The final regular-season race of the 2011 Lucas Oil short-course off-road racing season was filled with highs, lows and tons of door-to-door action. Coming into this final race of the season, a number of point battles were so tight that this final race would decide the champion. It also provided some on-course drama at the end of the day.

In Pro 4, Kyle LeDuc worked his way into the lead and stayed out in front. He earned the victory ahead of Carl Renezeder, but it was Renezeder who earned the championship in the class after finishing on the podium at nearly every race this year.

“Yeah, I was definitely trying to watch my Ps and Qs on this track because it’s so tacky and the ruts are so treacherous out there,” Renezeder said. I wanted to be ready for the second half so I got in a good position where I wanted to be, and then Kyle was running really strong and I don’t think I was going to catch him today.

Lucas Oil Round 15 Photo Highlights

“But I just have to really say that this team was amazing this year. Out of 15 races 14 podiums and I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. The only time we were off the podium was a fourth. And that just shows the tenacity of this team and how hard they work and how good the sponsors are that support it.

Josh Merrell, who earned his first podium last month in Las Vegas, finished in third to earn his second podium of the year in Pro 4.

In Pro Lite, the battle for the championship was down to Chris Brandt and Brian Deegan, and whoever won the race would earn the title. In the end, Deegan was able to handle the pressure of moment and earn the victoy. Kyle LeDuc finished in second place, while Brandt battled ‘til the end and rounded out the podium in third place.

“I just want to say honestly thanks to Chris Brandt for being such a good competitor all season,” Deegan said, stopping is speech to shake his hand  He made it fun the whole season, and he made me lose some sleep definitely at night.”

The Super Lite class featured some great battles with the leaders changing throughout the course of the race. When all was said and done, Austin Kimbrell earned the victory ahead of Kyle Lucas and RJ Anderson.

“It was amazing to finally get this off my back. It sucks that it was the last race of the season,” Kimbrell said, noting that he plans to move to the Pro Lite class in 2012.

Although he didn’t finish on the podium, Chad George earned his first Super Lite championship today.

The Pro 2 Unlimited race concluded the competition for the day, and it was full of carnage, chaos and great racing. A number of accidents and restarts occurred before the checkered flag could wave, and a few black flag penalties were even handed – the most notable to Brian Deegan. There were a number of other accidents and restarts (even penalties), but none had more of an impact on the day and the season championship.

During one of the restarts, Deegan, in the midst of a battle with Rob MacCachren for the class championship, pushed into the side of MacCachren in a tight right-hand turn and rolled him. Deegan didn’t go into great detail explaining the incident, but members of his team said his foot slipped off the brake pedal entering the turn and he inadvertently went into the side of MacCachren’s truck, forcing him to crawl his truck around the track in the hopes he could just finish the race.

Deegan clearly was upset about the incident on the podium, which is where he was since he finished in third place despite his black flag penalty forcing him to the back of the pack. After the interview, he reluctantly returned to the podium to talk about his championship win.

“You know what, I guess we’ll let the results speak for themselves,” a somewhat dejected Deegan said after race. “It’s all good. Rob, I’m sorry, we’ll race another time and I’m sure you’ll get me another time. It’s all good.”

It was unfortunate for Greg Adler that all of this drama occurred, as it somewhat overshadowed his impressive driving that earned him his first win in Pro 2. Jeff Geiser also has a first in the class, earning his first podium in the class at the final race of the season. 

With the regular season complete after today’s round 15 race, this paves the way for tomorrow’s Lucas Oil Challenge Cup. This all-out final race of the year has nothing to do with points – just big purses for the podium finisher. In some of the races two classes are combined into one, making for a crowded racetrack sure to offer plenty of excitement. Below are the purse payout for tomorrow’s race:

Pro 4 / Pro 2
1st - $30,000
2nd - $15,000
3rd - $7,500

Pro Lite / Pro Buggy
1st - $20,000
2nd - $10,000
3rd - $5,000

Super Lite
1st – $10,000
2nd - $6,000
3rd - $4,000

Limited Buggy
1st - $4,000
2nd - $2,000
3rd - $1,000

Check back tomorrow for more on the final weekend of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. For other Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series story, see below:

Lucas Oil Round 14 from Las Vegas

Round 13: Jeremy McGrath Earns First Pro 2 Win