Momentum Shifts Define Action-Packed
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Doubleheader in the Silver State
History Made in Pro 2 with First Ever Win for Pro 2M Engine
SPARKS, Nevada (August 6, 2019) – It had been more than two months since the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, was last seen in action, and the extended downtime lit a fire under every competitor across the championship’s nine classes. The culmination of this eagerness resulted in some of the best battles of the 2019 season at the OPTIMA Batteries Silver State Showdown, presented by GEICO, and with back-to-back nights of racing on the fastest track in the series at Wild West Motorsports Park, it also led to significant momentum shifts in each respective title fight.
The grandstands at Wild West Motorsports Park were packed for both nights of
the Silver State Showdown.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Pro 2
Pro 2 was already one of the most competitive classes in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series heading into Nevada, and on Friday night it took another step in that direction with a historic moment for the sport. Veteran Rodrigo Ampudia made the switch to the Pro 2M engine at the previous round of the championship, and immediately reaped the benefits of it by nearly capturing victory at his home race in Ensenada, Mexico. With more time to dial in the nuances of his new engine, Ampudia entered Friday night’s race with a chance to not only make history as the first driver to win with the Pro 2M engine, but also inch even closer to the class point lead.
Ampudia was one of three Pro 2M trucks in the field, and he easily took control of the lead off the standing start ahead of Adam Daffner and Jeff Shelton. Once the rest of the field took off, Brian Deegan and Rob MacCachren both put themselves in front of championship leader Jerett Brooks. A caution halted the field briefly, but Ampudia resumed his role up front on the restart. Behind him, Brooks lost valuable ground and soon found himself battling for eighth. Ampudia continued to build on his lead through to the halfway caution.
When the second half of the race got underway, Ampudia stormed out to a big lead, while Deegan began to close in on Daffner and Shelton to challenge for the podium. Once Deegan and the rest of the field got to Daffner and Shelton they made quick work of their Pro 2M counterparts, with Deegan moving into second and MacCachren third. Deegan’s pace allowed him to chip away at the gap to Ampudia, but a bobble slowed his momentum and allowed MacCachren to make a run for second. They briefly battled side-by-side until the class champion took over the position. Deegan started to lose even more ground and lost his hold of third to Bradley Morris.
Ampudia drove a perfect race out front and was never challenged. He easily ended an extended win drought that dates back all the way to 2010, and made history as the first driver to grab victory equipped with the Pro 2M engine. MacCachren followed in second, while Morris completed the podium. The victory also moved Ampudia to the top of the point standings entering the second night of action.
Friday Pro 2 Results
#36 Rodrigo Ampudia
#21 Rob MacCachren
#24 Bradley Morris
#38 Brian Deegan
#77 Jerett Brooks
An ecstatic Ampudia saw his extended win drought come to a long-awaited end on Friday night.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Pro 4
Three different drivers had grabbed a Pro 4 win entering Sparks, and it was anyone’s guess as to who might step up on Friday night. While the veteran experience of defending champion RJ Anderson and Kyle LeDuc made them formidable foes, up-and-comer Doug Mittag was making things interesting by earning a win of his own. The first race of the weekend presented an opportunity for LeDuc and Anderson to wrestle momentum back from Mittag, and LeDuc seized the opportunity in a big way.
LeDuc stormed into the lead off the start, which forced Anderson to slot into second and give chase. Mittag assumed third, but his truck came to a brief stop at the top of one of the track’s uphill climbs, which allowed Adrian Cenni and Greg Adler to get by and take over third and fourth. Out front, LeDuc was starting to pull away from Anderson and check out on the field.
As he continued to chase LeDuc from second, Anderson started to lose ground to Cenni and soon a battle was brewing for second as they reached the caution at the midway point of the race. With the deficit to LeDuc erased, Anderson went on the attack on the restart. However, LeDuc nailed his lines, hit his marks, and started to inch away. The champ didn’t relent, and he kept LeDuc honest, which allowed both drivers to open a gap on Cenni.
Unfortunately for Anderson, his hopes of fighting LeDuc to the finish came to an abrupt end when his truck lost power and came to a stop on the track, which brought out the caution. When the race returned to green one last time LeDuc had his hands full with Cenni, who was pushing his truck to the limit in hopes of getting around LeDuc. Cenni kept within a couple truck lengths of LeDuc all the way to the finish, but the point leader carried on to take his third win of the season. Adler completed the podium in third.
