Shocks kart. On the next lap, Nunley rolled in turn four, dropping him back to ninth place, while up front, McMullen had managed to get around Broc Dickerson to the lead. On lap nine, McMullen went wide at turn six, which gave Dickerson the opening he needed to get back in front. Dickerson went by on the inside, took over the lead, and never gave it back, as he raced home to pick up his second straight win in as many races this afternoon. McMullen finished in second, with Hardesty third, PeCoy fourth, and Kamrin Dickerson fifth.
Modified Kart
After the first two classes of karts had finished their races, it was time to see just how much air could really be caught off the big ski jump out of turn three on this new kart track, as Modified Karts were next out on track. Cole Mamer got the early lead in his #535 Simpson/T.I.S.I. Racing kart, and was followed closely by Brock Heger, Sheldon Creed, Jeff Hoffman, and Blake Lenk. A full course caution came out at the end of lap one after several karts were caught out by an incident in turn six, and after a botched restart, the field finally got away cleanly and back into action. Lenk moved up from fifth to third in his #521 Team Associated/Walker Evans Racing truck on the restart lap, with Creed dropping to fourth, and Gavin Harlien moving up to fifth in his #555 Simpson/Full Tilt Trophy Karts entry. On lap five, Lenk and Heger tangled in turn six, dropping them back to the last two spots in the running order. This put Heger way out in front, and moved Creed, Harlien, Bradley Morris, and Hoffman into the next four spots. Morris moved up to third just before the Competition Yellow in his #504 Trophy Kart/K&N kart, and as the field slowed behind the Polaris Ranger Pace UTV, it was Mamer, Creed in the #574 Trophy Kart/KarTek Off Road truck, Morris, Harlien, and Hoffman in the #547 BRT Signs/Cactus Asphalt entry in the top five. On the restart lap, Morris again moved up, as he took over second from Creed, and the top three were now really closing up quickly. Mamer then picked up a couple more kart lengths on his two closest pursuers, who then ended their charge for the win when they got tangled up with one another in turn six, just a few short laps from the end. Once again Mamer was now well clear out front, with Harlien, Hoffman, Heger, and Brooke Kawell in the top five. From there, these five drivers held their positions, and it was Mamer who got the big win, ahead of Harlien, Hoffman, Heger in the #511 Kacon Framing Inc./DASA truck, and Kawell in the #508 Team Associated/SoCal Super Trucks machine.
Limited Buggy
With the kart track now thoroughly worked in, it was time for some drivers to try their hand, in a real race, on the full-length track here at Wild West Motorsports Park. Limited Buggy was the class that was given the honor of breaking this proverbial ground, and it was Kevin McCullough in the #389 Gear One/General Tire Geiser who led the field past the stripe at the end of lap one. Jordan Poole ran second in his #310 Riot Racing/GoPro Fraley, with Bradley Morris third in the #304 Lucas Oil/K&N Penhall, John Fitzgerald fourth in the #314 BFGoodrich Tires/Livestrong buggy, and Dillon Ayers fifth in the #398 Gear One/Fat Performance Lothringer. Morris moved up to second on lap two, then went by McCullough on the inside into turn one on lap three, and took over third as the field headed out of the corner. Just behind, Fitzgerald moved up to third on lap three, while a bit further back, an untimely right rear flat tire forced Ayers into the hot pits, a costly trip on such a fast track. This moved Lindsay Geiser up to fifth in the #395 Canidae/Mickey Thompson Geiser, and out front, Morris was now maintaining a small gap over those behind as he continued to lead. Morris held that gap through the Competition Yellow, at which time the running order in the top five was still Morris, McCullough, Fitzgerald, Poole, and Geiser. On lap thirteen, after several laps of running just behind McCullough, Fitzgerald finally started to make some headway, as he got halfway alongside the second-placed driver as the two headed up the long pull towards turn four. Fitzgerald couldn’t get the pass done on that lap, but on the next one, both he and Poole got around McCullough in turn two. At the white flag, the running order was Morris, Fitzgerald, Poole, McCullough, and Geiser, but on the final lap, McCullough did his best to make back at least one of the two spots he’d given up the lap before. McCullough got halfway alongside Poole as the two drag raced up the long hill, and then slid down and inside of Poole as the two came around the final corner. McCullough appeared to give Poole enough room, but Poole swung way wide as McCullough got alongside, giving McCullough the advantage in momentum as the two sped towards the finish line. McCullough came out on top in this battle, an outcome which Poole wasn’t exactly pleased with, while up front, Morris was the big winner for the second race in a row. Fitzgerald finished second, continuing his very impressive run this season, as he’s finished on the podium in 10 out of 11 rounds this season, with the only “blemish” being a lowly fourth place run in Round 5. McCullough rounded out the podium in third, with Poole fourth and Geiser fifth.
