Bark River, Mich. ~ A rainout in June washed out a full day of racing at Crandon International Raceway. Officials at AMSOIL Championship Off-Road found a solution to the season schedule by adding an extra day of competition at the famed Bark River International Raceway in Bark River, Mich.
The three-day weekend at one of the sports’ longest, fastest, and favorite facilities quickly became the most vital event of the season. The fall finale in Crandon on Labor Day weekend will feature one full day of Pro points racing, so success or failure in Bark River will define a driver’s 2024 campaign.
The opening day in Bark River brought cooler, fall-like weather to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The racers were ready for a full-on assault, knowing points were at a premium and time was running out.
Greaves Gets First Edge on Henderson in Pivotal Pro 4 Weekend
It’s a huge weekend for Jimmy Henderson’s quest to catch and pass defending Pro 4 champion CJ Greaves in the standings. They entered the day separated by 32 points, but Henderson has momentum on his side after picking up his first win of the season in Dirt City.
They would start side by side on Friday, with only a sprint to the first turn and roughed up track in front of them. Henderson drew first blood, grabbing the hole shot and pulling away to an early lead. But as the race wore on, Greaves continuously closed the gap, looking for an opening. That opening came after the restart when Henderson gave up the inside on one of the 180-degree turns. Greaves would take the lead, but Henderson kept it close through the remainder of the contest, never being more than a second behind the points leader. When the checkered flag came out, Greaves picked up his fifth win of the season and kept the wolves at bay for another day.
“This is the first time (Jimmy and I) have started on the front row together all year,” said Greaves. “I knew this was going to be the race that everyone wanted to see. The first half was just a dogfight. I’d get a little bit, and he’d get away, and then I would get it back.”
Henderson continued to dial in his new truck, and his runner-up finish marked his third straight podium. Johnny Greaves moved into the third and final podium spot just before the mid-race, mandatory caution when Adrian Cenni pulled off the track. The Hall of Fame driver pulled away from a tight pack that was jockeying for the fourth spot.
Thomas Flips Pro 2 Points with Win
There are times in Pro 2 when you have to drive around, through, and over something to get to the front of the field. Fiberglass is a significant investment in high horse-powered trucks, usually littered around the tight confines of an off-road short course.
That was not the case for Mickey Thomas on Friday. He set a blistering pace off the start, running in clean air and putting nearly two seconds on the field by the end of the first lap. Even after the restart, Thomas was not to be denied as he led from start to finish, earning his fourth win of the year and overtaking Ryan Beat for the points lead.
“We had kind of a rough Dirt City, and we came out here and tested and figured some stuff out, and it worked today,” said Thomas. “We have a really fast truck, and we just need to keep putting them (wins) together and finish the year strong.”
Beat and third place finishing Kyle Greaves were equally as dialed in, but just off the pace of Thomas. Beat settled into the runner-up spot off the start as he and Greaves battled for early position.
A Happy Holtger atop Pro Lite Podium
Johnny Holtger said his win on Friday was due to luck, but the Pro Lite driver has proven to have the skill and speed to win all season long. In round ten, it all came back together for the young driver.
Carson Parrish took the lead from the start to the mid-race, mandatory caution. But he was constantly pressured by Holtger and points leader Trey Gibbs. Off the restart, Gibbs sat second but put his truck on two wheels and allowed Holtger to sneak underneath and into second. After that, Holtger put the pressure on Parrish and was able to scoot a few turns later.
With the lead, Holtger didn’t miss a beat as he stretched out his lead over the pack, driving to his second win of the season.
The runner-up spot wouldn’t be sorted out until the final turn. Parrish held the spot with Gibbs on his bumper. But Parrish mistimed the final turn, allowing Gibbs to sneak past and into second, leaving Parrish in the final podium spot.
Parsons Plys Pro Spec Win, Points from Visser
Dylan Parsons’ Pro Spec race started on two wheels, but it ended on all four and with two feet atop the podium.
Chris Van Den Elzen held the point off the start, but Nick Visser was able to make a drive and got past on the second lap. Visser’s lead would only last two laps before a broken front end forced him off the track, but only after he inadvertently collected Van Den Elzen.
