Championship Battles Begin to Take Shape at
Second Round of Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
from Wild Horse Pass
LeDuc Goes Back-to-Back to Open Pro 4 While Deegan Takes Control of Pro 2
Following a competitive start to the 2019 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, last month, the world’s best short-course racers were back at it the second weekend in April with the championship’s annual spring time visit to the Arizona desert and Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. The Super Clean Duel in the Desert, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, provided another nighttime spectacle and thousands of fans filled the grandstands to watch all the drama unfold.

At this early stage of the championship momentum is critical, and while the winners of the opening round looked to build on their advantage, a long list of rivals were just as eager to make an impact as the title fight across all nine classes takes shape. As expected, the racing was incredible, and an array of new winners emerged under the lights in Chandler.

A huge crowd was on hand for Round 2 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.
Courtesy of Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Pro 2

Opening round winner Jerett Brooks led the Pro 2 field into action at Wild Horse Pass, and he continued to build momentum as the fastest qualifier of the afternoon. When the race got underway later that evening it was Troy Cox and Daely Pentico who sprinted off the line first in their Pro 2M trucks. Brooks and the rest of the 13-truck field patiently waited for the green flag to drop, and when it did the field quickly settled into line with Brooks leading RJ Anderson, Brian Deegan and Rodrigo Ampudia. Out front, Pentico took advantage of Cox off the start to assert himself as the leader.

With one race under their belt with the inclusion of the new Pro 2M engine, it appeared as though the standard Pro 2 drivers recognized the more strategic play of closing the deficit to the lead trucks. By focusing on running a consistent pace instead of racing one another and losing time, they were able to erase the advantage of the Pro 2M trucks much more efficiently than the opening round. Brooks, Anderson and Deegan patiently ran in tow of one another for several laps, until a bobble by Anderson gave Deegan an opening to take over fourth place. Rather than put up too much of a fight, Anderson slotted into fifth. This trio had easily distanced themselves from everyone else and started to close in on Cox for second.

Brian Deegan charged to his first Pro 2 win of the season.
Courtesy of Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
The yellow flag bunched the field back together halfway through the 16-lap showcase, and it would prove to be crucial in the outcome of the race. Recognizing the importance of the moment, Deegan seized the opportunity to pressure Brooks and successfully made the pass for third. Shortly thereafter, Anderson nearly tipped over in fifth, which allowed Ampudia to take the position. Both Deegan and Brooks stormed past Cox to move into second and third, respectively, on Lap 10, which gave them six laps to catch Pentico, who had comfortably led every lap up to that point.

As Deegan and Brooks continued to inch closer to the lead, Brooks made a costly error in judgment on Lap 12 when he elected to dive to the inside to lap Bradley Morris. While Deegan slid around the outside unscathed, Brooks and Morris made contact, which left Brooks with a flat right rear. The point leader’s pace dropped considerably, and he quickly fell down the running order. That put Ampudia and Anderson into a hotly contested battle for third, where Ampudia held the advantage.

In the waning laps, Deegan had Pentico in his sights and with his quicker pace it was only a matter of time before he got the opportunity to make a pass. Pentico had run a flawless race leading into the final lap, but Deegan was aggressive in his first chance to take the lead. The two trucks made heavy door-to-door contact, which sent them sideways off the next jump. Pentico spun out while Deegan regained control and sped off to his first win of the season. Pentico recovered to cross the line in second, but a black flag was issued and dropped him to the end of the lead lap in ninth. That gave the runner-up spot to Ampudia, who withstood the constant pressure from Anderson, who finished third. Brooks soldiered home in his wounded truck to finish 10th.

Deegan’s second and first-place finishes to start the season moved him to the top of the championship standings. Ampudia jumped into a tie with Anderson for second, four points behind Deegan. Brooks fell from first to fourth, 11 points out of the lead.