Friday Pro 4 Results
#99 Kyle LeDuc
#11 Adrian Cenni
#10 Greg Adler
#81 Doug Mittag
#37 RJ Anderson
LeDuc (#99) outlasted a slew of challenges to take Friday’s Pro 4 win.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Pro Lite
After an exceptionally competitive start to the 2019 season, the Pro Lite class was destined for another showcase on Friday night in Sparks. Four different drivers had claimed victory through the first four races, and the chance to be the first driver to become a repeat winner has the potential to pay big dividends in the championship battle. The first night at Wild West Motorsports Park lived up to expectations, and Mickey Thomas earned that distinction of being the first multi-race winner of the season.
Thomas and defending champion Ryan Beat went door-to-door off the start and through the first quarter lap until Thomas cleared Beat to assume the lead. From there, Thomas proceeded to surge out to a lead of several truck lengths, while Beat battled with Christopher Polvoorde for third.
A crash brought out the caution and bunched the field back together. On the restart, things behind Thomas started to mix up as Polvoorde dove to the inside of Beat, while Brock Heger attacked on the outside. Heger emerged from the fray in second, with Polvoorde third, while Beat lost several positions. Thomas reasserted his hold on the top spot, and soon he, Heger and Polvoorde started to break away leading up to the caution at the halfway point.
Heger made things interesting when they returned to green and went on the attack. He was able to get alongside Thomas, but Thomas withstood the threat. As he laps counted down, the top three became separated from one another, which each solidly holding on to their positions. With just a few laps to go, another crash brought out the caution one last time and set the stage for a thrilling fight to the finish.
Polvoorde dropped to the rear of the field on the restart, which moved Beat back up to third. When the green flag flew, Heger once again went on the attack to try and pass Thomas and they stayed about a truck length apart over the closing laps. Heger threw everything he had at Thomas, and it almost cost him the entire race when he overcooked a corner and climbed a wall, but saved it from tipping over. That miscue allowed Beat to take over second.
Thomas stormed to the win, while Heger made an impressive pass on Beat on the last lap to claim second, with the champ third. The win allowed Thomas to surpass Beat in the standings and take control of the point lead.
Friday Pro Lite Results
#44 Mickey Thomas
#12 Brock Heger
#1 Ryan Beat
#52 Ronnie Anderson
#21 Keaton Swane
Thomas (#44) had his truck dialed in throughout Friday’s Pro Lite race.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Pro Buggy
Parity has defined the Pro Buggy up to this point in 2019, with four different winners through four rounds. Much like the equally competitive Pro Lite class, opportunity awaits the first driver that’s able to win for a second time, and it was almost fitting that the most consistent rider in the division is the one who did just that. Thanks to podium finishes in all four rounds, Eliott Watson entered Nevada with the points lead, and he parlayed a start at the front of the field into his second win of the season, adding to his advantage in the standings.
Watson led the field into the first turn off the start, while the rest of the field pushed wide. That allowed the point leader to slip away while the rest of his competitors jockeyed for position. Chris Nunes and Bud Ward battled for second, and event touched wheels on the opening lap. Eventually, Nunes took hold of the spot and left Ward to deal with Matthew Brister. Watson continued to build on his lead, while Ward fought back on Nunes to reclaim second. When the caution flew at the midway point of the race, Watson and Ward had strong holds on first and second, while Nunes was doing all he could to hang on to third.
When racing resumed, Watson picked up where he left off. Unfortunately for Ward, he was caught off guard as Nunes slid under to make the pass for second. In pushing Ward wide, it also allowed Trevor Briska to jump into third. Briska then got around Nunes for second. Things got worse for Ward when he spun while trying to fight his way back onto the podium. He was unable to get his buggy going again, which brought out the caution.
On the restart, Nunes looked to defend third from Brister while also pursuing Briska for second. He showed a wheel to Briska, which led to contact and spun Nunes out of third. That moved Brister up to the final spot on the podium.
Watson enjoyed a drama-free race to become the first repeat winner of the season, with Briska second and Brister third.
Friday Pro Buggy Results
#3 Eliott Watson
#59 Trevor Briska
#5 Matthew Brister
#15 Trey Gibbs
#2 Chris Nunes
Watson (#3) was in a class of his own in Friday en route to the Pro Buggy victory.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Turbo UTV
Defending Turbo UTV champion Corry Weller had set the standard in the division entering the race weekend at Wild West Motorsports Park, and she was in search of more success on Friday night. Weller had her unbeaten record in 2019 come to an end at the previous round in Ensenada, Mexico, and she was in search of redemption on night one, earning it with relative ease.
Weller started up front and quickly asserted her control of the lead as the field exited the first turn. Ronnie Anderson slotted into second, while Eliott Watson started third. A slight bobble from Anderson opened the door for Watson to challenge for the position, and he successfully made the pass to take control of second. This also allowed Keith Brooks to get under Anderson for third. Brooks wasn’t done there. He kept the forward charge going with a pass on Watson for second, which allowed him to try and set his
sights on Weller up front.