Parsons watched it all unfold and darted into the lead. He never lifted the rest of the way as he held off Van Den Elzen and drove to his third win of the season. Visser’s exit and Parsons’s win also shuffled up the points race, with Parsons overtaking Visser for the top spot.
Rookie Wyatt Miller has easily adjusted from sprint cars to off-road trucks as he drove to his third straight podium finish in three career races.
Bernloehr Extends Points Lead with Pro Buggy Win
Lorenzo Bonacci started the season on a hot streak, winning rounds two, three, and four in dominant fashion. Bonacci, a rookie in Champ Off-Road, had win number four in his sights, but the current points leader wouldn’t let him run away with it.
With two laps remaining, Jordan Bernloehr turned up the wick on Bonacci, who spun and allowed Bernloehr to sneak around the race leader for the top spot. Bonnaci didn’t let Bernloehr get away, but Bernloehr had found the right lines and enough traction to close out his second straight win, which was third in the past four rounds.
Bonacci would finish the race in second place, followed by Billy Buth in third and Dave Mason, Jr. in fourth.
Bootle Goes the Distance for First Win
Jeb Bootle has been knocking on the door all season long in Pro SxS. On Friday, he kicked it open and set the deadbolt as he locked down his first win of the year.
Bootle withstood challenges from Owen VanEperen and CJ Greaves throughout the contest but never wavered from the top spot, including a mad dash from the pair after the mid-race restart. Bootle drove a fast, smart race that came down to the wire as Greaves was only two car lengths behind at the finish line.
Bootles’ win keeps Greaves within reach of the points. Greaves’ second-place finish puts him 17 points up on rounds five and six winner Andrew Carlson after Carlson pulled off the track while running in third. Bootle is now 53 points back of the top spot. Kainan Baker returned to the podium, finishing third.
Four in Row for Greaves
It’s been a second-half surge thanks to a practice in patience for defending Pro Stock SxS champion CJ Greaves.
For the fourth straight race, Greaves bided his time after having to start mid-pack due to the rules of inversion. For the umpteenth time this season, Greaves stayed out of trouble, waited for the mid-race mandatory caution, and then sprinted to the lead pack and into the top spot. His move to the front position for round ten came with five laps to go, when he used the restart to jump from fourth to the lead within a lap and a half.
Collin Truett led after the restart, but when Jeb Bootle moved to get underneath, Greaves slipped past both of them and into the lead. That was enough for the points leader, who drove to his fourth straight win.
Bootle would hold onto the second spot, while Truett rebounded after dropping from first to fourth to snag the final podium position.
Pro-AM SXS: Matthew Boerschinger went wire-to-wire for his second win of the season and left the rest of the Pro-AM SXS field to fight it out for the final two podium positions.
Boerschinger was untouchable out front, but it was a tight finish for the runner-up spot. Rory Navin got around Derek Liebergen on lap four and then had to hold off a hard-charging points leader, David Gay, at the finish line for his third podium of the season.
Gay returned to the podium for the sixth time this season after overcoming an eighth-place start to finish third.
Sportsman SXS: Zack Wirhanowicz waited nine rounds to win his first Sportsman SXS race of the season, but he proved on Friday that he is just getting started.
In a repeat performance of his round nine win, Wirhanowicz led from start to finish for his second win in a row. He had to hold off a hard-charging Tyler Wusterbarth, who started sixth and made a last-lap pass into the runner-up spot. Sam Brazee gave up the second spot to Wusterbarth but held on for third and his third podium of the season.
Super Stock Truck: Joe Maciosek entered the weekend needing to close the 18-point gap on points leader Nick Byng. He took a big swing and connected on Friday, bringing home the Super Stock Truck race with a near wire-to-wire win.
It marked Maciosek’s class-leading fifth win of the season, and with Byng finishing sixth, Maciosek gained nine points in the championship chase.
Cory Holtger led the opening laps and settled into the runner-up spot behind Maciosek. Holtger’s second-place run marked his sixth straight podium. Braden Beauchamp, who is second overall behind Byng, finished third after a last-lap pass on Byng for the final podium position.
