JOLIET, Ill., (Sept. 15, 2011) – Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, premier PRO 4×4 class rivals Ricky Johnson (Red Bull/KMC Wheels/Mopar/Ram) and Johnny Greaves (Monster Energy/Toyota/Maxxis) hooked up in yet another amazing battle of short course off-road supremacy, torqueing every last ounce of power out of their fire-breathing Baja-style trucks in a door-to-door race that came right down to the final turn and mad dash for the finish line.

Who won? Weren’t you watching LIVE on SPEED? Certainly an entire new wave of motorsports fans that planned or happened on the 9-11 p.m. (EST) program were won over by epic Johnson/Greaves battle, not to mention some super racing in both the PRO 2 and PRO Light classes as well.

TORC PRO 4

The top two rungs on the TORC Series podium couldn’t go to two more deserving guys than Johnson (1st) and Greaves (2nd) on Thursday night at Chicagoland Speedway/Route 66 Raceway. TORC’s Year of Greaves versus Johnson, the blazing fast Midwestern veteran against the Californian first year PRO 4 racer with race resume that stretches from Ensenada to Cabo … American versus Japanese brand heritage … Monster Energy versus Red Bull … easily the best rivalry off-road racing’s got going, if not all of motorsports.

“Yeah, that was one of those close RJ/Johnny Greaves battles … fun to be part of,” said Greaves from the podium. Added Johnson: “Thanks, Johnny – we both raced like champions tonight.”

With the two night sweep of TORC/Chicago, Johnson cut Greaves’ PRO 4 class overall lead down to just four points, 238-234, with just one round/two races remaining (San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 15-16).

Taking the early TORC PRO 4 main lead away from Mark Jenkins (Traxxas/BFG/AMSOIL), Greaves – with Johnson in hot pursuit – would separate from the rest of the field. Taking the early TORC PRO 4 main lead away from Mark Jenkins (Traxxas/BFG/AMSOIL), Greaves – with Johnson in hot pursuit – would separate from the rest of the field. Scott Douglas (AMSOIL/BFG/MasterCraft Safety) and Adrian Cenni (Atrium Payroll/4 Wheel Parts), along with Mike Jenkins (Traxxas/BFG/AMSOIL) would battle for the third and final podium spot leading into the competition yellow.

On the last lap Johnson would grab the lead on the massive first turn, 80-mph sweeper – holding off multiple pass attempts by Greaves. Douglas would then beat Steve Barlow (Maxxis/Ebay Motors/Metal Mulisha) to the tape by a nanosecond for 3rd. Cenni would be awarded the coveted Oakley Bomb Award for the fastest PRO 4 spin around Chicagoland/Route 66’s dirt oval.

PRO 4 results

1st – Ricky Johnson 2nd – Johnny Greaves 3rd – Scott Douglas 4th – Steve Barlow 5th – Adrian Cenni 6th – Milan Mazanec 7th – Mike Jenkins 8th – Mark Jenkins

TORC PRO 2

About the only way to slow down TORC PRO 2 points leader Bryce Menzies (Red Bull/Mopar/Ram) has been to enact the aid of mechanical gremlins. The Las Vegan has been flat out sending it on the TORC Series tracks and last night was no different as Menzies won the Oakley Bomb Award (as he did on Thursday as well) – only to have a sheared-off drive shaft put an end to his podium run.

On Thursday at Chicagoland Menzies, based on his 6th place finish on Wednesday, would be handed the pole position – and he took full advantage of it, leading the race from green flag to checkers without much answer from the other great drivers in his class.

“We’ve been running up front, but had some problems on Wednesday,” said Menzies. “We knew we were coming out on the pole, ended up leading it wire-to-wire.”

On the opening turn of the opening lap Wednesday’s TORC PRO 2 2nd place finisher, Marty Hart (Monster Energy/Maxxis/Toyota), spun his truck and went from a podium spot early to the very back of the pack. This left the door open for Wednesday winner Jeff Kincaid (Ford/BFG) to move into 2nd place behind Menzies early in the contest.

By the second lap Menzies and Kincaid began to separate, with the highlight of the race’s first half being Chad Hord (BOSS Snowplows/Nissan/AMSOIL) tracking down and passing NASCAR racer Brendan Gaughan (South Point/Walker Evans) at the finish line – right as the competition yellow flew.

On the restart Menzies took off, which left Hord chasing down Kincaid for what turned out to be a photo finish at the line – won by Kincaid. Gaughan would hold off Hart for 5th in another exciting charge to the checkers for the SPEED Channel viewers at home.

Menzies would increase his overall points lead to 43 (243-200) over 2nd place Hord.

PRO 2 results

1st – Bryce Menzies 2nd – Jeff Kincaid 3rd – Chad Hord 4th – Brendan Gaughan 5th – Marty Hart 6th – Scott Taylor 7th – Keith Steele 8th – Mike Oberg 9th – Rob MacCachren 10th – Scott Taylor

TORC PRO Light

Seventeen-year old RJ Anderson (Walker Evans/Ram) made it two TORC PRO Light class wins in a row at Chicagoland Speedway/Route 66 Raceway’s dirt oval as the southern California native outlasted and early pursuit by Andrew Caddell (Traxxas/Mopar/AMSOIL/BFG), who crashed out, and late race charges from both CJ Greaves (Traxxas/Monster Energy/Maxxis) and Keegan Kincaid (Traxxas/BFG).

