The final race of the year in the TORC series is an epic event at the Big House, Crandon International Raceway in Crandon, Wisconsin. The “Keys to the Big House” race includes the final rounds of the TORC season, the Crandon World Championship race, and the big finale of the weekend is the Amsoil Cup race. The Amsoil Cup race pits the Pro-2 trucks against the Pro-4s in a battle for bragging rights, the prestigious Amsoil Cup, and a huge cash prize to the winner. The two-wheel-drive Pro-2s get a head start, but the four-wheel-drive Pro-4s usually overtake them in the closing laps. 

Shortly before the cup race was to begin, the rain started to fall. Every year at Crandon, the weather becomes a huge variable. It can rain in buckets, turning the track into a quagmire, or it can barely sprinkle, which helps keep the track from drying out. Only minutes before they would take to the track for the Cup race, lightning threatened to postpone it. With an eye on the weather radar, the call was made to line them up. CJ Greaves, who locked down both the Pro-4 and Pro-2 championships earlier in the event (the first time ever done by a driver in the TORC series), chose to race his Pro-4 truck in the cup race. Second place in the Pro-2 championship, Keegan Kincaid, was driving the #47 Traxxas Pro-4 of Mike Jenkins over the weekend, and since he was running very fast in it he chose to drive the Pro-4 truck also. With the rain, the Pro-4’s would have an even greater advantage.

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Much is always made about any West Coast racers who travel east to compete in Crandon. West Coast racer Kyle LeDuc has an incredible streak going, winning 12 straight Pro-4 races in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. He won the Crandon World Championship race on Saturday, so everyone was ready for an East Coast/West Coast battle between LeDuc and the fastest Pro-4 racers from the East this weekend, CJ Greaves and Keegan Kincaid. That battle never materialized. LeDuc was the last truck off the line and soon pulled into the hot pits early in the race – he was not a factor. The race came down to the Pro-4s chasing down the Pro-2s. It was Keegan Kincaid who shot out to another holeshot lead as the Pro-4s took the green flag. Kincaid was already in the midst of the two-wheel-drives by lap three.

The rain had become steady and the track was slick. Despite some incredible truck handling by Pro-2 leader Marty Hart, he was soon swallowed up by the Pro-4s. It looked like Keegan Kincaid would run away with it, but he lost front drive after several laps. As he slowed, it allowed CJ to take the lead, who was followed by Chad Hord in his new CAT Pro-4. In the closing laps, smoke started to come from the back of CJ’s truck and Hord closed in on his bumper. The pair battled nose to tail ‘til the end, with CJ holding onto the win followed by Hord and Jeff Kincaid, who took the last spot on the podium in his Pro-2.

CJ Greaves made TORC history with two class championships in a single season, and now he has his name etched into the Amsoil Cup. He also got a beautiful Henry rifle for being the “Top Gun” and a check from Amsoil for $46,000. He will have a hard time next season trying to top all that.