Crandon, Wis. — Andrew Caddell and Rob MacCachren picked up two more wins for Mopar® and Ram Truck on Sunday, June 17, with the Traxxas TORC (The Off-Road Championship) Series during the Brush Run races at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in Wisconsin. Caddell was victorious in PRO Light, while MacCachren won the 19th Annual Chairman’s Cup Challenge, a non-points special event that pitted PRO 2 drivers again PRO 4 drivers at the conclusion of the weekend.
“Congratulations to Andrew Caddell and Rob MacCachren for winning today at Crandon,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “The beginning of the 2012 season has been another outstanding one for Mopar Ram Truck drivers. The power that the Mopar engines produce and the reliability of the Ram Truck is second to none. We look forward to returning to the track in a few weeks in Chicago to battle for more victories.”
Caddell, who lined up 10th on the grid in PRO Light in his Mopar Ram, used a strong launch on the famed “Land Rush” standing start, and was running fourth coming into the first turn on the opening lap. He charged to the outside of Keegan Kincaid to take the third spot before the first lap was completed. On the second circuit, Caddell was able to work his way past Randy Eller to move into the runner-up position. The native of Graham, Wash., inherited the lead during the mandatory competition caution on the fifth lap, after early race leader C.J. Greaves was penalized one position for jumping the initial start.
Caddell used a strong restart following the competition caution on the fifth lap to open a slight lead on Greaves, who pressured him in the late going. Caddell would pace the final four laps to earn his fourth victory at Crandon over the last two years, rebounding from a 10th-place finish on Saturday. Luke Johnson finished 12th in a Mopar-powered Ram on Sunday in PRO Light.
“We struggled yesterday, so this is some good redemption for us,” said Caddell, who is the current PRO Light point leader. “I had a strong start in my Mopar Ram and was able to turn some good, consistent laps. My team worked hard as always and it feels good to win for them, especially after a day like we had yesterday. We can’t wait to get to Chicago and see if we can pick up another couple of wins.”
MacCachren got the hole shot in the Chairman’s Cup over his fellow PRO 2 drivers, who received a 12-second starting line advantage over their PRO 4 counterparts. The Las Vegas native quickly jumped to a sizeable lead on the opening lap and would fend off several challenges from PRO 4 driver Adrian Cenni over the second half of the 10-lap contest. MacCachren would pace all 10 circuits en route to claiming the $10,000 top prize. Mike Jenkins finished third in the Chairman’s Cup in a Ram-bodied truck.
“It feels great to win the Chairman’s Cup,” said MacCachren. “Everyone at Jenkins Brothers Racing worked so hard on this truck and it really came to fruition for that race. Our Mopar-powered Ram Truck was absolutely awesome. We were just hooked up today and running strong. I’ve won the Chairman’s Cup now in both a PRO 2 and PRO 4, and that is pretty cool.”
MacCachren finished fifth in the points-paying PRO 2 main event in his Mopar Ram earlier in the day to earn his third straight top-five finish. The veteran driver was running fifth on the initial start, when a two-truck accident led to a red flag and complete restart. On the second start, MacCachren found himself in fourth, one spot behind fellow Mopar-powered Ram driver Bryce Menzies.
A second red flag would fly on the fourth lap, with MacCachren heading to the pit area to change a flat tire. He would line up ninth for the restart and worked his way back to fifth over the second half of the nine-lap contest. Menzies, the defending PRO 2 champion, was up to fifth when he suffered a mechanical problem late in the race, which ended his day in the ninth position. Mike Jenkins finished seventh in PRO 2 in a Ram-bodied truck.
In the PRO 4 main event, defending class champion and current point leader Ricky Johnson, took the lead on the standing start in his Mopar Ram. The native of El Cajon, Calif., led rival Johnny Greaves for the first four laps prior to the mandatory competition caution, which bunched the field up for the second half of the nine-lap contest. Johnson led on the restart, before Greaves slipped around him on the sixth-lap to take the top spot. Johnson retook the lead on the seventh circuit, after a spirited battle with Greaves. Mechanical problems on the final lap ended Johnson’s day while leading and also snapped his eight-race win streak dating back to last season. Mike Jenkins finished fourth in a Ram-bodied truck in PRO 4.
The main events for the PRO 2 and PRO 4 classes that were originally scheduled for Saturday, June 16, were postponed by rain and will be run on Friday, Aug. 31, when the TORC Series returns to Crandon.
The Traxxas TORC Series returns to action on Thursday, July 19, and Friday, July 20, at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., located across from Chicagoland Speedway. For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series, visit www.torcseries.com.