CORONA, Calif. (September 27, 2013) – The return of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORS) to Las Vegas for the second time during the 2013 season also signified a return to action under the lights for the 13th and 14th rounds of the Pro Lite Championship. After a solid start to the weekend in qualifying, Casey Currie put his Monster Energy/General Tire Jeep JK at the front of the field during both nights, ultimately securing a pair of top-five efforts, including a podium finish to kick off the weekend
Currie began the 13th round of the season last Friday night by getting shuffled outside the top five at the start of the race. However, as drivers continued to jockey for position, Currie quickly moved back into the top five and engaged in a heated multi-truck battle for position throughout the middle portion of the 12-lap race. Over the final few laps, Currie made moves wherever he could, showing no hesitation to bang doors if needed. The aggressive driving moved Currie into podium position with two laps remaining and he held on to finish third and put the Jeep JK back on the box.
“That was a crazy race, but it was a ton of fun to do battle like that,” said Currie on the podium. “I’ve always said that night racing brings out something extra in the competition and it showed. I had to work hard to put the Monster Energy/General Tire Jeep JK in a good position at the end and I’m stoked it paid off. This is the momentum we need heading into tomorrow.”
On Saturday night, Currie put himself into the top five in the opening laps, but lost several several positions early while engaged in a physical battle with a handful of trucks. He regrouped by maintaining a top-10 position throughout the middle of the race as several caution flags slowed the field and hindered Currie’s ability to make his way back to the front. However, he put the hammer down over the final three laps to climb from eighth to fifth.
“It sucks not getting a full race in,” he said. “We had a fast truck but with all the cautions and the first turn pileups it was a total up and down race. We had the speed to be up front, we just needed to run some clean laps [under green], which never happened. However, I’m excited that we finished top five to keep the points [battle] alive.”
After another solid weekend, Currie and his Monster Energy/General Tire team prepare for the final weekend of the 2013 LOORS Pro Lite season with its second visit to Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park and a home race for the Corona-based squad. The 15th and 16th round of action kicks off on Saturday, October 26th, followed by the final Pro Lite race of the year on Sunday, October 27th.
“The Jeep JK is so fast and I know we have a win in us before we wrap things up,” concluded Currie. “We had some bad luck last time out at Elsinore in May, but we’ve developed a new truck since then and we’re excited to get out there again and win one for all our family and friends. It’d be a great way to end the season after everything my guys have done this summer.”