Lucas Oil Off Road: LeDuc's streak keeps going

Several championship fights tighten up at Wild West Motorsports Park, even as the Pro 4 gap widens.

It seems like it simply wouldn't be possible, but Kyle LeDuc (ABOVE) keeps doing the impossible, and his streak of Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 4 wins keeps going.

Even on the big hills of Wild West Motorsports Park outside Reno/Sparks Nev., for the Optima Batteries Silver State Showdown Presented by LoanMart – the same track where an eight-race streak came to an end last year – he once again took home a pair of first-place trophies and a pair of Optima Batteries Fast lap awards. While the Saturday version was a runaway after he started on the outside front row, Sunday proved a bit more difficult.

Not only did LeDuc start sixth thanks to a six-position inversion, he dropped to eighth with body damage after a hectic Turn 1 at the start while Carl Renezeder took the point away from polesitter Greg Adler. LeDuc then started picking up positions until he was in third and attempting to get by Doug Fortin. But Fortin made it a bit easier on him when he rolled to a stop in Turn 1. That left only Renezeder for LeDuc to overcome.

For a while, it seemed like Renezeder might have something for LeDuc. He held on until a yellow for a slow roll by Bryce Menzies in Turn 4, and for a lap-and-a-half after. But LeDuc finally got the run he needed out of Turn 3 and up the big hill toward 4, sealing the deal on the entry to the final turn. From there all he needed to do was run away as usual in his Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford.

LeDuc's races mirrored the Saturday vs. Sunday dynamic. Round 13 races on Saturday were relatively calm, with few yellows and really only one mid-race lead change. That came at the expense of Mike Valentine in Pro Buggy. He had pulled out a decent lead, but then rolled it away in Turn 2, handing the lead to Chad George's Funco. He redeemed himself on Sunday, though, taking the lead at the start and never allowing himself to be headed.

Pro Lite on Saturday was a fairly simple affair, with Sheldon Creed taking the lead in the beginning and dominating the proceedings. Creed was driving Brad DeBerti's Ford – DeBerti was still feeling the effects of a nasty crash in Ensenada, where Creed also messed up his Pro Lite. So Creed filled in to help DeBerti with points, somewhat ironically in the same truck he had to beat to claim the Pro Lite championship in 2014, as DeBerti had acquired it from Brian Deegan at the end of the season.

Creed looked like he might cruise to a win again on Sunday. Starting third behind Ryan Beat and Brandon Arthur, Creed was at the point less than three laps in. RJ Anderson was also moving up form his seventh-place starting position. He had a great battle for second with Brandon Arthur, that Arthur never gave up on even after Anderson passed him the first time. Eventually, Anderson was solidly in second and chasing Creed, while all of a sudden Jerett Brooks (ABOVE LEFT) was also in the mix of the top-three fight. With the race interrupted by a lot of yellows, the track was drying out and that helped some drivers and hurt others. Brooks was able to come on strong toward the end.

"That last lap, we were coming into Turn 3 and I saw Sheldon slide job RJ as they were coming up the hill, and I got a really good run," Brooks explained of the events that decided the race. "In that last turn, I saw a little opening, so I drove in deep. I saw Sheldon move out RJ, and I saw the opening and I took it. Then it was a full drag race to the finish." Brooks came out on top of that drag race, followed by Creed and Anderson.

Even if the winner was the same on both days, the character of the Pro 2 races followed similar patterns to Pro 4 and Pro Lite. A miscue at the start of the Saturday contest that had Brian Deegan charging a little too hot into Turn 1 led to a full restart, which Bryce Menzies (LEFT) claimed in his Red Bull/KMC Wheels Ford and never relinquished it.

His performance was much the same on Sunday, but the race behind was often utter chaos. Eric Fitch and Myan Spacarelli came together to bring out the first caution. Deegan brought out one when he stalled while running second. But the major incident came six laps from the end when Renezeder and Jeremy McGrath were racing hard side by side, with neither giving an inch. They needed that inch coming over the last step-up on the front straight, where they made contact, and McGrath slammed hard into the k-rail on the right side of the course, sending him tumbling. The crowd was relieved to see him emerge from his upside-down tuck unscathed, but both he and Renezeder were done and a red flag was required to repair the damage to the wall and fence.

When the race resumed, Menzies continued his run toward his second victory of the weekend, followed by MacCachren. In fact, MacCachren finished second on both days, meaning Menzies hardly cut into MacCachren's P2 points lead.

The next event for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will be on Menzies and MacCachren's home turf, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The usual doubleheader on Sept. 18-19 will be Friday and Saturday night races under the lights.

RESULTS:

Round 13
Pro 4 Kyle LeDuc
Pro 2 Bryce Menzies
Pro Lite Sheldon Creed
Pro Buggy Chad George
Mod Kart Christopher Polvoorde

Round 14
Pro 4 Kyle LeDuc
Pro 2 Bryce Menzies
Pro Lite Jerett Brooks
Pro Buggy Mike Valentine
Mod Kart Trey Gibbs