Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Returns to Action With Silver Lake Doubleheader in Reno-Sparks
Sparks’ Wild West Motorsports Park Hosts
Round 5 & 6 of World’s Premier Short-Course Championships
CORONA, Calif. (July 22, 2019) – The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, will makes its anticipated return to action when the most talented off-road racers on the planet invade “The Biggest Little City in the World” of Reno, Nevada, for its second doubleheader of the 2019 season on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27. The OPTIMA Batteries Silver State Showdown, presented by GEICO, will feature back-to-back nighttime showcases from Sparks, Nevada’s Wild West Motorsports Park. The stretch run of the championship is upon us, and the captivating title fights across all nine classes of competition are set to resume during this action-packed weekend of racing.

Courtesy Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Wild West Motorsports Park was the realization of Reno businessman Norm Dianda’s desire to bring the sport of short-course off-road racing, and the prestigious championship that is the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, to motorsports fans in the Reno-Sparks area. Dianda owned a piece of prime real estate right off Interstate 80, a mere 20 minutes from downtown Reno, and recognized that this under-utilized land deserved a second life. In an effort to stimulate the local economy and put the community of Reno-Sparks on the off-road racing map, this hilltop landscape opened in 2012 as the beloved racing venue we know today.

With its massive jumps, steep inclines, and sharp descents, it’s not a shock to learn that Wild West Motorsports Park clocks the fastest speeds of any circuit on the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series schedule. The utilization of the natural elevation changes that surround the property make for arguably the most unique layout these extraordinary drivers will see all season, which often lends itself to some of the most unpredictable, and highly competitive racing of the championship.

Courtesy Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
A total of five rounds remain in the 2019 season, which means the intensity is bound to pick up dramatically across all nine divisions. No driver can afford any mulligans if they hope to stay in contention for the championship, and that bodes well for the thousands of fans that will fill the grandstands at Wild West Motorsports Park for the Silver State Showdown doubleheader.

With the inclusion of the Pro 2M engine this season, another layer of intrigue has been added to an already deep Pro 2 division, and the entire field of drivers has adjusted to the competitive changes in the best way possible. After four rounds, a mere seven points separate the top five drivers in the standings. Three different drivers have emerged triumphant thus far, with only Jerett Brooks collecting multiple wins. That distinction, combined with three podium results in four races, has given Brooks a slight edge in the championship standings, but he still finds himself under heavy pressure from his three primary title threats – Rodrigo Ampudia, Brian Deegan, and reigning champion Rob MacCachren.

In Pro 4, the action thus far in 2019 has been unpredictable, and while the division’s biggest names have made their presence felt on a regular basis, very little has separated them. As a result, just four points separate the top three drivers. It’s been no surprise to see former champions Kyle LeDuc and RJ Anderson duke it out, but the emergence of Doug Mittag into a consistent threat to the dominance of his more experienced counterparts has made for an exciting title fight. All three drivers have managed to grab a victory this season, but we’re still waiting to see who will take charge and grab that all-important championship momentum. They say anything can happen in racing, and it’s a sentiment that’s particularly true in Pro 4.

As expected, Pro Lite has produced some of the tightest race of the 2019 season with its exceptionally deep level of talent in the field. While the opportunity to seize control of the division has presented itself in 2019, no one has done so quite yet, and it’s created a wide-open battle for this year’s crown. Three different drivers have claimed a victory this season, but due to the competitiveness of the class consistency has been hard to come by, and winning has become even more difficult. Reigning champion Ryan Beat currently sits atop the standings, but he’s surely going to have to deal with pressure from a slew of challengers like Mickey Thomas, Ronnie Anderson, Chris Polvoorde, and the most recent winner, Brock Heger.

Courtesy Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
With an increase in championship tension across all nine classes of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, the back-to-back nights of racing at Wild West Motorsports Park loom large in each respective title fight. On this weekend, the city of Sparks will surely live up to its name, as sparks are guaranteed to fly as the men, women, boys, and girls of all ages go wheel-to-wheel and door-to-door in their determined quest for victory. The thousands of fans in the grandstands over these two nights will be rewarded for their enthusiasm and support of this world-class championship.