With numerous lead changes early in the race, Caddell, Anderson, Luke Johnson (Red Bull/Mopar/Ram) and CJ Greaves – in that order – separated themselves from the field in a four-man train. And while the fans had one eye glued to the front runners, there was definitely a lot of looking back for the No. 7 Red Bull/Oakley/Traxxas truck of motocrosser James Stewart, who was doing his best to dice with the likes of Brad Lovell (AMSOIL/BFG/Torchmate) and Ross Hoek (Royal Purple/BFG/All Star Performance), and ultimately finished in a solid 6th place.

Just one lap after the competition restart Caddell was nowhere to be found. Anderson inherited the lead, with Johnson, CJ Greaves and Keegan Kincaid in pursuit. Several laps later Johnson was on the sidelines, smoldering, and pro drifter Samuel Hubinette (Traxxas/Mopar/AMSOIL/BFG) joined the fray up front. The, around four laps into the PRO Light main comp restart, CJ Greaves caught and passed Anderson, then Anderson quickly took back the top spot. The two would battle side-by-side until the lap before the white flag – when CJ Greaves cut a corner too close, clipped a giant tractor tire and rolled his truck.

At the white flag Anderson, Keegan Kincaid and Hubinette were all spaced out evenly – about eight truck lengths apart. They’d finish on the podium that way with Todd Cunningham (C&C Racefab/Mickey Thompson Tires/Vinyl Shop) and Randy Eller (Maxxis/PSC Steering/AMSOIL by Rooster) rounding out the top five in 4th and 5th, respectively, and CJ Greaves awarded the Traxxas Maxx Lap for the fastest PRO Light lap on Thursday.

PRO Light results

1st – RJ Anderson 2nd – Keegan Kincaid 3rd – Samuel Hubinette 4th – Todd Cunnigham 5th – Randy Eller 6th – James Stewart 7th – Ross Hoek 8th – Casey Currie 9th – CJ Greaves 10th – Eric Ruppel 11th – Shawn Morris 12th – Mark Oberg 13th – Andy Zipperer 14th – Brett Ellenson 15th – Luke Johnson 16th – Andrew Caddell 17th – Brad Lovell 18th- Mitch Dorr

Unofficial TORC season overall points

PRO 4

1 22 GREAVES JOHNNY TOYOTA/MAXXIS 238 4 2 48 JOHNSON RICKY RAM/BFG 234 2 3 7 DOUGLAS SCOTT FORD/BFG 204 1 4 83 BARLOW STEVE FORD/MAXXIS 179 0 5 25 JENKINS MARK FORD/BFG 178 0 6 11 CENNI ADRIAN FORD/MAXXIS 160 4 6 47 JENKINS MIKE FORD/BFG 160 0 8 69 MAZANEC MILAN 100 0 9 32 DREWS AL FORD/BFG 38 0 10 99 LEDUC KYLE FORD/TOYO 34 0 11 4 LEDUC TODD FORD/TOYO 23 0 11 43 LEDUC CURT FORD/TOYO 12 0 13 6 GUNDERSON CASE 12

PRO 2

1 7 MENZIES BRYCE RAM/BFG 243 4 2 9 HORD CHAD NISSAN MOTORSPORTS/BFG 200 3 3 4 KINCAID JEFF FORD/BFG 199 2 4 21 MACCACHREN ROB RAM/BFG 192 2 5 80 OBERG MIKE CHEVY/BFG 164 0 6 15 HART MARTY TOYOTA/MAXXIS 162 0 7 8 TAYLOR SCOTT FORD/BFG 160 0 8 77 VANDEN HEUVEL MIKEY CHEVY/MAXXIS 134 0 9 29 STEELE KEITH CHEVY/KUMHO 60 0 10 32 GAUGHN BRENDONFORD/BFG 38 0 11 10 ADLER GREG FORD/BFG 28 0 12 33 WOERNER DOW CHEVY/BFG 26 0 13 30 PIERCE ROBBY FORD/BFG 18

PRO Light

1 43 CADDELL ANDREW RAM/BFG 238 5 2 37 ANDERSON RJ RAM/GOODYEAR 164 0 3 77 HUBINETTE SAM RAM/BFG 161 1 4 1 CURRIE CASEY NISSAN MTRSPT/GNRL 160 0 5 44 LOVELL BRAD NISSAN MTRSPT/BFG 151 0 6 11 ELLER RANDY FORD/MAXXIS 138 0 7 5 CUNNINGHAM TODD CHEVY/MCK TMP 132 0 8 27 MORRIS SHAWN CHEVY/MAXXIS 121 0 9 33 GREAVES CJ TOYOTA/MAXXIS 120 2 10 14 JOHNSON LUKE RAM/BFG 110 0 11 21 HOEK ROSS FORD/BFG 71 0 12 73 RUPPEL ERIC FORD/BFG 68 0 13 76 ZIPPERER ANDY FORD/BFG 66 0 14 7 KINCAID KEEGAN FORD/BFG 64 1 15 38 DEEGAN BRIAN FORD/BFG 63 2 16 17 DORR MITCH FORD/GDYR 59 0 17 4 ELLENSON/JANUSZBRETT/JASONTOYOTA/TOYO 55 0 18 8 PORTER MIKE FORD/BFG 37 0 19 30 OBERG MARK 27 0 20 7s STEWART JAMES 17 0 21 18 BAKER MICHAEL FORD 7

TORC Chicagoland race photo by Mike Roth

About TORC

The Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet! TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging as drivers push the limits over whoops and jump-filled natural terrain race tracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience the most challenging form of high-octane competition. And once they taste TORC for the first time they’re hooked for life!

By Pat Schutte

[Show as slideshow]

Watch the TORC Series Round 11 and the Exhibition Round in Chicago live here on RDC.

The live show should start around 5pm local time (3pm PST).

