CORR Racing Round 7 and 8 Recap from Chula Vista 2008

Saturday Round 7 Corr Race Recap from Chula Visita

Newport Beach, CA (July 26, 2008)—Dirt flew wildly as Championship Off Road Racing made history in Chula Vista as the Pro 2, Pro Lite, and Pro 4 races were broadcast live on SPEED.  In front of over 15,000 fans, Lucas Oil/Skyjacker’s Carl Renezeder won both the Pro 2 and Pro 4 races, putting him ahead of Monster Energy’s Johnny Greaves with a total of 62 career wins, versus Greaves 60 career wins.

The Pro 2 race started the live action on SPEED as reigning Pro 2 Champion Jerry Whelchel started on the pole position and lead the entire race until the final lap.  The dogged determination of Renezeder paid off on the final lap as he was able to get inside Whelchel, coming in to turn 2.  He completed the pass, exiting the turn and held Whelchel off for the victory. 

“He wanted the inside and my nose was on the inside, I had to fight for this,” said Renezeder in his post-race interview.

Whelchel agreed it was clean racing and finished second.  “Maybe tomorrow I’ll get him back.  A little touching here and there doesn’t bother me,” said Whelchel.   Rockstar Energy/BFGoodrich’s Rob MacCachren finished in third. 

It was a fight to the finish for 2007 Driver of the Year, Robert Naughton, winning the Pro Lite race in today’s racing action.  With a 1.2 second difference between the first and fourth position at lap 6, Naughton, Menzies Motorsports’s Bryce Menzies, and Kolpin/Maxxis Tires’ Marty Hart battled it out for position.  At the mandatory caution lap, fans found Hart leading the pack with Menzies and Naughton on his tail.  In traditional CORR race grit, fans found the challenge for the lead at three-wide down the front stretch, with Naughton in the middle and Hart on the outside.  Battling into turn 1, Naughton took his first lead of the day, and held on for a victory.  Menzies finished second, with his first podium in his Pro Lite career; Papas & Beer/Tecate’s Rodrigo Ampudia pulled off a stunning pass to take third place away from Hart.  

Red Bull/Bosch Power Tool’s Steve Barlow started the excitement in the Pro 4 race as he flipped head-over-tail 2.5 times along the front straightaway, causing an immediate restart of the race.  Once restarted, Renezeder grabbed the lead on the first lap, and held it for the entire race.  Greaves fought for 14 laps to try and catch Renezeder, waiting for him to make a mistake.  Amsoil/Kumho Tires/Sycuan Casino’s Scott Douglas finished in third.  The race was not without excitement from the rest of the Pro 4 field; Bully Dog/Toyo Tires’s Josh Baldwin, U.S. Navy’s Adrian Cenni, and Racing Dirty’sJerry Daugherty all found themselves upside down at various points in the race. 

Dedicating his victory to his crew, Renezeder said, “I expect the best out of Johnny [Greaves].  I just have to go out there and do my job.  There’s a lot of good guys, and a lot of trucks; you have to expect to work harder to get a win.”

Mike Porter pulled off his first win of the season in the Pro Buggy class over Greg George and Larry Job.  The leader in the standings, Rob MacCachren finished 10^th after pulling into the pits with a flat tire, while in the lead, on the mandatory caution lap.  Menzies Motorsports’ Bryce Freeman, added another win to his collection today, winning the Single Buggy event; and grabbing his second win of the season, Chad George beat out points leader Todd Arthur and Robert VanBeekum in the UTV race.

Sunday Round 8 Corr Race Recap from Chula Visita

Newport Beach, CA (July 27, 2008)— Championship Off Road Racing broadcast live on NBC from the Chula Vista International Raceway as an excited crowd watched local favorite, Scott Douglas, grab his first win of the season in the Pro 4 race and Carl Renezeder add another win to his career in the Pro 2 event. 

However, it wasn’t easy for Amsoil/Kumho Tire/Sycuan Casino’s Douglas as Monster Energy’s number 4, Johnny Greaves lead the Pro 4 race for most of the afternoon allowing the rest of the Pro 4 field to fight it out for position.  Douglas, Fabtech/Toyota’s Rick Huseman and Lucas Oil/Skyjacker’s Renezeder fought for the first half of the race building a large lead between them and the rest of the pack.  In lap 7, Renezeder tried to pass Huseman and ended up on the k-rail, needing help to get him off.  Renezeder fell to the back of the pack and he fought his way back into the race.  Douglas and Huseman were patient and waited for Greaves to make a mistake.  On lap 15, Greaves broke a front axle and relinquished the lead to Douglas.  Douglas held on for the win, Huseman for second, and Renezeder fought his way into third place. 

Scott Douglas, who has never won a CORR Championship, said, “[Greaves] just went way wide into a berm…I got underneath him.  It was awesome.  I feel good.  I’ve always said, when [wins] come, they are going to start coming big.”

It was a fight to the finish in the Pro 2 race as Renezeder, Monster Energy/Bully Dog/Toyo Tires’ Jeremy McGrath, and reigning Pro 2 Champion Jerry Whelchel fought hard for position.  At lap 7, race fans found Renezeder in the lead with Whelchel in second and McGrath in third.  When the green flag dropped after the mandatory caution, Whelchel passed Renezeder into first place but couldn’t hold it for long with Renezeder passing again in lap 11.  Renezeder pulled away and allowed McGrath, Rockstar/Makita’s Todd LeDuc, and Rockstar/BFGoodrich’s Rob MacCachren to fight for second as Whelchel pulled back from the pack with a flat tire.  On lap 14, McGrath’s left rear tire disintegrated, ending his chances for a podium finish.  As the white flag flew, Renezeder found himself in the same position as McGrath with a shredded tire and the potential to lose the race.  Renezeder tried to nurse his car quickly around the track for the final lap with MacCachren quickly gaining ground.  Renezeder limped across the finish line, side by side with MacCachren at full speed, winning by 0.31 seconds.  LeDuc finished third place. 

Menzies Motorsports’ Bryce Menzies snatched up his first Pro win in today’s Pro Lite race.  2007 Rookie of the Year, Garit Wallace lead the pack in the beginning of the race with Papas & Beer/Tecate’s Rodrigo Ampudia and Menzies on his tail.  Ampudia would flip on Lap 9, recover, only to get stuck on a berm, trying to re-enter the race.  Menzies took advantage and pulled into second position, then passing Wallace in turn 4 on lap 10.  Menzies pulled away from the pack and finished the race 2.9 seconds in front.  Wallace finished in second and Kolpin/Maxxis Tires’ Marty Hart finished in third. 

Doug Fortin was the victor in today’s Pro Buggy race as the leader, Rob MacCachren, pulled into the pits with a flat tire at the mandatory caution lap.  MacCachren finished 6^th after coming out of the pits in 24^th position.  And it was a double podium for Menzies Motorsports in the Single Buggy class as Bryan Freeman and Brock Krahenbuhl took first and second place. 

For full results, please visit our website, www.CORRacing.com.

Championship Off Road Racing™ brings high action, four-wheel motorsports including two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive trucks to the closed course off road arena.  The 2008 Championship Off Road Racing race season includes eight events at tracks located in Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA and Las Vegas, NV.