Rescheduled Brush Run Showcases Points Battles on Saturday

Crandon, Wis. ~ Off-road racing is made for days like this. After weather cut short practice on Friday, teams geared up for a full day of racing that trickled into the night sky. Crandon International Raceway went into its bag of tricks as well, rigging up its short-course to run under the lights in front of the grandstand.

All of this on a rescheduled weekend, as Championship Off Road managed more rain, muddy conditions and an old-school day of racing that had championship implications in every class.

LeDuc From the Back in Battle Royale

Nineteen points separated Kyle LeDuc and CJ Greaves heading into Saturday night. Add in a tinder box of rain, a short track lined with mud berms and Saturday became as important of a Pro 4 race as there has been in recent history.

LeDuc opted to start at the back of the field for the 16-lap feature, a possible play to stay out of early trouble. But the track conditions, mixed with championship adrenaline made staying clean an improbability.

Out front, Andrew Carlson held point off the start, holding Johnny and CJ Greaves for the first four laps. But the mud berms became a tactical advantage for the follower, and Carlson was one of the first to venture wide, allowing Johnny Greaves to get past and into the lead, a spot he would hold for the next ten laps.

By lap six, LeDuc had moved into third, and kept pushing the race leaders. He got past a slowing CJ Greaves on lap nine, and set his sights on the Johnny Greaves. With three laps to go, LeDuc made his way around the front man and powered through the rain and mud to his fifth win of the year.

Great racing was paramount throughout the field, and none more so than the eventual battle for second between Carlson and Jimmy Henderson. The two swapped positions several times throughout the last half of the race, letting the final podium positions come to them. In the end, Carlson held off Henderson by .384 of a second at the line.

CJ Greaves was able to salvage a sixth place finish, keeping the points title within reach.

Thomas Cleans Up In Pro 2

A tight points race met a tight track in Pro 2, but it was the young gun Mickey Thomas who shined under the bright lights on Saturday night.

When the conditions make for poor visibility and a slick racing surface, it’s best to get out front and don’t look back. Thomas used that formula to perfection on Saturday night. He grabbed the first hole shot and then rocketed off the line on the restart to harness his second Pro 2 win of the season.

Keegan Kincaid and Kyle Kleiman have played Tug-o-War with the points lead all season long, with Kincaid coming into his hometown track with a seven-point edge over Kleiman. But the short-track is a great equalizer, and Kleiman took the edge.

While Kincaid shuffled to the back of the pack early on, before moving into fourth, Kleiman sat in second, with pressure coming all race long from Ryan Beat. Kleiman was able to hold off Beat, despite the two dicing on every turn. The runner-up finish helped Kleiman narrow the gap down to two points, setting up a winner take-all final on Sunday.

Szymik Wins Muddy Pro Lite

Kyle Greaves has been in control of the Pro Lite championship since day one. Winner of five races so far, Greaves came in with a 16-point lead and the opportunity to seize complete control heading into Sunday.

But rain causes havoc on off-road tracks and Greaves positive outlook came to a quick stop as the points leader had to pull off on the first lap. That left the door open for John Holtger and Jason Plouff to move up and take control of the points lead.

Holtger had the first shot, grabbing the lead on the restart before another yellow flag situation caused the trucks to bunch back up. That gave Zach Szymik and he capitalized, grabbing the hole shot and staying out front in clean air for his first win of the year.

Holtger did storm back after slipping down to sixth on the restart to finish second, just ahead of a veteran Chad Rayford. For the points lead, Greaves still holds the top spot despite the setback on Saturday, but Holtger cut deep into that lead, sitting just seven points out heading into the finale.

Greaves Holds Off VanEperen at the Line

After wrapping up the Pro Stock SXS championship, CJ Greaves was looking to tighten the bow on the Pro Mod SXS title. With the rain subsiding, and Greaves on the pole, he looked to be in control of the race and the title for much of the race.

But racing on a muddy, slick track, having and keeping traction are a roller coaster. Just ten points behind in the standings, Rodney VanEperen (Yamaha) utilized an early race restart to find his footing and never left the rear bumper of Greaves. The two diced through the muck all the way do the last turn, where VanEperen entered with a half-car lead. But Greaves held the inside line, causing VanEperen to go high and reopening the door for Greaves to pick up his fourth win of the year.

LeDuc Wins Pro Stock SXS

Greaves Becomes First Official Series Champion of 2020

Todd LeDuc came to Crandon prepared to play spotter in the pro truck classes, but he was also prepared to strap into a Pro Stock SXS for the in the 97 of Jack LeTourneau, who was unable to race this weekend.