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

How do you reveal Travis Pastrana’s new 2011 X Games rally car livery?  You tap the kings of viral video production, to spoof his boss Ken Block! Mad Media is the crew behind many of Blocks most viewed videos, including the Gymkhana series, and the wildly successful reveal of his 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC rally car. With that reveal clip in mind, Mad Media shot Travis and his new ride on location at Red Gum Creative Campus, and crafted the ultimate spoof video. The shoot called for casting three lovely “senior” ladies to poke fun at Ken’s “Monster Girls”. Block threw down the gauntlet last year when he teased Travis about racing NASCAR. In response Travis has now vowed to beat Ken at this years X Games. STAY TUNED! X Games rally is about to get HEATED!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Probably the most versatile racecar driver in the world, Robby Gordon is always racing. Whether it’s stock-car racing, open-wheel, or where he got his start in off-road, Gordon is always behind the wheel of some sort of automobile, ready to take on whoever will line up against him.

On May 21-22, at the Glen Helen round of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Robby Gordon will be returning to his roots in short-course off-road racing, taking part in the premier Pro 2 Unlimited class.

“Robby’s from Southern California originally, and having him – a famous off-road and NASCAR racer – out on the track will only bring more fans and more competition to an already popular and competitive series,” says Tony Vanillo of the Lucas Oil Off road Racing Series. “We’re really excited to see how he fares out there against the best of the best in modern short-course racing.”

Gordon himself looks at this as a chance to get back to his roots.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK J. REBILAS

“Short-course racing is a lot of fun,” says Gordon. “They’re sprint races, so they aren’t long, and I don’t want to say there’s a lot of beating and banging because I don’t want to beat up my truck, but there is a lot of tight, wheel-to-wheel racing out there. It’s a good show.”

“Too much business, not enough fun lately,” Gordon says, “But since we weren’t in the All-Star Race [in NASCAR that weekend], and with the television package the Lucas Oil OffRoad Racing Series provides, we figured it was a good opportunity to promote our product, Speed Energy, on our truck.”

If you’re in or near Southern California, don’t miss this opportunity to see Gordon take on the rest of the top drivers in Pro 2.

About the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series:
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is the evolution of the long standing support of short course racing by Forrest Lucas and Lucas Oil Products. Steeped in the Midwest tradition of short course off road racing infused with a West Coast influence, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing brings intense four wheel door to door action to challenging, fan friendly tracks. Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: This is Short Course. For more information please visit www.LucasOilOffRoad.com

Winner of 3 of last 4 K&N Pro Series West races

Greg Pursley is on a roll. He has won three of the past four races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, dating back to last season.

He hopes to keep his momentum rolling when the series visits All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., for the Toyota/NAPA AutoCare 150 presented by A-All Mini Storage on Saturday, April 16.

Pursley knows scoring a win on the tight short .333-mile track will be a tough challenge. To do so, he will need to beat Eric Holmes and the Bill McAnally Racing teams on their home turf. BMR has won five of the six series events since Roseville returned to the series schedule in 2008, with Holmes taking three of those wins.

While Pursley has run with the race leaders in each of his four previous starts at Roseville, his best finish there was third in 2009.

“Nearly every time we’ve gone to Roseville – we’ve run okay, but not really good,” said the driver of the No. 26 Gene Price Motorsports Ford. “We’ve always been there near the finish, but have not finished well because of a crash or something. My goal this time is to come out of Roseville with a good top-five finish.”

To better their odds, his team has put extra focus on their short track effort this season, according to Pursley.

“We’re hoping our short track program will be better this year,” he said. “We have a new composite body car for the short tracks and we’re excited about that. I’m looking for a good finish at Roseville this time.”

Pursley is coming off a win in the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway in February. He had closed out the 2010 season with a victory at the one-mile track at Phoenix and two races before that had a win on the road course at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Maintaining that momentum, however, will be a challenge, he said.

“It’s really going to be hard on the short tracks,” said the veteran driver who lives in Parker, Ariz., where the team is based. “Our team is on a roll right now and we’re optimistic about being able to do that at Roseville. It’s just that we’ve got so many good short track drivers in our series right now. But it would be great to keep it on a roll.”

Pursley credits champion crew chief Jerry Pitts, who joined the team at the beginning of last season, with helping to pull everything together and putting them in position to challenge for the title.
“We’ve been together a little over a year now and our team has really gelled together,” Pursley said. “I’m really excited about this year. I’m really looking forward to running for the championship this year.”

RACE-DAY SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST

Race Notes: Toyota/NAPA AutoCare 150
Smith wants to extend streaks: A top 10 finish at Roseville would allow Moses Smith to extend a couple of streaks. He has finished in the top 10 in all six series events he has competed in at All American Speedway and could make it seven-for-seven. The series veteran from Tempe, Ariz., is also looking to add to his string of four consecutive top 10 finishes, dating back to last year. After closing out his 2010 effort with finishes of fourth, eighth and 10th – Smith started this season with an eighth-place finish at Phoenix in the No. 16 HASA Pool Products/NAPA FIlters Toyota.

Holmes looks to rebound: Eric Holmes came away from the season opener 14th in the championship standings and will be looking to make up ground in the championship hunt at Roseville, where he has three wins. His season started off in similar fashion a year ago, when he was 20th in the standings after one race. Holmes rebounded to take the lead in points after the fifth race and go on to win his third series championship. He piloted the No. 20 NAPA Toyota to 10 straight top 10 finishes, including five wins, during the 2010 season.