As they neared the halfway point, Weller enjoyed a commanding lead over the field, but that advantage was erased when the caution came out to mark the midway point of the race. When they returned to racing, Weller continued on out front ahead of Beau Judge, who was impressive in his 2019 debut. A crash bunched the field up again, and while Weller had no problem holding off the field on the restart, Judge lost a pair of positions to Brooks and Dan Kelly. For Kelly, his time in a podium spot was short lived as his UTV lost power and came to a stop on the track, handing third back to Judge.
Just a few laps remained when the green flag waved for the last time, and while Brooks attempted to apply pressure on Weller, the champ was able to pull away and cruise to her fourth win of the season. Brooks finished second, while Judge was third.
Friday Turbo UTV Results
#1 Corry Weller
#742 Keith Brooks
#756 Beau Judge
#714 Andy Ives
#718 Chance Haugen
Weller’s impressive Turbo UTV title defense continued with her fourth win on Friday.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Production 1000 UTV
Entering Sparks, defending Production 1000 UTV champion Brock Heger had been the class of the field, taking three wins in the first four races. He was in search of more dominance on Friday night at Wild West Motorsports Park and was at the head of the class until an issue with his left front wheel took him out of contention and handed the win over to Mickey Thomas, who was serving as a substitute driver for Robert
Stout.
Heger and Thomas led the field to the green flag to start the action on night one, and it was Heger who pushed his way into the early lead over Thomas and Myles Cheek. Cheek was aggressive on the opening lap, and it allowed him to get by Thomas for second. The lead trio were all over each other in the early going, even going three wide at one point. No matter how hard he tried, Heger was never able to shake either of his rivals, and faced consistent, heavy pressure throughout the first half of the race. Thomas made several challenges for the lead, but Heger successfully fended off every one leading up to a caution for a stopped vehicle.
When racing resumed, Heger and Thomas asserted themselves up front, but Cheek saw his hopes of victory take a major blow. Heavy contact resulted in another UTV sitting on top of Cheek’s rear wheel, flattening his tire. The incident resulted in added attrition and forced a second caution. When racing resumed, Heger continued to lead Thomas, while Cole Keatts moved into third. Unfortunately for Heger, his race came to an end when his left front wheel appeared to break. Unable to control his UTV, Heger gave up the lead and dropped off the pace. Thomas assumed control of the race, with Keatts second and Doug Mittag third. Mittag went on the offensive and made an aggressive pass on Keatts to take over second. A short time later, Keatts battled back and reclaimed the position from Mittag.
As Thomas checked out and Keatts asserted his control of second, the attention shifted to the battle for third. Mittag dropped off the pace a bit, which allowed Ian Murray and Cheek to make the pass. They continued to fight for the final spot on the podium, with Cheek eventually getting the upper hand.
Thomas stormed to his second win of the season, followed by Keatts and Cheek, who salvaged a podium finish following his early race issues. Stout’s win, combined with Heger’s misfortune, moved Stout atop the championship standings.
Friday Production 1000 UTV Results
#915 Mickey Thomas
#953 Cole Keatts
#957 Myles Cheek
#977 Ian Murray
#916 Robby Hornsby
Thomas doubled up on Friday victories, taking the Production 1000 win subbing for Robert Stout.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Mod Kart
The Mod Kart division returned from a long hiatus in action in Sparks, racing for just the third time in 2019 on Friday night. Mason Prater sat in control of the junior class entering Wild West Motorsports Park and he picked up right where he left off with a second straight win.
Prater led the field to the green flag, with John Holtger following in second ahead of Braden Chiaramonte. Racing came to a halt when Bronsen Chiaramonte flipped and brought out the caution. When the action resumed, the top three maintained their hold up front until Braden was spun out by another driver, initiating a pileup of four karts, which brought out another caution and handed third place to Ethan Ebert.
The top three remained unchanged until another crash forced a caution right at the halfway point. Prater built an insurmountable lead over the rest of the field and cruised to victory, followed by Holtger in second and Ebert in third.
Friday Mod Kart Results
#505 Mason Prater
#544 John Holtger
#577 Ethan Ebert
#554 Luke Knupp
#590 Trey Eggleston
Prater kept the momentum rolling with a dominant Mod Kart win on Friday.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday Junior 2 Kart
Like their kart counterparts, the Junior 2 division also hadn’t been seen in action for quite some time. Two different drivers had claimed victory in the first two rounds, leaving a prime opportunity for one young driver to make a statement on Friday night in Nevada. Braydon Beatty was one of a handful of drivers in the thick of the early season title fight, and he was able to seize the momentum with his first win of the year.