LeDuc started on the pole, and with the rain coming down in sheets under the lights of Crandon’s short-course, LeDuc led the talented field around eight laps on his way to the win.

Meanwhile, Greaves had to work his way around traffic through limited visibility to finish second and gather up another pro championship. Greaves (Yamaha) held a large lead coming into Saturday and placed two spots ahead of Jason Luburgh (Polaris), locking up the title in the process. John Holtger pushed through the field, full of mud and smoke billowing out of the 44 to finish third.

Pro Buggy

Michael Hester did exactly what needed to be done on his quest to clinch the 2020 Pro Buggy title, win round nine. Hester notched win four with a wire-to-wire effort. The successful run helped his championship ambitions by stretching his lead from six to an estimated 14 over Mark Steinhardt (fourth place finish). Mike Kirkham held off Ryan Schwalbe for second.

Super Stock Truck

Only 24 points separated the top five in the season-long battle for Super Stock Truck supremacy. Leading the charge heading into Saturday’s was the 844 of Ben Holtger, who had a four point lead over Joe Maciosek. But Saturday belonged to Nick Byng, who ran a flawless race in the rain for win number two this season. Nick Visser continued to charge late in the race to keep Byng honest before finishing second. Points leader Ben Holtger rounded out the podium in third. The top four in points are now separated by only eleven points.

SXS 170

Carson Greco nabbed his fifth win of the season after taking the lead on lap four of the 170 SXS race. Collin Paitl finished second with Madisyn Winistorfer crossing the stripe in third.

1600 Light Buggy

Connor Schulz led wire-to-wire for his second Light Buggy win of the year, crossing the finish line just ahead of his brother Colin and Sean Springstroh. The battle for the overall points race continued to intensify between Tyson Marquardt and Billy Buth. Points leader Marquardt finished sixth, one spot behind Buth, cutting the Maarquardt’s lead down to only four points.

Sportsman SXS

Dylan Marquardt might be leading the Sportsman SXS points battle, but it was Tyson Marquardt’s race on Saturday. After the rain made its way through the area prior to the start of the race, the 28 car field worked its way through the ten laps with Marquardt leading from start-to-finish. Trevor Bushmaker settled into the second position behind Marquardt, a spot that allowed him to turn a three point deficit to Dylan Marquardt (fifth) into a three point (unofficial) advantage heading into Sunday. RJ Lego finished just behind Bushmaker for third.

Stock Truck

Diesel Shanak kept pressing for the lead and it paid off with two laps to go as the Waupaca, Wis. native powered to his second Stock Truck win of the season, ahead of Travis Peterson. Points leader Collin Wichman worked his way back into third, and enters the final race of the year with a 17-point lead over Shanak.

1600 Single Buggy

Past champion Tony Keepers dusted off the #352 for a weekend run at Crandon, his first weekend of racing in 2020. He took the lead on lap five and powered to the win ahead of early race leader Jake Nelson. Billy Buth came across the line in third, extending his points lead over John Fitzgerald (5th) to 16 points.

Mod Karts

Sam Marquardt held a 24-point lead heading into Saturday’s Mod Kart race, but Easton Sleaper stole the show. Sleaper held point from start to finish, picking up his third win of the year and closed the gap to just eight points heading into Sunday. Antonio Inglese pushed Sleaper all the way to the end, finishing just ahead of Porter Inglese. Marquardt was running fourth before pulling off the racetrack, finishing eighth.

Short Course Karts

Ava Lawrence needed a good start and some help to catch points leader Andy Johnson, who entered Saturday with 22-point lead. Lawrence got the start she needed on the way to her first win in 2020. Johnson had to work his way from the back of the pack to finish 10th. The points differential heading into Sunday’s finale now sits at just two points (unofficial).

Classix

Dale Chestnut made it three-in-a-row to hold on to a narrow points lead in Classic. Chestnut was able to take the lead on lap four and held on for the win over Aaron Konitzer.

Formula 4×4

Danny Beauchamp was looking for his ninth straight win this season in Formula 4×4, but Randy Schaitel made a mid-race pass on the points leader stick, giving Schaitel his first win in 2020. Schaitel moved into second overall with the win, behind Beauchamp and ahead of Codie Sommers, who was unable to finish on Saturday.

There is still one full day of racing at Crandon International Raceway as all classes will officially crown their champions for the 2020 Championship Off Road season. The full day of racing will start with opening ceremonies at 9:00 AM ET.