Pro 4 Unlimited
Following Opening Ceremonies, it was time for the first high horsepower class of the afternoon: Pro 4 Unlimited. Eric Barron, riding high on a streak of three straight wins coming into this weekend, was again out front early in the #32 LAT Racing Oils/Maxxis Toyota, followed closely by Carl Renezeder in the #1 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan, Todd LeDuc in the #7 Rockstar/Makita Ford, Greg Adler in the #10 4 Wheel Parts/BFGoodrich Tires Ford, and Kyle LeDuc in the #99 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford. Kyle LeDuc picked off Adler for fourth at turn three on lap two then got by his brother Todd into turn two on the next lap, moving up to third in the process. Adler then rolled in turn one two laps later, and although he landed on his wheels and was able to re-fire and continue, he did drop two spots to seventh, which moved Curt LeDuc up to fifth in his #43 KCHiLites/Truxxx Lift and Level Kits Ford. On lap six, the top three were in one big group through turns one and two, with Renezeder coming out ahead as they headed into turn three. Kyle LeDuc also got by Barron and into second, and no sooner had Renezeder and LeDuc gotten into the top two spots, the two quickly opened up a gap over those behind as they battled each other for the lead. Barron now seemed a bit off the pace, and Todd LeDuc quickly closed in on him, before getting by and into third just before the Competition Yellow. Under yellow, Barron pulled into the hot pits with what looked like a left rear flat, leaving a running order of Renezeder, Kyle LeDuc, Todd LeDuc, Adler, and Travis Coyne in the #5 ProComp/Team Associated Ford as the field returned to green flag racing. Up front, Kyle LeDuc was really putting the pressure on Renezeder for the lead, but as they approached turn one, the best passing spot, Renezeder always managed to have the preferred inside line, and was able to keep LeDuc at bay. On lap fifteen, however, LeDuc finally got a good enough inside run out of turn four, and was able to hold the inside line down the very long front straight and into turn one, where he was able to keep inside Renezeder and take the lead. Renezeder tried to take advantage when LeDuc over-jumped the jump at the base of the hill that leads up to turn one, but was unable to fully capitalize, and remained second. From there, LeDuc stayed steady out front as he brought it home for the win, his seventh of the season, and his first since winning six in a row at the start of this season. Renezeder was a close second, with Todd LeDuc also close in third, Adler fourth, and Coyne fifth.
Pro Buggy Unlimited
Pro Buggy Unlimited was up next, and it was Cameron Steele who had the lead after lap one in his #16 Monster Energy/Yokohama Alumi Craft. Doug Fortin ran second in the #96 Fortin Racing, Inc./Fox Racing Shox Racer, followed by Steven Greinke in the #23 SC Fuels/Concourse Racer, Jerry Whelchel in the #5 ProAm/Camburg Foddrill, and Dave Mason in the #65 Competitive Metals/Jamar Alumi Craft. Mason got stuck on the outside k rail of turn two on lap two, which brought out a full course caution to allow the safety crew to free him. When racing resumed, Mike Porter had moved up to fifth in the #8 Mickey Thompson/Speed Energy Alumi Craft, but on lap five, Porter pulled off complaining of back pain, moving Larry Job up to fifth in the #7 Supercross.com/Toyo Tires Alumi Craft. On lap seven, Steele was slow out of turn two, and after dogging the leader for several laps, Fortin seized his chance and took the lead. At the end of the lap, the race was red flagged when it was determined that Porter, who was now parked on the infield, would need medical attention before being removed from the track. Emergency crews attended to Porter, who was placed on a back board and taken from the track, looking otherwise alright.
The red flag period also served as the Competition Yellow, and when racing resumed, Fortin got a great getaway on the restart, pulling out several car lengths over those behind. Just shy of two laps later, Greinke pulled alongside Steele as the two came to the start/finish line, and Greinke got the inside line at turn one, moving ahead of Steele and into second place. Greinke then began to close down the gap on Fortin a little bit, but couldn’t get quite close enough to make a move for the lead. A bit further back, Whelchel hit a sudden issue as he came to the stripe to start the final lap, forcing him to the sidelines and out of the race. This moved Job up to fourth, but after working his way back through the field, it was Mason who got around Job to take fourth on the final lap. Up front, Fortin picked up his sixth win in seven races, and was followed home by Greinke, Steele, Mason, and Job.
