After a lengthy six-week break following Rounds 7 and 8 in Utah, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, is back at it once again. In what is arguably the home of short course off road in southern California, Glen Helen Raceway is host once again to Rounds 9 and 10 of the championship, and once again, the action here will be under the lights. This is traditionally one of the best-attended weekends of the year, and tonight did not disappoint, as fans flocked to the stands in droves to see their favorite drivers battle some very competitive fields. A very hot afternoon gave way to very enjoyable conditions this evening, and tonight saw a host of exciting races, including some very memorable performances from several different drivers. Read on to find out how the stars of short course faired tonight.
Modified Kart
The first race of the weekend was Modified Kart, and after a big opening lap pile-up in turn two forced a full restart of the race, it was Broc Dickerson who shot into the early lead in his #523 Walker Evans Racing/GMZ machine. Cole Mamer was in hot pursuit in his #535 Team Associated/Simpson kart, as were Eliott Watson in the #503 Fox Racing Shox/DASA truck, Christopher Polvoorde in the #594 Horizon Solar Power Racing/The Palms River Resort entry, and Brock Heger in the #511 Spy/UNI Air Filters machine. Dickerson and Mamer were quickly pulling open a gap over their competitors, and after pressuring him for a short while, Mamer passed Dickerson with a stronger run around the inside line of whoops through turn six. Mamer assumed the lead, and started to pull clear by lap four, only to then come to a stop at turn four on the next lap. Just as everything had been looking good for Mamer, his race suddenly ended in mechanical failure, and so Dickerson re-took the lead. Dickerson was still out in front at the Competition Yellow, with Watson now second, Polvoorde third, Heger fourth, and Ryan Carey fifth in the #522 Lawrence Equipment/TheRowdyRose.com truck. In the second half, the competition amongst the top five was very evenly matched, as only Dickerson was able to make any kind of noticeable ground on those behind him. At that, Dickerson only managed to gain a few truck lengths, which he then gave back somewhat on the final lap as he appeared to be a bit cautious in ensuring that he made it through the track’s big ruts without incident. At the stripe, Dickerson was the big winner for the first time in Modified Kart- congratulations Broc! Second went to Watson, third to Polvoorde, fourth to Heger, and fifth to Carey.
Pro 4 Unlimited
Kicking off things on the full-length track tonight were the Pro 4 Unlimiteds, and with a $2500 bounty on offer to anyone who can beat Kyle LeDuc this weekend, there was extra incentive for everyone, including LeDuc (who could take home the cash if nobody can beat him this weekend), to charge hard (as if they needed any extra motivation). Not surprisingly, LeDuc ran out front at the end of lap one, with Carl Renezeder, Rob MacCachren, Doug Fortin, and Greg Adler already running a few lengths behind. The top five drivers held their positions over the first six laps, but a bad bicycle by Adler at turn five on lap seven finally shook things up a bit, as he dropped to seventh, while Todd LeDuc moved up to fifth. On the next lap, Ricky Johnson got by Todd on the inside at turn three, and that moved him up to fifth in his #48 Red Bull/KMC Wheels Ford. Up front, Renezeder was now closing on Kyle, who almost looked like he might have an issue. Things were really starting to look interesting, and when a full course caution was thrown on the next lap, the ensuing restart looked like it could help shake things up even more. On that restart lap, Fortin got by MacCachren on the inside at turn three to move up to third spot, but MacCachren passed Fortin back on the next lap in the same corner to re-take the position. Two corners later, Renezeder suddenly slowed, and as he pulled into the infield at the start/finish line, it was clear that his race was run. At the end of that same lap, a second full course yellow was thrown thanks to a massive rollover by Corry Weller, who got over the outside k rail and down into the rocky gully below. Fortunately, Weller was ok, and after her truck was extricated from the scene, racing resumed on lap 19. Fortin ran wide out of turn three on the restart lap, which nearly allowed Johnson to get past him, but Fortin held him off with a wide line at turn four to hold his position. Fortin actually slowed Johnson enough to allow Todd LeDuc to briefly sneak past, but Johnson passed him right back on the next lap to re-take fourth. Up front, MacCachren just closed in a bit on Kyle LeDuc on the penultimate lap, but it appeared as though LeDuc had pace to cover any challengers, as well as some extra beyond that, and he came home the winner for the eighth time this season in the #99 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford. MacCachren was second in the #21 Rockstar Energy Drink/Makita Power Tools Ford, with Fortin rounding out the podium in his #96 Fortin Racing, Inc./General Tire Toyota. Johnson charged hard from last on the grid (he was unable to make qualifying this afternoon) to get fourth, and fifth was Todd LeDuc in the #7 Rockstar Energy Drink/Loan Mart Toyota.
Pro Buggy Unlimited
With his hometown fans out in force here tonight, it was Garrett George who shot into the early lead in his #71 Performance Utility Supply/Anenberg Funco, ahead of Steve Greinke, Chad George, Sterling Cling, and Larry Job. At the end of the third lap, a full course yellow was thrown for an incident out in turn four, and when racing resumed on lap five, it was Eric Fitch who moved up to fifth in the #97 Parts On A Shelf/BFGoodrich Tires Racer. After that, the running order in the top five stayed the same for several laps, with the leading George just managing to open up a little gap on lap nine. Greinke closed that gap down on the next lap, and the two frontrunners then proceeded to make a little ground on the points leader Chad George, something that’s not been done much this season. The running order stayed the same as the laps wound down, with the only real fight being between Cling and Fitch for fourth spot. Fitch was all over Cling on laps 13 and 14, but on the final lap, an error on Fitch’s part dropped him back a few spots, leaving Cling with some breathing room, and moving Dave Mason Jr. up to fifth in the #65 Loan Mart/Mickey Thompson Alumi Craft. Out front, an elated Garrett George had a great return to form as he picked up a solid win, with Greinke taking second in the #1 SC Fuels/Fortin Racing, Inc. Racer, in perhaps his most competitive run of the season. Chad George rounded out the podium in the #42 Redline Performance/ASL Builder Inc. Funco, thus keeping his season-long podium streak alive; Cling was fourth and Mason Jr. was fifth.
