May 21, 2010 – Drivers and crews braved tough conditions here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway as qualifying got underway for Round 5 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. With a strong breeze blowing and the temperature rising, drivers took to the track in their bid for pole, and many of the “usual suspects,” along with a few lesser-known names, came out near the top of each class. Here’s how the action broke down.
Pro 2 Unlimited
First out onto the track was Pro 2 Unlimited, and it was Mike Johnson in the #31 Swaghouse.com/Ironclad Ford who topped the timesheets at the end of lap one with a 1:19.447. The times quickly started dropping, with Carl Renezeder taking over at the top with a 1:17.204 on lap two in his #17 Lucas Oil/Team Associated Ford, just before Rob MacCachren ran a 1:15.990 in his #21 Rockstar/MasterCraft Safety Ford on lap three. Renezeder re-took the top spot on lap four with 1:14.200, and held it through lap five with a 1:13.484. MacCachren, however, was not to be denied, as he jumped back to the top with a 1:12.026 on lap six, before setting the pole-winning time of 1:11.558 on his seventh and final lap. Renezeder had to settle for second this time, setting a 1:11.972 on lap seven. Ricky Johnson took third in the #48 Red Bull/Kumho Tires Ford with a 1:12.781, followed by Todd LeDuc in the #8 Rockstar/Makita Ford with a 1:13.227. Rounding out the top five was Rob Naughton in the #54 Stronghold Motorsports/Maxxis Tires Ford, who ran a best lap of 1:13.439.
Pro 4 Unlimited
After taking second in the Pro 2 Unlimited category, Carl Renezeder was ready to go one better in the Pro 4 Unlimiteds. Adrian Cenni was the first to set a top time, running a 1:13.321 on the opening lap in his Atrium/BFGoodrich Tires Chevrolet. Then came Renezeder’s time, as he took over at the top in the #1 General Tires/Lucas Oil Ford. Renezeder’s lap two was a 1:11.461, good enough for first thus far. He then bettered the top time four laps in a row, eventually taking the pole with a 1:08.621 on lap six. Nobody could match Renezeder today; in fact, Renezeder’s best lap was more than a full second better than anyone else’s. Second place went to Jeremy McGrath, who is running new colors in a new class (for him). McGrath ran a 1:09.654 in the #15 Stronghold Motorsports Toyota, just ahead of third place Johnny Greaves in the #16 Monster Energy Toyota, who ran a 1:09.686. Fourth went to Rick Huseman, who set a 1:10.034 in his #36 Monster Energy/Traxxas Toyota. Fifth went to Steve Barlow in the #83 Ford, who ran a 1:10.113.
Pro Lite Unlimited
Keeping the action rolling right along, the boys of Pro Lite Unlimited came out on track next. This session was all about Brian Deegan, who was the only driver to top the time sheets. Deegan opened with a 1:19.705 in his #38 Rockstar/Metal Mulisha Ford, then dropped his time in each of the next five laps, ultimately taking the pole with a 1:17.819. Second went to Jacob Person in the #92 Geiser Bros Ford, whose best lap was a 1:18.335, while third went to Marty Hart in the #15 Stronghold Motorsports/Kolpin Ford, with a best lap of 1:18.425. Fourth place went to local Las Vegas driver Adam Wik, who did a 1:18.571 in his #11 Wik’s Racing Engines Chevrolet. Rounding out the top five was Matt Loiodice, whose best lap in the #20 MasterCraft Safety/Competitive Metals Ford was a 1:19.486.
Super Lite
Just as Carl Renezeder took second in one qualifying session before going one better in the next, Jacob Person did the same in the Pro Lite Unlimited and Super Lite qualifiers today. Chad George was up front early in the #42 Monster Energy/Goodyear truck, setting a 1:22.934 on lap one. Person took over at the top on lap three with a 1:20.459 in his #92 machine, then set the pole-winning time of 1:18.547 on lap six. George came close but couldn’t quite catch Person, finishing second with a 1:18.971. Third went to young Colton Greaves in the #33 Traxxas/BFGoodrich Tires truck, who ran a 1:20.020. Just one thousandth of a second slower was Dawson Kirchner in the #16 Speed Technologies truck, who took fourth with a 1:20.021, while fifth went to Jeremy Stenberg in the #88 Rockstar machine, who ran a 1:21.595.
Pro Buggy Unlimited
Jerry Whelchel was the man to beat in the Pro Buggy Unlimiteds, setting the top time early with a 1:21.098 in the #901 Foddrill. He re-set top time with a 1:19.502 on lap two, before being bested by Steven Greinke in the #923 on lap three, who ran a 1:17.195. Cody Freeman then briefly snagged the top spot on lap four with a 1:16.591 in his #994 FCS Flooring/Wik’s Racing Engines buggy. Whelchel, however, was still on a charge, and re-took the top spot on lap five with a 1:15.974, then set a 1:15.865 on lap six, and finally took the pole by nearly one second on lap seven with a 1:15.598. Second went to Mike Porter in the #900 Redline Performance/Goodyear Tires AlumiCraft, whose best time was a1:16.519. Third was Justin Davis in the #985 Green Army buggy, with a best lap of 1:16.520, just one thousandth of a second off Porter’s best time. Freeman’s earlier time was good enough for fourth, while rounding out the top five was Greinke with a 1:16.697.
Limited Buggy
A huge swarm of Limited Buggies came out on track next, 24 of them in all, and it was Kyle Quinn who was quickest of all on the opening lap. Quinn ran a 1:20.387 in his Wilson Motorsports/Bugpack buggy, which held as the top time until lap three. On lap three, John Fitzgerald took over the top spot with a 1:19.452 in his #314 Hart and Huntington/Geico Powersports buggy, just before setting the pole on lap four with a 1:18.393. Justin Smith finished runner-up with a 1:18.799 in his #319 Menzies Motorsports/Bully Dog buggy, ahead of Quinn, who took third with a 1:19.014. Fourth went to Curt Geer in the #392 Green Army buggy, whose best lap was a 1:19.625, while fifth went to the #382 of LJ Kennedy, whose best lap was a 1:19.813.
UTV
The final qualifying session of the day was that of the UTVs, and again it was a combined session featuring the Unlimited UTVs and the SR1s. Austin Kimbrell set the pole right out of the box with a 1:19.176 in his #607 Monster Energy/UTVUnderground.com Kawasaki. Second went to Chad George in the #642 Monster Energy/Funco Kawasaki, with a best lap of 1:19.751. Third overall and first of the SR1s was Greg Frantz in the #877 Yamaha, whose best lap was a 1:19.812. Fourth went to the #844 Ivy Tanking and Grading Yamaha of Tyler Herzog, whose best lap was a 1:19.939. Rounding out the top five was Corry Weller in the #801 Tilted Kilt/Magnaflow Exhaust Yamaha, who set a 1:20.282 on lap five.
Be sure to join us this weekend here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Rounds 5 and 6, and stay updated on lucasoiloffroad.com.
Written by Scott Neth for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.
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