Pro Lite Unlimited
A myriad of incidents meant that this afternoon’s Pro Lite Unlimited race was certainly one of the most confusing of the year, and it all began with a delayed start. The delay occurred due to some emergency track alteration on the first jump of the lap, a change that was called for by many drivers from multiple classes after they complained of back pain caused by the rough landing off of this jump. The takeoff was leveled down by about 20 percent, with drivers then getting a one-lap run over the re-shaped jump before the field was re-grouped for the start. With the trucks landing much more smoothly on the trial run, the race was given the green light to start.
Out front early, it was RJ Anderson in the #37 Monster Energy/Polaris Dodge, followed by Casey Currie in the #2 Monster Energy/Magnaflow Nissan, Noah Fouch in the #52 BFGoodrich Tires/Method Race Wheels Ford, Bradley Morris in the #24 GoldStar Asphalt!/K&N Ford, and Brian Deegan in the #38 Rockstar/Makita Ford. At the end of lap two, a full course caution came out after Chris Brandt was hit hard and came to a stop in turn three. Under yellow, Deegan pulled into the hot pits with a flat tire, and on the restart, it with Anderson having suffered a brief mechanical hiccup on lap two, the running order was now Currie, Fouch, Morris, Anderson, and Chad George in the #42 Discount Tire/Traxxas Ford when racing resumed. Matt Cook moved up to fifth on the restart lap in his #55 Supercross.com/Lucas Oil Toyota, with Morris getting by Fouch for second on the lap after that. Another full course caution then came out when Deegan’s truck came to a stop on the long uphill, which meant that he would need a tow from the safety crew (Deegan was able to continue shortly afterwards, though).
Several incidents had been going on throughout this big field of trucks, so when the full course caution came out, officials used the opportunity to address some of those issues, which meant that the caution period lasted several laps. Once things had been sorted out, racing resumed, and there was a mad scramble in turn one. As a result, Currie was still out front, with Anderson now second, followed by Cook in third, Morris in fourth, and Ryan Beat in fifth in the #51 Premiere Motorsports Group/eBay Motors Ford. These drivers held their positions for several laps, until lap thirteen, when Morris got by Cook for third. Cook then fell by the wayside on the next lap, moving Beat to fourth and George to fifth. On lap fifteen, a late Competition Yellow came out, and when racing resumed, there was a green/white-checkered called for by race officials, meaning that there would be just one lap of green flag racing left to run. The top five held their positions on the final lap, despite some very hard trying by Anderson, and it was Currie who got his first win of the season, followed by Anderson, Morris, Beat, and George.
Super Lite
Following a lengthy Pro Lite Unlimited race, it was time for Super Lite, and in this class, the drivers would face mother nature as much as they would one another. The wind out of the west was really picking up, and blowing hard down the hill which the drivers had to climb out of turn three and all the way up to turn four, making the lengthy strain on their engines that much worse. Add to that the fact that the sun was now hanging very low in the sky, and shining right in the drivers’ eyes as they climbed that very same hill, as well as the problem of air getting under the trucks off the jump out of turn one and the jump just at the top of the hill before turn four, and one could quickly see that whoever won this race would really need to drive a masterful race.
Jessie Johnson got out front on the first lap in his #15 SoCal Super Trucks/Speed Energy machine, ahead of Cody Rahders in the #16 Toyo Tires/Superchips truck, Garrett Poelman in the #62 Supercross.com/Loctite entry, Sheldon Creed in the #74 A.M. Ortega/BFGoodrich Tires machine, and Brent Fouch in the #21 Fouch Racing truck. On lap two, Rahders got the inside line in turn four, and pulled alongside Johnson as the two crossed the start/finish line. Rahders then nosed ahead into turn one, and took the lead from Johnson, with Creed moving up to third and Drew Britt up to fifth on the same lap. Up front, the top three were now running very close together in a good battle for the lead, but a full course caution, thrown following one driver’s coming to a stop right at the bottom of the big hill out of turn four, put a temporary halt on that battle. Once that truck was cleared and racing resumed, Britt moved up to fourth on the restart lap in his #7 Quick Lane/Universal Technical Institute entry. On the next lap, Creed got around Johnson for second, while further back, Ryan Hagy moved up to fifth in his #27 Valli Construction/General Tire truck. On lap seven, Creed then got around Rahders and into the lead, but then came to a stop in turn three, suddenly ending his race in bizarre fashion; just what the championship leader didn’t need. Rahders re-took the lead, and at the Competition Yellow, he still led, followed by Johnson, Britt, Poelman, and Hagy.