Pro Lite Unlimited
In Pro Lite Unlimited, it was front row starters RJ Anderson and Casey Currie who ran one-two at the end of lap one, ahead of Ryan Beat in third, Kyle Hart in third, and Jimmy Fishback in fifth. On lap three, a spin in turn three dropped Beat back to eleventh spot, and that elevated Hart to third, Fishback to fourth, and Brian Deegan to fifth in the #38 Rockstar Energy Drink/Makita Power Tools Ford. On the next lap, though, points leader Sheldon Creed got his #74 Traxxas/BFGoodrich Tires Dodge alongside Deegan through the rhythm section, and with a forceful inside line in the next corner, he got by Deegan to move into fifth. Over the next few laps, the running order in the top five stayed the same, and as had been the case throughout the race so far, Anderson and Currie had a solid gap over the rest of the field, with Anderson holding just enough breathing room over Currie to prevent Currie from being a serious threat to him. On lap seven, Creed got by Fishback for fourth, and with Deegan quickly getting by early on the next lap, it was now apparent that Fishback was fighting a mechanical issue. Fishback pulled into the Hot Pits and out of the race on lap eight, and it was now Anderson, Currie, Hart, Creed, and Deegan in the top five. There were a lot of laps left to run, but surprisingly, the class best known for chaos was actually very calm tonight. The only serious challenge amongst the frontrunners was Myles Cheek, who was hounding Deegan for fifth all the way to the checkers, but Deegan managed to put his experience to good use as he kept the young gun at bay. Out front, Anderson cruised to perhaps the smoothest win in Pro Lite Unlimited history, and his win was his second of the season in the #37 Loan Mart/Polaris RZR Nissan. Second went to Currie in the #2 Monster Energy/Oakley Jeep, who attributed much of his return to form tonight to a major re-work of his truck during the recent six-week break, and Currie gave special thanks to Kyle LeDuc for his hand in that effort. Third was Round 8 winner Hart in the #41 ReadyLift Off Road Suspension/Maxxis Dodge, fourth was Creed, and fifth was Deegan.
Pro 2 Unlimited
The final race of the night was Pro 2 Unlimited, and as the old saying goes: they saved the best for last. Brian Deegan had the lead at the end of lap one in his #38 Rockstar Energy Drink/Makita Power Tools Ford, but chasing him was a dangerous quartet, which consisted of Rob MacCachren, Bryce Menzies, Jeremy McGrath, and Carl Renezeder. After a few laps of Deegan running with a bit of a gap back to his pursuers, MacCachren closed the gap down to almost nothing by lap four. MacCachren quickly set to work on trying to make a pass on Deegan, and as they two lost just a little pace while battling each other, Menzies and his #7 Red Bull/Discount Tire Ford closed in and tacked on to make it a three-truck battle for the lead. At the end of lap eight, Renezeder then moved his #17 Lucas Oil/General Tire Nissan past McGrath to take over fourth spot, while just ahead, the top three continued to battle. The top trio stayed virtually nose-to-tail for several laps, but it was apparent that MacCachren seemed to have a better chance of making a pass, at least as far as speed was concerned, for he was consistently running Deegan closer than Menzies was running MacCachren. Lap 13 then saw a full course yellow after Myan Spaccarelli came to a stop at the exit of turn four, and as had been the case in the Pro 4 Unlimited race, it looked like the restart could be the chance those pursuers needed to make a move. Unfortunately for MacCachren, his attempt on the restart didn’t pay off, as he dove down the inside at turn two, only to get half spun from behind by Menzies. MacCachren dropped all the way to last place as a result, and as Menzies was also balked by the incident, it was Renezeder who shot up and into second spot. Renezeder was immediately all over Deegan, but almost seemed to be driving over his head, as a near-spin at turn three saw him take out an advertisement banner on the next lap. Two corners later, Menzies ran Renezeder very wide at turn five to get back by “King Carl,” and as the white flag waved, it was now Deegan, Menzies, Renezeder, Marty Hart, and RJ Anderson in the top five. On the final lap, MacCachren got by Anderson on the inside at turn four to get his #21 Rockstar Energy Drink/Makita Power Tools Ford back inside the top five, and at the stripe, Menzies was black flagged for his part in MacCachren’s aforementioned half spin. This put Menzies down one lap in the final standings, so as of the time of this writing, it was Deegan on top with his fifth win of the season, ahead of Renezeder, Hart in the #15 ReadyLift Off Road Suspension/Kolpin Ford, MacCachren, and Anderson in the #37 Monster Energy/BFGoodrich Tires Ford. Please keep in mind, however, that the results are as of yet unofficial.
Round 9 is now in the books here at Glen Helen. Tomorrow night, we’ll do it all again in Round 10, with gates opening to the public at noon. Qualifying will kick off at 1:30pm, racing will start at 6:00pm, and Opening Ceremonies will be at 7:30pm, with Modified Karts and the Pro class races immediately following. If you’re getting here in the afternoon, be sure to bring your sunblock, and don’t forget to hydrate. Be sure to be here tomorrow, as it should be another very enjoyable and exciting summer night under the lights.
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 visitwww.LucasOilOffRoad.com.
(Scott Neth for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series)
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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