Knorr named crew chief on No. 20: Duane Knorr has been named as the crew chief for the Bill McAnally Racing’s No. 20 NAPA Toyota driven by Eric Holmes. Knorr, a veteran crew chief at BMR who is in his 14th year with the organization, has called the shots the past two seasons as the crew chief of the No. 12 Toyota that was driven by Paulie Harraka. Knorr replaces Matt Goslant, who left the team following the season opener at Phoenix.

Kwasniewski To Be West’s First 15-Year-Old
Dylan Kwasniewski is slated to make his series debut at Roseville, becoming the first 15-year-old to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

Kwasniewski of Las Vegas will be competing as part of a two-car effort with Gene Price Motorsports, teaming with veteran driver Greg Pursley.

Kwasniewski’s racing resume includes competition in go-karts, Bandolero Bandits, Legend cars, a regional truck series, modifieds and late models. While The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is his home track, Kwasniewski has also raced at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.); Havasu 95 Speedway near Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; and Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe, Calif.
NASCAR announced last month it had lowered the minimum age for drivers competing in its regional touring series to 15. The change applies to drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

Chase Elliott, 15-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, finished fourth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener in Greenville, N.C., on April 2.

Busy Weekend On Tap At All American
The Toyota/NAPA AutoCare 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race is part of a big weekend at All American Speedway, with plenty of entertainment on and off the track.

As usual at Roseville, there will be a midway full of activities. It will include live music, vendors, exhibits and a custom car show by the Roamin’ Angels.

Racing will get underway on Friday, April 15, with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models competing in the A-All Mini Storage Bonus Challenge 100 presented by Pick-n-Pull. In addition to the Toyota/NAPA AutoCare 150 on Saturday, April 16 – there will be a SRL Spears Southwest Tour Series event, World’s Champion Hand Cleaner Products 140 presented by AmeriPride Uniform Services.

Final Notes From Phoenix
Career mark for Gomez: Jonathon Gomez took second in the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway on Feb. 24 to match his career-best series finish.

First pole for Newberry: Brennan Newberry scored his first career series pole at Phoenix in only his fourth regular season series start.

Thorn debuts with third: Making his regular season series debut, Derek Thorn came away with a third-place finish at Phoenix.

Last Year’s Event
Paulie Harraka edged Jonathon Gomez in a two-lap dash to the finish to win last year’s spring race at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif.

The two young drivers went wheel-to-wheel on several occasions during the race, before Harraka eventually prevailed in the No. 12 NAPA Gold Filters Toyota.

Harraka started from the pole, while Gomez started on the outside of the front row. They swapped the lead of the race four times, with Harraka leading 125 of the 160 laps. He won by a margin of .569 seconds. Gomez crossed the finish line in second, but was later penalized to last place. Josh Combs was credited with second in his first start championship series race Grape King/Sunrise Ford/Lucas Oil Ford. Gary Lewis also had great results in his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race – coming away with a third-place finish in the SEFNCO Communications/Montana Raceway Park Chevrolet. David Mayhew recovered from two incidents to finish fourth in the MMI Services/Ron’s Rear Ends/KHI Chevrolet. Luis Martinez Jr took fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Greg Pursley, Travis Milburn, Moses Smith, Blake Koch and Todd Souza.

Eric Holmes, who was shooting for a third straight win in the Roseville event, suffered a broken axle and finished 17 laps off the pace in 21st position.

Up Next: Miller Motorsports Park
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West heads to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah for an event on April 30.

It will mark the fifth annual visit by the series to the massive road course. Unlike previous years when the series competed on the 3.048-mile outer course, however, this season drivers will tackle the 2.2-mile layout at MMP.

The four series visits to Tooele have produced four different winners. Patrick Long, meanwhile, is the only driver with multiple poles in series action at MMP. He won the pole there the past two years.

ADD: Take all of the above talent … make sure that they’re in the middle of another hot points chase, put them on the fastest, most-competitive half-mile oval in the West and then throw in one of Southern California’s favorite 4th of July fireworks shows … And you have the K&N Pro Series Series at Toyota Speedway and Event Center on Saturday, July 2nd.

And, bets of all … Tickets are available right now at: www.irwindalespeedwayatirwindale.com

Charlotte, NC (February 22, 2011) – When the green flag dropped on the 53rd running of the “Great American Race,” Robby Gordon and the No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger started in the 30th position. After only nine laps, Gordon had advanced to 9th place with his eye on the leaders. Gordon radioed to the crew, “The car is running good by itself and in the draft. Today is going to be a good day for our team and SPEED Energy.”

On lap 22, the No. 29 of Kevin Harvick blew an engine causing Jeff Gordon to get into the left rear quarter panel of the SPEED Energy race car. Pitting on lap 24, the SPEED Energy crew got to work on the car pushing the bumper bar up and the quarter panel out to repair the damage. Gordon would bring the car back in for more service on lap 25, taking right side tires and fuel. The No. 7 restarted the race in the 41st position.

On lap 29, the yellow flag was waved for the fourth time after a chain reaction wreck that would collect nearly half the field. It was a big break for the No. 7 team; Gordon pitted for left side tires and to continue working on the damaged bumper bar.

By lap 73, the Daytona 500 had already seen 26 lead changes. Making his way to the front, Robby Gordon found himself fighting for the No. 1 position. On lap 96, the No. 7 car got a push from Trevor Bayne and took the lead. After pushing back to the front on lap 105 with the help of Bayne, Gordon goes on to lead what becomes a total of seven laps of the 2011 Daytona 500. When the caution came out on lap 108, Gordon would bring the field into the pits. Taking only right side tires and fuel, the No. 7 pit crew serviced the car and got their driver off pit road first. As the green flag drops on lap 109, Gordon was in front of the field with the throttle hammered down.