On the restart lap, Johnson spun in turn one, which slowed several of the top runners, with Britt, Dawson Kirchner, and John Gable getting the worst of the holdup. This meant that at the end of the restart lap, the running order up front was now Rahders, Poelman, Fouch, Bryan Osborn in the #54 Kal-Gard Super Lubricants/Black Rhino truck, and Hagy. On lap ten, Osborn got alongside Fouch as they charged up the long hill to turn four, and got by in that corner, moving himself up to third as a result. Up front, Rahders had a decent cushion over his pursuers, while further back, Hagy had closed right down on Fouch in a battle for fourth. Fouch and Hagy then closed on Osborn, turning the battle for fourth into a race for third. In the end, though, all the drivers in the top five held their positions, with Rahders getting his first win inside the class- congratulations Cody! Second went to Poelman, third to a much-improved Osborn, fourth to Fouch, and fifth to Hagy.
Pro 2 Unlimited
The final race of the evening was Pro 2 Unlimited. With the sun now behind the hills to the west, the challenge of peering into the setting sun was gone, but the strong wind was just as bad as before, so the drivers would still have their work cut out for them. Brian Deegan grabbed the early lead in his #38 Rockstar/Makita Ford, and was chased by a formidable group made up by Greg Adler, Marty Hart, Rob MacCachren, and Jeff Geiser. On lap four, Hart got by Adler on the inside at turn one, and moved into second in his #15 ReadyLift Off Road Suspension/GearUp2Go.com Ford. On the next lap, a full course caution was thrown after Rob Naughton’s truck came to a stop just after turn three, but with track crews working quickly, racing resumed by the end of the same lap. On the restart lap, a big crash by Rodrigo Ampudia forced another full course caution, and while Ampudia was just fine, his truck was badly damaged, and in no way able to continue. Under yellow, both Deegan and Robby Woods pulled into the hot pits with flat tires, leaving Hart out front when the green flag dropped again. Behind Hart, it was now Adler in the #10 4 Wheel Parts/BFGoodrich Tires Ford, MacCachren in the #21 Rockstar/Makita Ford, Geiser in the #44 Tap It Brewing Co./Mickey Thompson Chevrolet, and Jeremy McGrath in the #2 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford. On the restart lap, Carl Renezeder moved by McGrath and into fifth in his #17 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan, just ahead of the Competition Yellow.
On the restart lap, Adler got by Hart and took over the lead, and was moving further ahead when another big crash, this one involving MacCachren, forced another full course caution. This time, the caution period lasted for several laps, as MacCachren’s truck had actually moved several sections of concrete k rail as it rolled over coming down the long, steep hill out of turn four. The crash actually could’ve been much worse, and although MacCachren himself was alright, his truck, like Ampudia’s earlier, was in no way fit to continue; a crushing blow indeed for the erstwhile championship leader. When safety crews had finally finished putting everything back in-place, there were only two laps of running left, and on the restart, Adler shot off like a rocket once again, and was looking great to pick up the win. On the last lap, however, Adler got his truck a little out of shape in turn two, and gave Hart room to get by and into the lead. Once back in front, Hart didn’t give Adler any chance of getting the lead back, and after a very rough Round 10 that had cost him the championship lead, Hart stormed back to take a class-leading fourth win of the season, putting him right back in championship contention. Adler finished a close second, followed by Geiser in third, Renezeder in fourth, and McGrath in fifth.
With that, a very successful first day of racing at this all-new track comes to a close. There is still Round 12 left to run here in Sparks, and with no further racing to worry about on Monday, drivers will be sure to put it all on the line as this season kicks into high gear in its closing stages. Be sure to get here and see the action in person tomorrow; gates open to the public at 9:00 AM, with Junior 2 Karts kicking off the racing action at 11:00 AM. Opening Ceremonies will start at 1:00 PM, followed closely by the first Pro class of the day, Pro 4 Unlimited, at 1:30 PM. Get here early to get the best seat you can; you won’t want to miss a moment at this fantastic new track.
