Big Money and Championships Decided at Lucas Oil Off-Road Final Weekend
Heading into the final weekend of racing at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, a great number of things were still underdetermined regarding the 2014 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series season. Since the race from Las Vegas was shortened by weather, this final weekend would not only feature the last regular season Round 15 race and the big-money Lucas Oil Cup races but also a makeup race from Vegas. This meant a full weekend of racing for Southern California race fans, and an extremely long one for racers and pit crews.
After a near-perfect start to the season highlighted with nine wins in 10 races, Kyle LeDuc’s slight stumble toward the end of the season was erased in Lake Elsinore. After missing the podium in the previous three races, LeDuc wrapped up the class championship in Elsinore to hold off Rob MacCachren in the point standings.
Brian Deegan celebrated another Lucas Oil championship in 2014. His consistent racing through the season – where he finished on the podium at every race – was rewarded with a championship in the stacked Pro 2 class. He nearly earned the title in the Pro Lite class as well.
Speaking of the Pro Lite class, Sheldon Creed was able to fend off Deegan for the season championship for 2014, in spite of Deegan trimming the point deficit to single digits. In the Pro Buggy class, Chad George wrapped up the championship over the weekend and took home the title in his rookie season in the class.
Closing out the 2014 season with a bang were the big-money Lucas Oil Cup races. The Pro Lite race saw late-season charger Jerett Brooks putting an exclamation point on the end of his season, as he took an extra $10,000 for his win in the Pro Lite Cup race and pushed his win total to four our of four in the final races. In Pro Buggy, Chad George followed up his class championship with a win in the cup race that earned him an additional $10,000.
In the Pro 2 vs. Pro 4, the Pro 4 ruled the roost and kept the two-wheel-drive trucks off the podium. LeDuc capped his impressive season with a win at the cup race and took home $30,000 for his efforts. Eric Barron rebounded from a tough weekend to finish in the second-place position to earn the $15,000 prize, while Ricky Johnson, who drove his final race for the Menzies Motorsports team and is still uncertain of his return to the track for 2015, held off Johnny Greaves late in the race to earn third place and $7,500.
With the 2014 season in the books, it’s time for the race teams to rest up, repair their battered vehicles (especially after the cup races), and look forward to the 2015 short-course season. For more information on the 2015 Lucas Oil Off-Road season, visit LucasOilOffRoad.com.
Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Results
Pro 2/Pro 4 Cup Race
1. Kyle LeDuc (Pro 4) - $30,000
2. Eric Barron (Pro 4) - $15,000
3. Rick Johnson (Pro 4) - $7,500
Pro Buggy Cup Race
1. Chad George - $10,000
2. Sterling Cling - $5,000
3. Eric Fitch - $2,500
Pro Lite Cup
1. Jerett Brooks - $10,000
2. Gavin Harlien - $5,000
3. Sheldon Creed - $2,500
Round 15 Results
Pro 2
1. Carl Renezeder
2. Rob MacCachren
3. Brian Deegan
Pro 4
1. Kyle LeDuc
2. Brian Deegan
3. Rob MacCachren
Pro Light
1. Jerrett Brooks
2. Brian Deegan
3. RJ Anderson
Pro Buggy
1. Dave Mason Jr.
2. Chad George
3. Garrett George