Event Preview: ERX Off-Road National 2024 in Elk River, MN
AMSOIL Championship Off-Road is about to crank it up in the thrills department with a visit to the wildly popular ERX Motor Park in Elk River, MN for the ERX Off-Road National this weekend for round 7 and 8 of the 2024 campaign. The course itself is a true spectacle, featuring the unique Talladega turn, a 180, a split lane sand section, a huge flyway, the Ziegler Catapult, and natural elevation changes, making it what drivers consider an extreme playground. If you’re looking entertainment that is sure to include the race of the season, make your way to Elk River.
More on ERX Motor Park:
ERX Motor Park is the Midwest’s premier year-round motorsports and event facility, featuring off-road and snowmobile racing, concerts, charitable events and so much more. With over 25,000 fans entering it’s gates each year, ERX is one of the world’s most unique motorsports destinations, offering a year-round playground for snowmobiles, off-road trucks, ATVs, UTVs , trucks and more. Drivers and fans come from across North America and as far away as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and South Africa. Beyond their vast entertainment offerings, ERX prides itself on giving back to the community and even hosts quarterly charitable events. For more information, visit erxmotorpark.com.
ERX sets the standard for fan experience. Enjoy open pits, full bars, bleacher seating, VIP areas, ample parking and fair ticket prices. These are just a few of the features that make ERX a true fan-friendly facility.
TRUCK STORYLINES
PRO4 Points Top-5:
- 1st: CJ Greaves #33 (240 points)
- 2nd: Johnny Greaves #22 (236 points)
- 3rd: Adrian Cenni #11 (225 points)
- 4th: Jimmy Henderson #44 (218 points)
- 5th: Andrew Carlson #15 (205 points)
CJ / RJ Meet Again
No one has ever accused a PRO4 racer of not pushing their truck to the limit and racing hard. That’s exactly what happened last season between RJ Anderson and CJ Greaves. ERX is known to produce compelling races, but no stat in the book could have predicted the drama that unfolded between the 37 and the 33. Both are proven winners in Elk River and both drivers will be lining up this weekend. Water under the bridge?
Father – Son Points Chase
The points are still all bunched up and some may say it’s too early to make clear championship predictions. However, noteworthy is the fact that just four points separate points leader CJ Greaves and father Johnny Greaves. Johnny has described himself as the most complete he has felt since his major crash in early 2023. Is this truly the best Johnny Greaves we’ve seen in recent seasons? The eye test and the results support this claim. Stay tuned to see if how he carries this momentum into Elk River.
Hometown Hero: Andrew Carlson
There are few drivers who get the Minnesota race fans as loud as Andrew Carlson does. The 31-year-old wheelman grew up racing snowmobiles, dirt bikes and later SxS’s at ERX. Not only is ERX home for the #15 Red Bull Yokohama PRO4, but AC earned his first Pro Lite and PRO4 wins at his home track. He currently leads the AMSOIL Pro SxS standings.
PRO2 Points Top-5:
- 1st: Mickey Thomas #44 (253 points)
- 2nd: Ryan Beat #51 (244 points)
- 3rd: Kyle Greaves #34 (226 points)
- 4th: Zac Zakowski #90 (207 points)
- 5th: Johnny Holtger #44 (206 points)
Points leader Mickey Thomas is fresh off of a Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run podium late last month in Crandon. Finishing 2nd, Thomas was the highest placing PRO2 put up a fight against race winner CJ Greaves (PRO4).
Speaking of top finishes, Johnny Holtger, Ronnie Anderson and Ryan Beat have all collected wins at ERX.
2023 Champion Cory Winner is entered for this weekend. For the full preliminary Pro entry list, click here.
Pro Lite Points Top-5:
- 1st: Trey Gibbs #5 (272 points)
- 2nd: Johnny Holtger (239 points)
- 3rd: Tyler Remmereid #43 (208 points)
- 4th: Carson Brown #28 (205 points)
- 5th: Carson Parrish #8 (198 points)
Trey Gibbs remains the one to beat. With four consecutive wins, he currenly has a stronghold on the standings.
Pro Spec Points Top-5:
- 1st: Nick Visser #80 (256 points)
- 2nd: Dylan Parsons #99 (240 points)
- 3rd: Chris Van Den Elzen #66 (228 points)
- 4th: Ron Kosciesza #77 (200 points)
- 5th: Diesel Shanak #3 (197 points)
Just five points out of the top-5, rookie Christopher Parrish has strung together dominant runs in the most recent rounds. Watch for the #83 Ryan Beat Motorsports truck mixing it up with the frontrunners in Elk River, where he is slated to make his first-ever visit.
SxS Storylines
AMSOIL Pro SxS Points Top-5:
- 1st: Andrew Carlson #15 (225 points)
- 2nd: Kyle Chaney #91 (207 points)
- 3rd: Owen VanEperen #5 (196 points)
- 4th: CJ Greaves #33 (194 points)
- 5th: Rodney VanEperen #45 (192 points)
Pro Stock SxS Points Top-5:
- 1st: Owen VanEperen #5 (254 points)
- 2nd: Jeb Bootle #041 (232 points)
- 3rd: CJ Greaves #33 (226 points)
- 4th: Colin Kernz #10 (218 points)
- 5th: Jake Kosmecki #94 (199 points)
Pro Buggy Storylines
Pro Buggy Points Top-5:
- 1st: Lorenzo Bonacci #33 (252 points)
- 2nd: Jordan Bernloehr #27 (227 points)
- 3rd: Billy Buth #51 (222 points)
- 4th: Mark Steinhardt #31 (206 points)
- 5th: Chaden Minder #15x (197 points)
You can tune in all season long on FloRacing. New and exciting for AMSOIL Championship Off-Road in 2024 is it’s TV partnership with FS2. For live stream information and broadcast air dates, check out this week’s watch guide.