With the new track surface, having a dancing partner to draft with was a key factor in Sunday’s race. For the next 60 laps the caution flag would fly five more times for a record breaking total of 16 cautions in the scheduled 500-mile event.

In the final thirty-five laps of the race Gordon would find himself consistently fighting for a spot in the top ten. When the sixteenth and final caution came out, the No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge would get pushed by the No. 34 car driven by David Gilliland. Gordon was able to save it, but got shuffled back to the 15th position. Finishing the day under a green/white/checkered, Gordon went on to record a 16th place finish in the 2011 Daytona 500.

“Daytona was a very exciting race this year. We had a very fast Dodge Charger, and the Penske power was awesome. I was really bummed that we spun our dancing partner, Brad Keselowski, because the two of us were very fast together,” commented Robby Gordon. “We knew that we needed to be there at the end to have a shot at the win. With two laps remaining, I felt that since we ran in the top 10 for most of the day that we would easily finish there, but it is Daytona and anything can happen. Unfortunately, we got moved out of line with only one to go. I honestly have no idea how I saved that one, but did and went on to finish 16th. It was a good finish for our team, but we could have easily finished better had we not got moved out of line. The team did a great job, and I’m really looking forward to Phoenix this weekend.”

RALLY vs. NASCAR – Ken Block vs. A.J. Allmendinger

Webisode #1

Directed by The Martelli Brothers

Produced by Mad Media

The Pro Division of the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, combined their off-road racing show with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the IZOD Indy Series for a dream weekend for any speed freak.

It all started, courtesy of Kumho Tires and a couple of Vipers from Dodge on the Route 66 Raceway Dragstrip in Joliet, IL. Scott Douglas, Casey Currie, Todd & Kyle LeDuc, Mike Oberg, Dan Vanden Heuvel and more tested their straight line skills in bracket style racing down to the final 4 fastest racers. Mike Oberg had fastest time until Todd LeDuc smoked a time of almost 12 seconds flat. The Dodge rep on hand for support & some ribbing said he’s seen mid 11’s as the fastest time in the Dodge Vipers and these guys were fast. He was also shocked more when his run times were beat, more than once. Dan Vanden Heuvel and Steve Barlow were the other 2 fastest drivers, but all were eliminated by Todd LeDuc, who collected a custom “engraved” Kumho Tire for his trophy room. Look out Leah !

2010 TORC Joilet, IL, Todd LeDuc

A short break leading to opening introductions for the PRO 2WD and PRO 4×4 racers with guest racer, NASCAR’s Kyle Busch. He was to pilot the # 18 PRO 2WD M&M’s Traxxas truck both nights, then race the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series across the street at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday night.

The Sportsman Super Buggy class was invited as an exhibition race and where up first. Pretty much a smooth race on both nights, as CJ Greaves got to the front of the pack, he checked out and was gone. Johnny, his father and one of the best off-road racers in the sport, gave pointers over the radio when needed and he bested 2nd place, Scott Schwalbe, both nights. 3rd place finishers, John Frana on Wednesday and Steve Krieman on Thursday completed the podium.

The PRO Lights started off with a bang on the 1st lap when Marty Hart’s Stronghold Maxxis truck flew off the jump nose heavy and flipped his truck close to 15 ft in the air and rotated 3 more times before landing on its side. Marty was ok and his win streak came to an end. After the track crew touched up the jump, a full re-start followed. Andrew Caddell took the holeshot and went all the way to the checkers with Casey Currie in 2nd. The final 4 laps provided the best action as Ross Hoek and Chad Rayford traded paint, dented bumpers and cracked some fiberglass side panels together in a duel for the last podium spot. Coming to the checkered flag, Chad forced his way by Ross and claimed his first podium in PRO Light.

On Thursday night, Casey Currie passed early race leader, Randy Eller, and had a commanding lead all the way to another 1st place finish. Andrew Caddell was tagged by another racer early on and worked his way back only to do door to door battle with Ross Hoek, who was looking for redemption from Wednesday’s race. The fight lasted until final lap when Ross’s truck left the inside open as the Traxxas # 43 of Caddell moved by for the 2nd spot. With Hart finishing in the back of the pack again, Currie now leads the PRO Light class points heading into the final weekend of racing in Crandon, WI.

#18 M&M / Traxxas truck of Kyle Busch

Further back in the field, a paint trading session lasted ½ the race between Scott Taylor and Dan Vanden Heuvel. Each having plenty of broken body panels, Vanden Heuvel got the worse of it with the front right side suspension destroyed and parked for rest of night.

Thursday’s race was a little better for Kyle Busch, who made it half way before a different rear suspension issue sidelined him again. Even with the poor finishes, Kyle remarked his strong interest in racing again and especially at the famous Crandon Raceway, but with some reserve for going 100 mph or more through turn 1 without destroying the truck. “That’s just insane how fast they can do that with all the other trucks around them. It goes against some rules of racing or driving. A racer should be doing some lifting of the throttle. Some don’t lift at all. Without more seat time, I’d lift a lot”.

Johnson ran away from the field and Chad Hord made hard work and patience pay off when he raced his way to 2nd place finish. It was the best of the season and his 2nd podium. He’s been close before, finishing 4th in four other rounds. Rob dropped to 2nd place in the standing when his set up was a tick off and came in 3rd at the finish line. The Red Bull #48 added more hardware to his collection with the Oakley Bomb award and Bosch Power Move Award.