About the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series:
Written by Scott Neth for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
All New Track Sees First Real Action
After just a three-week hiatus, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, is back in action, and this time, we’re at an all-new venue. The Wild West Motorsports Park, just minutes outside the Reno suburb of Sparks, NV, has come to life thanks in no small part to the extreme hard work and dedication of series head Tony Vanillo, and it only takes one quick visual survey of the grounds to see what a monumental task it was to make this dream into a reality. Cut into a rough, rocky, mountainous bowl, this track and its adjoining pit area is truly set amidst the surrounding terrain, and the desolate landscape provides a stark yet fitting background to this wholly-different new track. Furthering the overall experience is the track itself. At 1.2 miles, the track is now the longest in the series, and the fantastic dirt which has been brought in to make the track has elevated the standard of track surfaces to a whole new level. The track is superbly smooth, and shows very little sign of wear after even the most frantic Pro 4 Unlimited track sessions. Add to that the extremely long straights, the very fast corners, and the unparalleled elevation change, and this track is something different altogether, a place that must be seen to be believed. While there is still much work to be done in the future, this weekend we are here to race, as this new venue hosts Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2012 championship, and this afternoon, the important stuff got kicked off with qualifying for Round 11.
Super Lite
In a little change of pace here in Round 11, it was the locally-based Super Lites who were first out on track for qualifying. Today’s qualifying was run from the front by points leader Sheldon Creed and his #74 A.M. Ortega/BFGoodrich Tires truck, with Creed setting the early benchmark at 1:00.492. No other drivers were getting within reach of Creed, but that didn’t stop him from improving his time in the closing laps of the session. On lap five, Creed put in a 1:00.497, and on the next and final lap, another small improvement brought the pole-winning time down to 1:00.462. Best of the rest was Cody Rahders, who turned a 1:01.304 in his #16 Toyo Tires/Superchips machine, ahead of Brent Fouch in the #21 Fouch Racing entry, whose best lap was a 1:02.180. In fourth it was Drew Britt; his #7 Mickey Thompson/Universal Technical Institute truck had a best lap of 1:02.314. Rounding out the top five was young Bryan Osborn, who returns to action this weekend after missing several rounds this year. Osborn’s best time was a 1:02.468 in the #54 Black Rhino/Kal-Gard Super Lubricants machine.
Limited Buggy
Next up was Limited Buggy, and in this class, the battle for the pole was much more heated. Bradley Morris set the early standard at a 1:05.438 in his #304 Lucas Oil/K&N Penhall, but that time was quickly bested by Jordan Poole in the #310 Riot Racing/Yokohama Fraley, who turned a 1:04.486. Poole then lowered the top time slightly on the next lap, dropping down to a 1:04.473, before Morris re-took the top spot with a 1:04.294 on the lap after that. On the next and final lap, Poole gained the top spot once again, as he was the only driver to drop into the 1:03 range; his 1:03.966 gave Poole the pole. Morris’ time from the previous lap was still good enough for second, while third went to Kevin McCullough in the #389 Broken Cartel/General Tire Geiser, with a personal best of 1:04.397. McCullough’s teammate Dillon Ayers was fourth quick with a 1:04.497 in the #398 BFGoodrich/Gear One Lothringer, and points leader John Fitzgerald finished fifth in his #314 BFGoodrich/Livestrong buggy; Fitzgerald’s best lap was a 1:04.894.
Pro Buggy Unlimited
Like their smaller open wheeled brethren, the drivers in Pro Buggy Unlimited made it a good battle for pole position. Geoffrey Cooley came out firing with a 1:00.131 on the opening lap in his #22 Competitive Metals/BFGoodrich Tires Alumi Craft, and he quickly bettered his time by nearly a second on the next lap, dropping down to 59.176. Steven Greinke then picked up one tenth of a second on Cooley’s time, dropping to 59.076 in his #23 SC Fuels/Redline Performance Racer, before Cooley came right back with a 58.468. On the final lap, it was Cooley’s teammate, Dave Mason, who took the surprise pole, as he turned a 58.395 in his #65 Competitive Metals/SR Performance Alumi Craft. Cooley’s earlier time meant that the teammates would finish one-two, with Greinke improving his time to 58.505 to secure third. Fourth went to points leader Doug Fortin in the #96 Fortin Racing, Inc./Fox Racing Shox Racer (59.037), and fifth to Jerry Whelchel in the #5 Camburg/General Tire Foddrill (59.205).