Stock Truck: TJ Ewert made his season debut two weeks ago in Lena. He quickly got up to speed and turned in a winning performance in Friday’s Stock Truck race.
Ewert started seventh but moved quickly into fourth on the first full lap. He was second by lap four, and with two laps remaining, he slipped past race leader Malakai Yakel. Ewert would pull away from the pack and earn his first win of the season.
Yakel picked up his first podium finish in 2024 with a second-place finish. Round two winner Dustin Rogaczewski picked up his second podium of the year by finishing third.
1600 Light Buggy: It was wide-open racing in Friday’s 1600 Light Buggy contest. Greg Stingle was searching for his first win of the season and led at the half-way mark. But he had points leader Connor Schulz on his rear bumper when the restart occurred, and Schulz found the right line to take over the top spot.
The win would mark Schulz’s third straight victory and ninth overall this season. After getting around Stingle on the restart, Evan Hockers picked up his second straight podium. Jake Schilleman also earned his second straight podium, finishing just a few car lengths ahead of Stingle.
1600 Single Buggy: Defending class champion Michael Seefeldt entered the weekend with a one-point lead over John Fitzgerald and grabbed just a little bit of room after an exciting finish in Friday’s 1600 Single Buggy race.
From the start, Ryan Mottinger took control of the race and led the first six laps. Seefeldt seized control one lap later as he and Fitzgerald moved into the top two spots. Seefeldt and Fitzgerald dashed to the finish line and crossed one-two, separated by 2/10ths of a second.
Beau Ambros also snuck past Mottinger on lap seven and drove to his second podium of the season.
Mod Kart: Gavin Plummer was buried back in seventh off the start of Friday’s Mod Kart race, but the round nine winner got on the gas and quickly moved into contention. Plummer slipped past Carter Zahara on lap eight and never relinquished the lead as he picked up his fourth win of the season.
Points leader Avery Hemmer held a 16-point advantage over Plummer coming into Bark River and secured a second-place run on Friday. Hemmer snuck around Zahara on the final lap for the runner-up position. Zahara finished third.
Short Course Kart: Wesley Vande Voort is making a late-season surge to catch points leader Finley Holtger in the Short Course Karts class.
The round-eight winner earned his third straight podium finish by holding off Camden Paitl by 3/10ths of a second for the win. The victory allowed Vande Voort to close the gap by nine points on Holtger, who finished fifth on Friday but held a 34-point lead coming into the weekend.
Paitl, who had won two of the past three races, finished second. Brayden Bell made a last-lap pass to finish third, his first podium trip this season.
570 SXS: The competitive 570 SXS class crowned a new winner on Friday. Raymond Deininger earned his first win after leading from start to finish. It marked just his second podium of the year, both of which have come in the last four rounds.
Round seven winner Emerson Dreher slipped around Draxton Szymik with two laps remaining and then held off the round one winner for second. Szymik stretched his podium streak to three after finishing third, just one car length in front of Jack Betts.
170/200 SXS: Brixton Wirt continues to pile up wins in the 200 SXS class. Wirt earned his fifth straight win thanks to a last lap pass points leader Raymond Deininger for the lead. Deininger continued his run of excellence, finishing on the podium for the tenth time. Henry Holtger was third.
In the 170 class, Axel Dreher won his second straight contest. Jersey Kleikamp was second, followed by Drew Gerber in third.
Youth SXS: Hudson Houle used every last inch of the race to keep his winning streak alive. Houle passed Bryce Powers on the final lap and held him off at the line for his sixth straight Youth SXS win.
Powers crossed the line 3/10ths behind the race winner for second. Libby Nielsen rounded out the podium in third.
Up next for AMSOIL Championship Off-Road: Two more rounds of racing will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 10-11, at the Island Resort and Casino Off-Road Rumble in the U.P. in Bark River, Mich.
With a subscription, you can watch every round of the AMSOIL Championship Off-Road season live on www.FloRacing.com and on the series television partner Fox Sports. For more information on how you can follow along this season, click here.