PRO 4×4 points leader, Rick Huseman, started in 7th place and raced his way through traffic as Johnny Greaves and Scott Douglas started to pull away from the rest of the field. While they fought for lead, Huseman got into 3rd waiting for them to make a mistake. At the ½ way yellow flag, Greaves had a right rear tire going flat and pulled in the pits. That gave the lead to Rick. When Greaves returned to the course, he was given a black flag ( for not taking entire lap when returning onto the course ), even though he was at the back of the field. This dropped him to 6th place at the end of round 9. Douglas couldn’t get by Rick and make it stick as they switched spots a couple of times. He settled for 2nd with Kumho Tire teammate, Steve Barlow, taking 3rd.

2010 TORC Joilet, IL

After 2 days of racing on the off-road short course, Kyle Busch, was teamed up with Traxxas for his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race across the road at Chicagoland Speedway. Having 2nd fastest time in practice and qualifying 4th, Kyle was calm and comfortable knowing his truck was ready to win again. Back in the garage area, he chatted with Mike & Mark Jenkins and Andrew Caddell up to the call of drivers introductions.

Once the green flag dropped the 3 main players were Kyle, Todd Bodine and Ron Hornaday Jr. As kyle took over the lead from Todd, he ran the train session around the speedway in front. Except for green flag pit stops, Busch was in top 3 all night. A last minute caution put the team and Traxxas on edge of the seats as most of the top 10 came in the pits for fresh tires and fuel to fight for the win. Busch returned to the track in 6th place and didn’t flinch. After 2 laps, he was up front again and led last 10 laps to grab his 4th win in a row.

IZOD Indy Series

The next event of the Traxxas TORC Series is in Crandon, WI this Labor Day weekend. Robby Gordon will be returning for 2nd year in a row and will compete all weekend.

[Show as slideshow]

JOLIET, Ill. — NASCAR Star Kyle Busch took to the track at Route 66 Raceway for the first time earlier today prior to Wednesday night’s Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL. After his PRO 2WD session, he spoke to the assembled media.

You were exciting out there.

Kyle Busch: thank you. I hope it’s more exciting being smooth than I was out of control. It’ll get better. Just with the short amount of time you get on the track kinda makes it tough, but it’s fun, man. It’s really cool. I’m having a good time, that’s what I’m here for.

How do you adjust to the jumps?

KB: It’s fun. I enjoy going out there and going out to the sand dunes and messing around and jumping some stuff out there. Anytime you can put a big heavy vehicle up in the air like that, it’s always cool. For myself, running the Traxxas TORC Series PRO 2s, it’s fun. I’m getting some experience and kinda getting (my) feet wet at it.

What was the best advice you’ve been given so far?

KB: I would say the biggest piece of advice would be to always just try to keep it straight. Once you get out of control, you gotta figure out how to get it straightened back up. It gets pretty ugly in a hurry, so it’s always best to try to keep the throttle on sometimes, but, you know, for me, it’s getting used to everything and trying to keep going fast.

What was the process that led to you racing in the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL?

KB: I’ve always wanted to give this a try and see what it’s all about. Robby Gordon’s talked about it, Jimmie Johnson’s talked about it…but I’ve never had the opportunity to do it. I thought it would be cool to get out there and get my feet wet with it. It’s been fun. I’ve been to Crandon (Wis.) and got some experience there, just driving in the truck getting used to it and then here. I’m doing OK. There’s a lot of time for me to pick up, so hopefully I can get a little bit better. All in all, it’s pretty fun.

What experience that you have best prepared you for this?

KB: I think the sand dunes and racing dirt track stuff is probably the best preparation. Running in this stuff here, it’s always difficult to know what to expect over the next jump, you know, because you’ve got to set up right first. Then you’ve got to just keeping going through it.

Did the first time on the track give you some problems?

KB: My guys were telling me I needed to run high and kinda through the middle of the high lane and I did that and I was like ‘This ain’t right! This is wrong.’ So I went lower and ran the bottom and it was way better so I’ll be doing that for qualifying for sure, just trying to stay a little bit lower, keep the truck out of the heavy mud. It just gets so rough up there and so choppy that it’s like driving a boat through the ocean instead of driving one on the lake.

You ran within .1 seconds of PRO 2 points leader Rob MacCachren at Crandon. What did that do for your confidence?

KB: It was pretty good. I was actually faster than Rob (when he was driving) in his own truck, but he got in mine and went a tenth faster in my truck, so I was a little disappointed. It felt good over all, just to get the experience and to just kinda get going and feel it out for the first time. To be right there with Rob MacCachren out of the gate is really really cool. Today is going to be tough. It’s not going to be easy. (Ricky) Johnson’s always fast; another Johnson I’ve gotta put up with (laughs), but there you go. MacCachren, I know he’ll be good and a couple others. I’m just looking to have a good time and get some good exposure for Traxxas. To have them onboard of my (NASCAR) truck for Friday night’s race is pretty cool, too.

What’s been your biggest surprise with these trucks?

KB: I guess just how fluid they are. You can really get in trouble fast, but you can kinda recover pretty decent. I’m sure if I get too brave or too ballsy, it’ll be ugly fast. Still, right now where I’m at, I’m just trying to get out there and now work on lap times. Now that I’ve got a feel for the track, it’s about dissecting it and getting better.

What has it been like physically for you?

KB: Crandon was actually pretty simple. It was fun and it was fast, but it was easy. Not easy, but it was easier than this place for sure. Getting out there, you never have time to  catch up, you know, your breath, your truck, anything, so you’re always on the go and trying to get ready for the next jump and setting up for the next corner.

Were you breathing hard when you got out of the truck?

KB: I was breathing a little bit, yeah. You kinda hold your breath sometimes when you go over the jumps. You’re wanting to make sure you’re hitting the jumps right and you’re not sure if you did or not. These trucks always seem to kind of pull out of it OK.