Pro Lite Unlimited
With Pro Lite Unlimited still enjoying a sizeable field, qualifying was again split into two groups. In Group 1, it was all about Brian Deegan, who dominated the field from start to finish. Deegan opened with a 58.940 in his #38 Rockstar/Makita Ford (no other driver cracked the 59 second barrier in this group), and improved twice, down to 58.707, and then to 58.694. Behind Deegan, Bradley Morris was the next quickest with a personal best of 59.010 in his #24 GoldStar Asphalt!/Lucas Oil Ford, while points leader RJ Anderson was third quick; a 59.033 was the best lap from the #37 Monster Energy/Walker Evans Racing Dodge.
In Group 2, Chad George had the quickest time early on, as he opened with a 1:00.624 in his #42 Discount Tire/Traxxas Ford. Matt Cook briefly grabbed the top spot away with a 59.473 in his #55 Supercross.com/Loctite Toyota, but George quickly moved back in front with a 59.060. George then became the only other driver besides Deegan to dip into the 58s in this class, as he dropped to a 58.750. George improved again on the final lap, dropping down to 58.714 to end the session at the top of the heap in Group 2. Cook’s earlier time was good enough for second, and Ryan Hagy was a very impressive third in his #27 Valli Construction/Makita Ford, with a best time of 59.648.
Once the two Groups’ times were combined it was Deegan who came out on top, followed by George, Morris, Anderson, and Noah Fouch (59.066, fourth quick in Group 1) in the #52 Fouch Racing/BFGoodrich Ford.
Pro 4 Unlimited
After some tough luck and a substantial raising of the bar in terms of competition, points leader Kyle LeDuc was back to his dominant ways here in Round 11 qualifying. LeDuc opened with a 54.340 to top the time sheets early in his #99 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford, before improving his time every lap for the next four laps. As LeDuc clicked off the laps, the session-leading time dropped to 53.780, 53.650, 53.530, and ultimately to 53.307, which stood as the top time through session’s end. Behind LeDuc, a surprising Greg Adler was second fastest with a 53.724 in his #10 4 Wheel Parts/BFGoodrich Ford, with Carl Renezeder rounding out the top three in his #1 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan with a 53.850. Fourth went to Todd LeDuc in the #7 Rockstar/Makita Ford (53.955), and after an impressive run of three straight wins coming into this weekend, Eric Barron could only manage fifth this afternoon in his #32 Rancho Performance Transaxles/California Metals Toyota (54.582).
Pro 2 Unlimited
The final qualifying session of the afternoon was Pro 2 Unlimited, and it was points leader Rob MacCachren who got to the top of the time sheets on the opening lap. MacCachren and his #21 Rockstar/Makita Ford opened with a 55.844, but that time was bested two laps later by Carl Renezeder, who turned a 55.436 in his #17 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan. Marty Hart then briefly stole that top spot away with a 55.338 on lap four in his #15 ReadyLift Off Road Suspension/GearUp2Go.com Ford, before Renezeder returned fire with the pole-winning time of 55.039. Renezeder ended the session on top, a good start for the weekend as he continues to hunt down short course career wins number 99 and 100. Second went to Hart, while MacCachren improved to a 55.360 to hold third. Brian Deegan was fourth quick with a 55.370 in his #38 Rockstar/Makita Ford, and rounding out the top five was Greg Adler in the #10 4 Wheel Parts/Magnaflow Ford; Adler’s best time was a 55.508. This class was especially tight at the sharp end, with less than one second covering the top seven drivers, less than half a second from first to fifth, and less than two tenths between Hart in second and Adler in fifth!
That wraps up qualifying from here in Sparks, but in terms of racing action, things are just getting started. Gates open to the public at 9:00 AM here tomorrow, while racing will get underway with Junior 2 Kart at 1:00 PM. Opening Ceremonies will go down at 3:00 PM, followed by the Pro classes (starting with Pro 4 Unlimited) taking to the track at 3:30 PM. Get out and experience this all-new track for yourself; you won’t be disappointed!
About the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series:
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is the evolution of the long standing support of short course racing by Forrest Lucas and Lucas Oil Products. Steeped in the Midwest tradition of short course off road racing infused with a West Coast influence, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing brings intense four wheel door to door action to challenging, fan friendly tracks. Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: This is Short Course. For more information please visit www.LucasOilOffRoad.com.
Written by Scott Neth for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
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