Event Facts
After four rounds over two successful weekends in Wisconsin to start the season, AMSOIL Championship Off-Road presented by the US Air Force heads west to Minnesota for Rounds 5 & 6.
After holding its inaugural off-road race in 2016, ERX Motor Park in Elk River became an immediate favorite for fans and racers alike. Its technical sections and unique dirt make for great racing every season in every class.
ERX has proven to be one of the most competitive courses in off-road racing. Unlike many other tracks, no one driver can be declared the “best driver” at ERX Motor Park in most classes.
ERX is much more than an off-road track. Its multi-purpose facility hosts many events all year long, including a stop in the winter for Champ Off-Road’s sister series AMSOIL Championship Snocross. It has also hosted Red Bull Snow Boundaries, Nitro Rallycross, Terracross, X Games Snow Bike Qualifiers, concerts, beer festivals, and more.
Pro Truck
Jimmy Henderson finally captured his first career PRO4 win in Round 3 at Crandon and quickly earned win #2 in Round 4. Henderson made his PRO4 debut in 2019 here at ERX and found himself on the podium here last season.
Despite a winless weekend at Crandon, CJ Greaves retained the PRO4 points lead over a tight battle with 2nd through 5th only separated by nine points. Greaves is the all-time wins leader in PRO4 at ERX, claiming victory 10 times at the Minnesota track including a win last season.
One of the other winners last season was Johnny Greaves. Johnny is expected to return from injured reserve this weekend. This will be the first race since his crash the day prior to Round 1 in Antigo.
Other Pro Truck hot shoes that you can expect to see line up at the high banks of Elk River include Elk River’s Andrew Carlson (PRO4, Pro Turbo SxS, Pro Stock SxS), RJ Anderson (PRO4) and Ronnie Anderson (PRO2 and Pro Turbo SxS)
After a tumultuous 2022 season, Ryan Beat has proven to be the class of the US Air Force PRO2 field so far in 2023. The Chevy driver sports a 17 point lead and has two wins in the first four rounds. The first PRO2 win of Beat’s career came at ERX back in August of 2020.
The ERX weekend in 2022 was one to forget for Mickey Thomas, who was unable to finish on the podium despite having speed at every other stop last season. Thomas comes into the weekend 2nd in points and was a winner at ERX in 2021.
Round 4 of PRO LITE action saw a convincing win for Trey Gibbs and a flat tire for defending champion Kyle Greaves, leaving Greaves with a slim four-point lead over Gibbs in the standings. Greaves has won races at ERX in each of the last three seasons, while Gibbs is winless at the facility.
Chad Rayford has taken the PRO SPEC class by storm in 2023, winning each of the last three rounds. Rayford has had success at ERX Motor Park in the past, winning the 2017 PRO LITE season finale at the technical Minnesota track.
Pro Buggy
Rounds 3 and 4 at Crandon saw a huge shakeup in the Pro Buggy points, highlighted by Billy Buth taking over the points lead in the class. Buth recorded finishes of 2nd and 4th at ERX last season in his first Pro Buggy season.
Another beneficiary of a wild Pro Buggy weekend at Crandon was longtime off-road veteran Larry Job. Job picked up the win in Round 4 and propelled himself to 2nd in points, just four markers back of Buth. Job also landed on the podium at ERX last season.
Pro SxS
Pro Stock SxS rookie Tyson Marquardt has demonstrated impressive consistency early in the season and has a pair of podiums as well as the points lead to show for it. Marquardt’s last podium finishes at ERX came back in 2020 in the 1600 Light Buggy division.
Despite not finishing on the podium in AMSOIL Pro Turbo SxS at Crandon, CJ Greaves kept his Polaris in the Top 5 to maintain his points lead. Greaves suffered mechanical failures in both Pro Turbo races at ERX last season and hasn’t won in the class at ERX since 2020.
Owen VanEperen has found Pro Stock SxS victory lane twice in the first four races of the season and sits second in points as a result, just five points back of Tyson Marquardt. VanEperen finished 3rd in both of the Pro Stock SxS races at ERX a season ago.
Kyle Chaney had a strong weekend at Crandon, collecting a win and a runner-up finish to move into 2nd in AMSOIL Pro Turbo SxS points. The veteran Can-Am driver’s last Pro Turbo win at ERX came all the way back in 2019, a drought he certainly hopes to end this weekend.
You can watch live all season long on the FloRacing network and at a later date on the CBS Sports Network (please check your local listings). For more information on how can follow along with the racing action in Crandon, click here. For event information, click here.
About AMSOIL Championship Off-Road presented by the U.S. Air Force: Comprised of the best of the best competition and crown jewel venues, AMSOIL Championship Off-Road presented by the US Air Force is short course racing at its best. AMSOIL Championship Off-Road presented by the US Air Force and AMSOIL Championship Snocross are owned and operated by the International Series of Champions (ISOC) out of Albertville, Minn. For more information on its events and schedules, go to www.champoffroad.com.