——————————————————
For ticket information for this week’s TORC Series races, visit TORCSeries.com or Route66Raceway.com. Fans can also watch all the action online Wednesday and Thursday at TORCSeries.com and this fall on Discovery’s HD Theater. “The Off Road Championship” kicks off Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. and its 26 episodes will give viewers a never-before-seen look at what the TORC Series is all about.

For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, visit them on the Web at TORCSeries.com. For information on the United States Auto Club, visit USACRacing.com. Both sites will also feature live free streaming of all the events on the TORC Series schedule courtesy of GoPro cameras and eBay Motors.

Race fans can follow all the action throughout the TORC Series season on its official Twitter sites at Twitter.com/TORCMedia and its official page on Facebook.
-TORC-
About TORC

The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet. TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging as drivers push the limits over whoop and jump filled natural terrain racetracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience this most challenging form of high-octane competition and once they taste TORC for the first time they’ll be hooked for life.

About USAC

USAC is the sanctioning body of TORC. The United States Auto Club (USAC) adds a superior level of professionalism to the series. USAC will play a major role in series operations just as it does in the K&N Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, Mopar Midget Nationals, Ford Focus, and 1/4 Midget series. Each year TORC champions will be recognized for their achievements at the prestigious USAC banquet.

About Traxxas

Traxxas, “The Fastest Name in Radio Control”, has honored TORC as Title Sponsor through 2011. “The Traxxas TORC Series” or “The Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series”. Broadcasts of the six-round TORC series will be broadcast on national television starting in September.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Traxxas, the leading manufacturer of hobby-class radio-controlled (R/C) vehicles, will sponsor Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) and its No. 18 Toyota Tundra in three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races – Aug. 27 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Oct. 30 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and the Nov. 19 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway – with driver-owner Kyle Busch behind the wheel for each event.

The sponsor is a perfect fit for Busch, as the 25-year-old Las Vegas-native has been an R/C car enthusiast nearly all his life.

“It’s incredibly cool for me to have Traxxas as a sponsor of the No. 18 KBM Toyota at Chicagoland, Talladega and Homestead,” said Busch, who has 19 career victories in the Camping World Truck Series, including last week’s O’Reilly 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. “I worked at a hobby store in Las Vegas when I was a teenager and remember selling a lot of Traxxas vehicles and equipment. I’ve used the vehicles throughout my life because R/C cars have always been a huge passion of mine. Traxxas’ reputation is second-to-none, and it’s an honor for me to have them as a partner with Kyle Busch Motorsports.”

Traxxas, known as the “fastest name in radio control®,” is located in Plano, Texas, and creates, designs and manufactures hobby-class R/C cars, trucks and boats in both nitro and electric categories. All aspects of the business are performed in-house, from the original pencil sketches to the finished product on the shelf.

The company pioneered Ready-To-Race® models that are fully assembled and ready to drive within minutes of opening the box. In addition, all Traxxas vehicles operate and handle like full-size racing vehicles with similar adjustability and are the fastest R/C vehicles available, with speeds as high as 70 mph.

Augmenting Traxxas’ sponsorship of Busch in the Camping World Truck Series event at Chicagoland will be Busch’s participation in the Aug. 25 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL race at the half-mile dirt oval at Route 66 Raceway. Located on the grounds of Chicagoland Speedway behind the facility’s 1.5-mile oval, the short oval will be transformed into an undulating and twisting dirt course, and it’s there where Busch will pilot a different kind of truck when he makes his Pro 2WD off-road racing debut.

“I’ve always wanted to try out one of the Traxxas TORC Series trucks, so being able to race one at Chicago is going to be a lot of fun,” Busch said. “Racing an off-road truck has been on my list of vehicles I wanted to try out before my racing career was over, so I have to thank Traxxas for giving me a chance to race one of these short-course trucks for the first time. It’s the perfect way to help kick off the new partnership with Traxxas and KBM.”

“We’ve found a perfect fit in Kyle Busch to represent Traxxas,” said Mike Jenkins, president of Traxxas and driver of the No. 47 Traxxas Pro 4WD TORC Series Truck. “His passion for motorsports and drive to win fit our creed as the ‘fastest name in radio control.’ Kyle shows us how a love for the fun and excitement of racing R/C cars can help nurture and feed a motorsports passion that can grow into a lifelong racing career. He still enjoys the competition of radio control to this day. Kyle will bring a tremendous amount of recognition to the R/C hobby in general and, specifically, the benchmark performance that we have established in the top-selling line of Traxxas products. We are proud to have Kyle as a new member of the Traxxas family.”

While Busch is not running the full Camping World Truck Series schedule, KBM’s No. 18 Toyota is competing for the owner’s title. It is second in the standings, 68 points behind the first-place No. 30 truck of Germain Racing with nine races remaining in the 2010 season.

For ticket information for this week’s TORC Series races, visit TORCSeries.com or Route66Raceway.com. Fans can also watch all the action online Wednesday and Thursday at TORCSeries.com and this fall on Discovery’s HD Theater. “The Off Road Championship” kicks off Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. and its 26 episodes will give viewers a never-before-seen look at what the TORC Series is all about.

For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, visit them on the Web at TORCSeries.com. For information on the United States Auto Club, visit USACRacing.com. Both sites will also feature live free streaming of all the events on the TORC Series schedule courtesy of GoPro cameras and eBay Motors.

Race fans can follow all the action throughout the TORC Series season on its official Twitter sites at Twitter.com/TORCMedia and its official page on Facebook.

-TORC-

About TORC

The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet. TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging as drivers push the limits over whoop and jump filled natural terrain racetracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience this most challenging form of high-octane competition and once they taste TORC for the first time they’ll be hooked for life.