Point leader Cade Martin led the field to green alongside Broedy Graham, followed closely by Beatty and Jessie Owens. Martin was able to grab the early lead, but Beatty slipped by Graham to take second. A multi-kart incident early on brought out the caution, and on the ensuing restart things took an unfortunate turn for Martin. The race leader carried too much speed into a corner and put his kart up on two wheels, ultimately careening into a barrier and ending up on his side. This brought out the race’s second caution
and moved Beatty into the lead, with Graham second and Rhyan Denney in third.
On the restart, Beatty had no issues in holding onto the lead, even though Graham kept him honest by keeping within a few kart lengths. At the halfway point of the race, Graham appeared to experience issues with his kart and pulled off the track. That handed second over to a hard-charging Owens, while Denney continued to sit third as they reached the midway caution.
When they returned to green, Beatty picked up where he left off and controlled the lead. Owens kept on his rear fender, but was unable to attempt a pass. Behind them, a spirited battle for third unfolded between Denney, Talan Martin and Chaden Zane Minder. The three karts bumped and rubbed one another, with Minder emerging with the position. The caution came out one last time and bunched the field up for one final run to the finish.
Beatty once again controlled the restart, while Owens tucked into second. Martin made an impressive pass on Minder to take over third. They crossed the line in that order, with the victory moving Beatty into a tie with Graham, who finished sixth, atop the points.
Friday Junior 2 Kart Results
#405 Braydon Beatty
#497 Jessie Owens
#411 Talan Martin
#415 Chaden Zane Minder
#499 Lake Adler
Beatty (front) kept his rivals at bay to take the Junior 2 Kart win on Friday.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Friday RZR 170
As the entry-level division of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, it was no surprise to see an impressive depth of talent in RZR 170 through its first two rounds. The debut season for the class was bound to be unpredictable, and TJ Siewers carried a slim point lead into the opening night in Sparks. While Siewers was in the mix on Friday, it was George Llamosas who grabbed the momentum with his first win of the season.
Siewers and Llamosas ran side-by-side leading the field to green, with Siewers grabbing the upper hand. Llamosas slipped back to third, while Ryder Chapman jumped up to second. Chapman continued his forward march into the lead, but it was short lived as Llamosas parlayed an outside line into a surge from third to first around both Siewers and Chapman. Llamosas was able to put a firm grasp on the lead, while Chapman held on solidly to second. Siewers came under fire from Travis Sallee and lost his hold of third just before they received the caution at the halfway point.
On the restart, Llamosas sped away with the lead while Sallee pounced on Chapman and made the pass for second. Sallee was able to reel in Llamosas and challenge him for the lead, but couldn’t mount a serious bid for the lead. As he gave chase from third, Chapman made a miscue and ended up stuck in the mud, which handed third to Carson Greco. Llamosas took the victory with Sallee right behind, while Greco followed in third. The win moved Llamosas to the top of the RZR 170 standings.
Friday RZR 170 Results
#188 George Llamosas
#171 Travis Sallee
#155 Carson Greco
#101 TJ Siewers
#125 Jennifer Owens
An impressive drive from Llamosas (#188, right) saw him emerge with Friday’s RZR 170 victory.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Pro 2
As the Pro 2 field entered the Saturday night showcase in the Silver State, tensions were high as the championship experienced another shuffle. Rodrigo Ampudia had the momentum from his Friday night victory, and also carried the added pressure of being the point leader. The racing was incredibly thrilling, and while Ampudia controlled most of the race, he came up short in his bid for the weekend sweep. Instead, Jerett Brooks rebounded from a frustrating opening night to make a last-corner pass for victory.
Ampudia and his Pro 2M counterparts kicked things off, with the point leader easily assuming the early lead over Adam Daffner and Jeff Shelton. The rest of the field stormed off the line with Brooks at the head of the pack over Bradley Morris. This duo was able to establish some separation from their counterparts and went to work on tracking down the Pro 2M trucks. It didn’t take long before both Brooks and Morris caught Daffner and Shelton, and they made quick work of the Pro 2M trucks to move into second and third. Out front, Ampudia was in a class of his own and carried a healthy lead to the caution at halfway, but it was clear that Brooks and Morris were making considerable headway into his advantage.
On the restart, Ampudia did all he could to sprint away from the rest of the field, but Brooks and Morris were on a mission. A crash bunched the field up again after the caution flew for a second time, but the field assumed their positions on the restart. Shortly after, reigning Pro 2 champion Rob MacCachren, who ran a solid fourth for most of the race, lost power and came to a stop on the track, forcing another caution. The race was halted yet again right after the ensuing restart.
