It was a wild finish to the regular season of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series in Chandler, Arizona. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park hosted the finale round of racing, Round 15, this past weekend, with some of the class championships coming down to the wire in this final round. A day after the regular season championships were decided, racers would wage war in the Cup Races, where big payouts would await racers as a grand finale on the season - literally the make it or break it final race of the year.

Before the Cup Races, however, the season-long championships had to be decided. After struggling to start off the season, defending Pro 4 Champion Kyle LeDuc went on a tear in the second half of the season to close the gap on class leader Carl Renezeder. The results from Round 15 would ultimately decide the class champ. LeDuc needed to essentially win the race, or hope the Renezeder had mechanical issues, and things got off to a tenuous start for LeDuc after Renezder led at the halfway point and earned an additional point for doing so. LeDuc needed to pass him for the win, and that’s exactly what he did to cross the finish line. Although LeDuc won the race, he and Reenzeder were actually tied on points. The tie breaker came down to the number of race wins, and with LeDuc securing his eighth victory compared to Renezeder’s two, he successfully defended his title and earned his third Pro 4 class victory.

In the Pro 2 class there was far less drama, as Rob MacCachren had already secured the title in the class prior to the final round. The Round 15 winner was actually a first-time winner in class, as RJ Anderson took the lead and pretty much never looked back. Although Anderson is no stranger to the top of the podium, this was actually his first Pro 2 victory. He finished ahead of MacCachren and Renezeder, who finished in second and third, respectively.

The Pro Lite class was nearly wrapped up as well by the final race. Jerett Brooks had a consistent season in the stacked class, and he really needed only to start the race to wrap up the title. In the end, Brandon Arthur, who was in the hunt for the championship right up until the end, earned the win at Wild Horse Motorsports Park. Brooks finished the race in second place, while Ronnie Anderson rounded out the podium in third place.

The Pro Buggy class was much like Pro 4 in that the season champion  would be determined at this final race of the year. In fact, there were six drivers who could win the title in the wide-open class. When the checkered flag waved on the final lap, Darren Hardesty Jr. earned the victory on the day ahead of Garrett George. Since Hardesty Jr. also led the race at the halfway point, and earned an additional point for doing so, this put the two racers in a tie for points. Again, Lucas Oil officials would have to break the tie to determine the Pro Buggy Champion, and in the end it was Hardesty Jr.’s four wins on the season compared to George’s two that broke the tie.

The end off the 2016 season with a bang, the Cup races were on tap the next day. The Pro Lite class battled for this one final race of the season, with eyes on the grand prize: $10,000! Brooks was able to put an exclamation point on his championship season with a win, and earn $10,000 in the process. Brock Heger finished the race with a solid second place, which earned him $5,000, while third place went to Ryan Beat who took home and extra $2,500.

 
The big race of the day, however, is the Pro 2 vs. Pro 4 race, where the 2WD vehicles actually get a 15-second head start on the 4WD trucks to even the score, as only two 2WD trucks have won the race in the last seven tries. When the dust settled, LeDuc walked away with the victory to give the Pro 4s another notch in the belt. His wallet was certainly heavier as well thanks to the $30,000 first-place check. Second place went to Anderson, who earned $15,000 for the win and also an additional $1,000 for being the first finisher in Pro 2. Supercross legend Jeremy McGrath earned third place at the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup race, and he took home an additional $7,500 for his efforts.

MORE: 2016 Lucas Oil Finale Photos

That’s a wrap on the 2016 season. We’ll expect to see dates before too long for the 2017 season, but now the racers will head home to rest, work on their rigs, and build their race cars to wage war on tracks next year. To stay up to date on the series, head over to LucasOilOffRoad.com.

Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Results
Pro Lite Cup
1. Jerett Brooks - $10,000
2. Brock Heger - $5,000
3. Ryan Beat - $2,500

Pro 2 vs. Pro 4 Cup
1. Kyle LeDuc - $30,000
2. RJ Anderson - $15,000
3. Jeremy McGrath - $7,500

Pro Buggy Cup
TBA - Pending

Round 15 Results
Pro 2
1. RJ Anderson
2. Rob MacCachren
3. Carl Renezeder

Pro 4
1. Kyle LeDuc
2. Carl Renezeder
3. Rob MacCachren

Pro Lite
1. Brandon Arthur
2. Jerett Brooks
3. Ronnie Anderson

Pro Buggy
1. Darren Hardesty
2. Eliott Watson
3. Kevin McCullough