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BY DAVE GRAYSON


LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD RACING SERIES EXCITES FANS IN PRIMM

PRIMM, Nevada – (April 6, 2009) A beautiful race day filled with sunshine, and just enough wind to control the heat, greeted a packed grandstand of stadium off road race fans last Sunday, April 5th, at the Primm Valley Motorsports complex, in Primm-Nevada, where the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, (LOORRS) presented by Geico Power Sports, staged round two of the series' racing action.Round one racing was held the day before. LOORRS treated their fans to action from nine different racing divisions who took on the rugged challenge of Primm Valley's one mile comples that combines the elements of dirt track and road course racing with some motocross jumps thrown into the mix.

The Unlimited 2 Class, for full sized two wheel drive trucks, was once again a fan favorite and, once again Carl Renezeder swept this class for the second day in a row and took home another $15,000 in bonus purse money provided by K&N Performance Filters. But the multi feature winner and champion had to work a little harder than he did on Saturday to make this sweep happen.

Jeff Ward led the starters under the initial green flag but unfortunately spun his truck midway through the opening lap. Rodrigo Ampudia inherited the lead and appeared to be the driver to beat But this race leader suffered an engine failure just past the halfway point and that handed Renezeder the lead for good. Renezeder had to fend off a late race charge by Jerry Whelchel which stalled when his truck got loose in turn two. Scott Schovajsa and Whelchel completed the podium finish.

Following the race Renezeder said "I just couldn't be more excited. Jerry Whechel gave me one heck of a race. That was awesome and I love the guy. These General Tire grabbers were just unreal on the grooves out there today. Thanks to Lucas Oil and my team for their dedication. The truck was great, the track was great and the fans are just awesome."

The combined Unlimited two and four wheel drive feature was full of surprises. Kent Brascho came off of the front row and led more than half the race before being overtaken by Alan Pflueger. However the "flying Hawaiian" only led one lap before he lost control of his truck and spun out. Brascho re emerged as the leader but that only lasted one lap before his right rear tire literally exploded into several pieces. Even the heavily favored Carl Renezeder, who won Saturday's round one feature, was not a factor in this race due to reported front end suspension damage. In the final three laps Jerry Daugherty inherited the lead and held it to the checkers. Rodrigo Ampudia and Jeff Ward completed the podium after finishing second and third.

The day before Daugherty rolled his truck and had to resort to using a back up. "My guys worked all this morning putting the back up together" he said adding "my crew
is what this thing is all about. We've been working to death and have had our share of hard knocks but we just keep coming back. It's been a very exciting day for us."

Rob "Fig" Naughton is a iron man. Make no mistake about that. He swept both days of the Unlimited Lite Class despite a severely injured right foot that recently required surgery. Once again Naughton used his left foot only to work the throttle and brake pedals. He did, however, have a back up throttle attached to his shifter if needed. It was another remarkable performance. Naughton took command of this race on lap eight and never looked back. An intense fight for second in the final laps saw Chris Brandt take the runner up spot while Brian Deegan joined the podium after taking over third on the final lap.

In Super Lite truck action, presented by Bully Dog, Johnny Harrah made a winning move on lap eight to win this feature. Keeping it all in the family was John Harrah who finished second while Kris Hansen joined them on the podium following his third place finish.

This race produced one of the more serious accidents of the entire weekend. On lap three a truck, driven by David Reyes, spun on the center straightaway, slid down a large dirt berm that separates the center and front stretches and then came to a rest on its side following three barell rolls. The driver was okay but the same could not be said for his Super Lite truck. After the race Johnny Harrah said "the track was really slick, it was like an ice skating rink. But I do like driving these Super Lites they're a lot of fun."

In the Unlimited Buggy Class Chuck Cheek overtook race leader Mike Porter, en route to the white flag, to win the feature. That victory, combined with a second place finish in Saturday's race, will place Cheek on top of the early points standings. Porter took second and third place finisher Larry Foddrill joined the winner on the victory lane podium.

In Limited Buggy action Curt Geer scored a two day feature sweep. It first appeared that Bryce Menzies was going to be the driver to beat. Menzies was leading when some turn two contact from Geer caused the race leader to spin out. When the field slowed for a competition yellow, Menzies had worked his way back to second and the fans were ready for a Bully Dog fight to the finish. Unfortunately Menzies' bad luck continued when he went backwards in the field following what appeared to be a missed gear shift. Now on his own, Geer completed the remaining laps and the two day sweep. Bruce Fraley and Reno Navera joined him on the podium after finishing second and third.

After the race Geer displayed some class and said "I do want to say that I'm sorry for getting into the back of Menzies I didn't mean for that to happen. He spun out and I had no where to go. To get us to this part of the podium is great and I can't wait for the next one in a couple of weeks."

The youngsters in the LOORRS Kart Series, the future of stadium off road racing, put on another great show for the fans. Trenton Briley won the Kart Modifed feature on top of finishing second in Saturday's round one action. Dave Mason and Mitchell Dejong joined the winner on the podium. In the Kart Junior One Class Jack Grabowski swept the features on both days for an excellent weekend in Primm. Myles Cheek and Brock Heger followed him under the checkers in second and third. In the Kart Junior Two event Trent Williams, who finished second in Saturday's race, won the Sunday feature. Dustin Grabowki, who won the day before, was second while Zachary Hunt was third.

 














 

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