When the field received the green flag one last time, Morris took advantage of a great jump to slip past Brooks and take over second. Ampudia was within reach at this point, and a showdown for the win was brewing. Ampudia’s lead was gone with two laps to go, and a slight miscue coming into the final turn opened the door for Morris to slide under. They came to the white flag side by side, but Morris had the upper hand to take the lead. Brooks followed through into second in the next corner.
Morris held an advantage of a couple truck lengths on Brooks on the final lap, and appeared to be on his way to his first win of the season. However, as they entered the final turn Brooks carried in more speed and slid under Morris, initiating contact. It was enough to put Brooks ahead by about a half truck length, and he sprinted to the checkered flag just ahead of both Morris and Ampudia.
Brooks’ third win of the season moved him back atop the Pro 2 championship, where he holds a four-point lead over Ampudia with four rounds remaining. Brian Deegan, who finished fourth, sits third, 10 points out of the lead.
Saturday Pro 2 Results
#77 Jerett Brooks
#24 Bradley Morris
#36 Rodrigo Ampudia
#38 Brian Deegan
#72 Jeff Shelton
Pro 2 Points
#77 Jerett Brooks – 289
#36 Rodrigo Ampudia – 285
#38 Brian Deegan – 279
#21 Rob MacCachren – 267
#37 RJ Anderson – 251
Brooks (#77, second) made an impressive last lap pass on Morris (#24) to capture
Saturday’s Pro 2 victory.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Pro 4
With his win on Friday night, Kyle LeDuc was able to add some much-needed points to his lead in the Pro 4 standings. Another strong performance would really put the pressure on his main rivals at this crucial point in the season, and while his fellow competitors did all they could to prevent the weekend sweep, LeDuc went on to lead every lap of the race and grab his fourth win of the season.
LeDuc started Saturday night’s race alongside Doug Mittag, and while Mittag was able to run alongside LeDuc for about a quarter lap, the point leader soon got the upper hand and managed the lead from that point on. Throughout the first half of the race, LeDuc and Mittag were in a class of their own, opening up a big gap over Greg Adler, Adrian Cenni, and RJ Anderson, who enjoyed a fierce battle for third. When the field was bunched back together at the halfway caution, it presented an opportunity to try and get by LeDuc.
When they returned to green, Mittag hung to LeDuc’s rear fender for several laps before the engine expired on Mittag’s truck and ended his race. The caution flew one last time with LeDuc in the lead, Anderson second, and Cenni third. LeDuc easily controlled the restart and quickly opened a gap, which left Anderson to battle Cenni for the runner-up spot.
LeDuc ran a perfect race to cap off the weekend sweep, with Anderson bouncing back from a tough Friday night to finish second. Cenni followed in third. The back-to-back wins allowed LeDuc to open up an 18-point lead in the championship, taking full advantage of the misfortunes experienced by both Anderson, who sits second, and Mittag, who dropped to third, 19 points out of the lead.
Saturday Pro 4 Results
#99 Kyle LeDuc
#37 RJ Anderson
#11 Adrian Cenni
#10 Greg Adler
#81 Doug Mittag
Pro 4 Points
#99 Kyle LeDuc – 312
#37 RJ Anderson – 294
#81 Doug Mittag – 293
#11 Adrian Cenni – 275
#10 Greg Adler – 275
LeDuc made an emphatic sweep of the weekend with his dominant Pro 4 win on Saturday.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Pro Lite
After his statement win on Friday night, Mickey Thomas entered Saturday with some serious momentum and the point lead. He was going to have his hands full in his quest for the weekend sweep, and while he was in the mix at the front of the field throughout the race, the defending class champion, Ryan Beat, prevailed to take his second win of the season.
Beat started on the pole for Saturday night’s race, and he jumped out to the early lead ahead of Chris Polvoorde and Brock Heger, while Thomas found himself fighting just to stay in the top five. Soon, Beat and Polvoorde opened up a gap over the rest of the field, while Heger and Thomas engaged in a tight battle for third. Beat had his truck dialed in, and easily kept Polvoorde behind him, while Thomas eventually fought his way past Heger for third just prior to the caution flag at the halfway point.
On the restart, Thomas made an impressive move to slide under Polvoorde and steal second. Polvoorde fought back and got on the outside of Thomas at the bottom of the first downhill and entering Turn 2. As they entered the next turn, Thomas carried too much speed and put his truck up on two wheels. This carried him into Polvoorde and caused him to flip. Thomas was able to keep going, but both Heger and Keaton Swane got by as the caution flag flew. Heger suffered a flat tire in the incident and was forced to get repairs under the caution, which dropped him several positions.
When the race resumed, Beat easily maintained his hold of the top spot while Thomas and Ronnie Anderson both got by Swane to move into second and third. Another crash brought out the caution again, which worked to Heger’s benefit.
Heger was able to get back into podium position behind Beat and Thomas, and on the restart he put pressure on Thomas for second. Heger was successful in his challenge of Thomas and was able to mount a charge on Beat in the closing laps. Heger made things interesting on the final lap, but Beat held him off to take the victory, with Thomas was right behind them in third.
Beat returned to the top of the Pro Lite standings with the win, and now holds a six-point lead of Thomas with four rounds to go. Heger sits solidly in third, 24 points out of the lead.
Saturday Pro Lite Results
#1 Ryan Beat
#12 Brock Heger
#44 Mickey Thomas
#59 Jimmy Weitzel
#3 Trevor Leighton
Pro Lite Points
#1 Ryan Beat – 295
#44 Mickey Thomas – 289
#12 Brock Heger – 271
#52 Ronnie Anderson – 262
#59 Jimmy Weitzel – 244
Beat reclaimed control of the Pro Lite point lead with his Saturday night triumph.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Pro Buggy
After a great race on Friday night, it was anyone’s guess as to who might prevail with the win in the hyper-competitive Pro Buggy class on Saturday. While point leader Eliot Watson was able to add to his lead as the first repeat winner of the season on opening night, he endured through misfortune in the second race of the weekend and was forced to sit and watch as Trevor Briska raced to his second win of the season.
Briska led the field to green from pole, alongside Matthew Brister. Briska easily led the field into the first turn, but he carried too much speed and slid, which opened the door for Bud Ward to move up front. Briska wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and he forced the issue into the next corner, initiating contact to reclaim the lead. Ward was then forced to engage in a side-by-side battle with Brister for second. Ward got the upper hand to assume control of second, and as they came to complete the lap it was strange to see Watson bringing up the rear of the field.
Ward was able to get a bit of revenge on Briska by duplicating the pass that cost him the lead, which put Ward back on point. The two exchanged contact again after Ward left the inside line open, and Briska returned to the lead. Not long after that, Watson put himself in the hunt by making the pass on Brister for third. Contact between several buggies caused Chris Nunes and Trey Gibbs to end up connected, with Gibbs upside down, forcing the caution to come out. During this exchange, Watson made contact with the wall and suffered a broken wheel, effectively ending his race and his hopes of a sweep.
On the restart from the midway caution, Briska easily controlled the lead and as he gave chase from second, Brister had his rear tire break off his buggy, which brought out another caution. When racing resumed, Briska easily held off Nunes to take his second victory, with Gibbs in third. Despite his DNF, Watson still has a firm hold of the championship lead, where he holds a 19-point advantage over Nunes. Brister sits third, 24 points out of the lead.
Saturday Pro Buggy Results
#59 Trevor Briska
#2 Chris Nunes
#15 Trey Gibbs
#5 Matthew Brister
#17 Bud Ward
Pro Buggy Points
#3 Eliott Watson – 296
#2 Chris Nunes – 277
#5 Matthew Brister – 272
#17 Bud Ward – 268
#15 Trey Gibbs – 266
A captivating Pro Buggy battle on Saturday night saw Briska (front) take the win.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Turbo UTV
Given her strong performance on Friday night, Corry Weller had all the momentum entering Saturday night’s race in Sparks. However, the defending champ did not have the qualifying run she’d hoped for and it put her behind several rivals to start the second race of the weekend. That opened the door for a new driver to seize the moment to steal a win, which is exactly what Trevor Leighton did for the second time in 2019.
In just his second start this season, Beau Judge started on the pole alongside Leighton. As they exited the first turn, Judge enjoyed a multi-car-length lead over the field as Leighton settled into second ahead of Eliott Watson. The top three held a firm grasp of their positions through the early portion of the race, while Weller was engaged in a fierce battle with Keith Brooks for fourth. Judge was impressive out front, even under pressure from Leighton, and appeared to be in full control as they reached the caution at the halfway point.
On the restart, Leighton amped up the pressure on the lead and successfully made the pass on Judge, while Brooks applied heavy pressure as well from third. As they battled for second, Judge and Brooks made contact, which sent Judge spinning. Additional contact from other UTV’s left him with a broken wheel and ended his race, while also bringing out the caution.
Just a few laps remained on the restart, with Leighton, Brooks and Weller occupying the top three. The lead trio easily cleared the field. Brooks was all over Leighton as they came to the white flag, and he made a pass for the lead after Leighton carried too much speed into a corner. They made heavy contact, which forced both drivers to scramble to get control of their UTV. As this unfolded, Weller spun in an effort to avoid them. Leighton continued on with the lead, while Brooks resumed in second. Ronnie Anderson inherited third following Weller’s misfortune.
Leighton carried on to take his second win of the season over Brooks, while Anderson grabbed the final spot on the podium. Weller was forced to settle for sixth.
Post-race technical inspection of the Turbo UTV results from Sparks are ongoing and, as a result, are currently considered “Unofficial” until this inspection process is completed. Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Officials will update the drivers of that class with a notification of the official points.
As it stands, currently, Weller still has a strong grasp on the championship lead, where she holds a 25-point lead over Ronnie Anderson and Chance Haugen, who sit tied for second.
Saturday Turbo UTV Results
#703 Trevor Leighton
#742 Keith Brooks
#752 Ronnie Anderson
#718 Chance Haugen
#783 Robert McCalla
Turbo UTV Points
#1 Corry Weller – 292
#752 Ronnie Anderson – 267
#718 Chance Haugen – 267
#742 Keith Brooks – 265
#703 Trevor Leighton – 248
Leighton (#703, second inside) won a highly competitive Turbo UTV race on Saturday night.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Production 1000 UTV
Entering the Silver State Showdown Brock Heger had been the class of the Production 1000 UTV field. His strength was on full display throughout the weekend in Nevada, but heartbreak followed him all weekend. Heger was forced to record a DNF after leading most of Friday night’s race, and that unlikely fortune struck again on Saturday. Heger was up front late, but misfortune on the final lap took him out of contention. That opened the door for Robby Hornsby to capture his first win following an incredible pass on a wild white-flag lap.
Fresh off a win on Friday night, Mickey Thomas started Saturday night’s race on the pole and controlled the lead off the start while Heger and Myles Cheek did battle for second. After running nearly the entire opening lap side-by-side, Heger asserted himself into second and chased down Thomas for the lead. Thomas’ bid for a weekend sweep came to a heartbreaking end of his own when the front wheel of his UTV broke while leading. This handed the lead over to Cheek, who got by Heger when he overcooked a corner. Unable to control his UTV, Thomas veered off course and collected Hornsby, who had to go into reverse in order to untangle himself from Thomas. The caution flew following the incident, and Hornsby found himself in ninth.
When racing resumed Heger pressured Cheek for the lead, forcing a mistake out of the leader that allowed Heger to seize control of the race. Ryan Lindsay gave chase from third. Heger and Cheek engaged in a great battle for the top spot, and Cheek reclaimed the lead just before the halfway caution.
After another caution halted the action again, Cheek and Heger resumed their battle off the restart. Heger made a great over-under move to get back up front and looked to be in control of the race despite persistent pressure from Cheek. As they came to the white flag, the lead duo ran nose to tail. Heger left the door open for Cheek to make a run and they ran side-by-side down the hill. Heger had the inside line into the next corner and took the lead, but his UTV appeared to lose power, which forced Cheek to run into the back of him. Heger never got going again, leaving a three-wide battle for the lead between Cheek, Lindsay and Hornsby.
Hornsby seized the moment and forced his way into the lead on the inside of Lindsay with less than half a lap remaining. He stormed to his first win just a few car-lengths ahead of Lindsay, while Cole Keatts slipped by Cheek coming to the line to grab third.
Robert Stout maintains the championship lead by 10 points over Heger. Cheek sits third, 17 points out of the lead.
Saturday Production 1000 UTV Results
#916 Robby Hornsby
#986 Ryan Lindsay
#953 Cole Keatts
#957 Myles Cheek
#974 Dallas Nord
Production 1000 UTV Points
#915 Robert Stout – 292
#1 Brock Heger – 282
#957 Myles Cheek – 275
#916 Robby Hornsby – 256
#986 Ryan Lindsay – 238
A wild last lap saw Hornsby (#916, third inside) steal Saturday’s Production 1000 win.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Mod Kart
As the hottest driver in Mod Kart, all eyes were on Mason Prater during the class’ second night of action at Wild West Motorsports Park. The championship leader carried a two-race win streak into the closing night of the doubleheader, and while he came up short of the weekend sweep, he still left Nevada with an unparalleled level of consistency. Brody Eggleston ultimately ended Prater’s recent run of dominance with a perfect wire-to-wire victory.
Eggleston started on the pole and easily assumed control of the lead over Braden Chiaramonte and Prater. As they continued to fight for position, Chiaramonte got shuffled back, which moved Prater up to second and Holden Heitritter up to third. A crash on the opening lap brought out the caution, and regrouped the field.
On the restart, Eggleston and Prater charged forward while Heitritter lost several positions, moving Trey Eggleston up to third. The lead group remained in their spots until the caution flew at the midway point. On the restart, Eggleston started to once again build a gap. The battle behind him intensified, and it ended up costing Trey Eggleston as contact from Chiaramonte forced a spin.
Eggleston was on rails and cruised to his second win of the season, with Prater in second and Chiaramonte in third.
Prater’s successful weekend extended his lead in the championship to 26 points over Chiaramonte, while John Holtger, who finished fifth, sits third, 29 points out of the lead.
Saturday Mod Kart Results
#514 Brody Eggleston
#505 Mason Prater
#573 Braden Chiaramonte
#512 Holden Heitritter
#544 John Holtger
Mod Kart Points
#505 Mason Prater – 208
#573 Braden Chiaramonte – 182
#544 John Holtger – 179
#590 Trey Eggleston – 155
#577 Ethan Ebert – 154
Eggleston was the class of the Mod Kart field on Saturday en route to his second victory.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday Junior 2 Kart
After a wild race on Friday night, anticipation was high to see what the Junior 2 Kart division was going to produce on Saturday. Following a win on opening night, Braydon Beatty had a chance to sweep the weekend with a start near the front for the second half of the doubleheader. However, his hopes for victory came to an end when he and fellow contender Cade Martin came together on the opening lap. That opened the door for Jessie Owens to build the momentum from her runner-up finish on Friday and
take the win.
Owens started the race from the pole, and she inched away from Beatty up until the crash that took out both Beatty and Martin. On the restart, Owens picked up where she left off ahead of Tyli Olsen and Karaston Hernandez. While Owens and Olsen pulled away, Hernandez withstood multiple challenges to secure the first ever all-female podium sweep in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series history, adding another layer to a historic weekend at the Silver State Showdown.
With the win, Owens moved to the top of the Junior 2 Kart championship standings. She holds a two-point lead over Broedy Graham, who finished seventh, while Beatty sits third, eight points out of the lead.
Saturday Junior 2 Kart Results
#497 Jessie Owens
#486 Tyli Olsen
#483 Karaston Hernandez
#411 Talan Martin
#415 Chaden Zane Minder
Junior 2 Kart Points
#497 Jessie Owens – 183
#466 Broedy Graham – 181
#405 Braydon Beatty – 175
#411 Talan Martin – 165
#407 Cade Martin – 164
Owens (center) led the first-ever all-girl sweep of the Junior 2 Kart podium on Saturday.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Saturday RZR 170
Following his breakout performance on the first night of action in Sparks, George Llamosas was in search of even more success on Saturday night. The most consistent driver in the RZR 170 division was brimming with confidence, and it showed in his climb up from a third-place start on the second night of racing. Llamosas was in a class of his own, and he was dominant en route to the weekend sweep.
Ryder VanBeekum started the race from the pole, but a three-wide run into the first turn saw Travis Sallee emerge with the lead, with VanBeekum second and Llamosas third. Llamosas was able to slip past VanBeekum to take over second, and he set his sights on the lead. Contact between VanBeekum and another driver opened the door for TJ Siewers to slot into third.
Llamosas closed in on Sallee and made an impressive pass in the final corner to take control of the race. Sallee fought back, but Llamosas held him off. When the caution flew at the halfway point, Blayden Graham followed Llamosas and Sallee in third.
On the restart, Llamosas was able to open a massive gap over the field, which he carried on through to the finish. He easily took the weekend sweep, with Sallee in second and Siewers fighting back to finish third.
The perfect weekend moved Llamosas to the top of the RZR 170 championship standings, where he holds a five-point lead over Siewers. Sallee sits third, 17 points out of the lead.
Saturday RZR 170 Results
#188 George Llamosas
#101 TJ Siewers
#171 Travis Sallee
#125 Jennifer Owens
#132 Ryder Chapman
RZR 170 Points
#188 George Llamosas – 202
#101 TJ Siewers – 197
#171 Travis Sallee – 185
#125 Jennifer Owens – 158
#132 Ryder Chapman – 150
Llamosas was in a class of his own on Saturday to cap of a weekend sweep of RZR 170.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
The 2019 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will return to action with a doubleheader weekend from Southern California’s Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino. The Rockstar Energy Golden State Off Road Nationals, presented by General Tire, will be a two-day affair on Saturday, October 5, and Sunday, October 6. Both days of the showcase in SoCal will be streamed LIVE on Lucas Oil Racing TV.