About USAC

USAC is the sanctioning body of TORC. The United States Auto Club (USAC) adds a superior level of professionalism to the series. USAC will play a major role in series operations just as it does in the K&N Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, Mopar Midget Nationals, Ford Focus, and 1/4 Midget series. Each year TORC champions will be recognized for their achievements at the prestigious USAC banquet.

About Traxxas

Traxxas, “The Fastest Name in Radio Control”, has honored TORC as Title Sponsor through 2011. “The Traxxas TORC Series” or “The Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series”. Broadcasts of the six-round TORC series will be broadcast on national television starting in September.

CRANDON, Wis. – He is arguably the best stock car racer in the country and now, he’s going head-to-head against the best racers in the world. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch is scheduled to make his Pro 2WD off-road racing debut in the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL Aug. 24-25 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion will face drivers such as seven-time AMA champion Ricky Johnson; off-road star Rob MacCachren; and motocross legend Jeremy McGrath, who is being inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America that same week. Many drivers have raced in off-road prior to their careers in NASCAR, Brendan Gaughan and Jimmie Johnson to name a few. Busch has previous dirt racing experience, driving a dirt late model in the annual “Prelude to the Dream” race founded by NASCAR champion Tony Stewart.

“I’ve always wanted to try out one of the Traxxas TORC Series trucks, so being able to race one at Chicago is going to be a lot of fun,” Busch said. “Racing an off-road truck has been on my list of vehicles I wanted to try out before my racing career was over, so I have to thank Traxxas for giving me a chance to come out and race one of these short course trucks for the first time.”

The event, held the same week as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ and IZOD IndyCar Series’ events at the speedway, puts the The Traxxas TORC Series and its drivers right in front of a whole new group of enthusiastic motorsports fans. It’s an unprecedented week of “must see” horsepower and action. Chicagoland provides an incredible backdrop for the series’ television show, “The Off Road Championship,” premiering on Discovery’s HD Theater Sept. 2.

“The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL is the premier short course off-road series offering incredibly exciting racing at iconic venues, but it’s the class of drivers that make our series so special,” said Kevin Miller, president of the series’ sanctioning body, USAC. “When you add someone like Kyle Busch into the field, not only does it draw new fans to our sport, but it raises the game of every driver in the field. No one wants the new guy to come in and win and I think anyone who knows Kyle knows he’s not coming in to Chicago with the intent of just racing. He’s there to take home a victory and leave with the trophy.”

For ticket information for this event, call Chicagoland Speedway at 815-727-RACE or visit TORCSeries.com for online advance ticket purchases.

For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, visit them on the Web at TORCSeries.com. For information on the United States Auto Club, visit USACRacing.com. Both sites will also feature live free streaming of all the events on the TORC Series schedule courtesy of GoPro cameras and eBay Motors.

Race fans can follow all the action throughout the TORC Series season on its official Twitter sites at Twitter.com/TORCMedia and its official page on Facebook.

-TORC-

About TORC

The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet. TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging as drivers push the limits over whoop and jump filled natural terrain racetracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience this most challenging form of high-octane competition and once they taste TORC for the first time they’ll be hooked for life.

About USAC

USAC is the sanctioning body of TORC. The United States Auto Club (USAC) adds a superior level of professionalism to the series. USAC will play a major role in series operations just as it does in the K&N Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, Mopar Midget Nationals, Ford Focus, and 1/4 Midget series. Each year TORC champions will be recognized for their achievements at the prestigious USAC banquet.

About Traxxas

Traxxas, “The Fastest Name in Radio Control”, has honored TORC as Title Sponsor through 2011. “The Traxxas TORC Series” or “The Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series”. Broadcasts of the six-round TORC series will be broadcast on national television starting in September.

Charlotte, NC (August 5, 2010) – Robby Gordon and the No. 7 SpeedFactory.tv Toyota team will return to Watkins Glen International this weekend to race at one of Gordon’s favorite tracks.  Gordon grew up racing in off-road competition before making the transition to open-wheel racing where he perfected his skills on road courses.  He is continually recognized as a key competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course races.

Robby Gordon’s SPEED FACTORY – Robby Gordon’s SPEED FACTORY is a reality show that features a behind-the-scenes look at a world-class race shop and its day-to-day operations.  Robby Gordon Motorsports is a multi-faceted race shop that houses a variety of elite racing machines that include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, SCORE International Off-Road Trophy Trucks, three Dakar HUMMERs, a Short Course Off-Road Truck and the newest edition, the Monster Truck. All of these different varieties of motorsports make up what Gordon likes to call his SPEED FACTORY.  SPEED FACTORY is scheduled to air two shows a week giving the fan a perspective of what it takes to be one of the most diversified drivers in the world, one of the few owner/driver combinations in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and most importantly, what it takes to make the SPEED FACTORY work.  Visit www.speedfactory.tv to watch the latest episode.

Robby’s Thoughts – “I love coming to Watkins Glen [International] every year.  As an organization, we always focus on this race and put a huge effort behind our preparation because we know it’s a race that where we have a good chance to win.  We went testing a couple weeks ago and have spent the last two weeks working on the final stages of preparing and perfecting our cars.  We’ll have PJ Jones up there as our teammate in the No. 07 Toyota Camry.  PJ’s driving style is a lot like mine and I’m excited to have someone else to work with throughout the weekend.  The entire Robby Gordon Motorsports organization has put a lot of effort into this weekend and I feel like the SpeedFactory.tv Toyota Camry is up to the challenge.  It should be a good time.”

Career at The Glen – Since 1997, Robby Gordon has recorded 11 career starts at Watkins Glen International completing 960 laps and more than 2,350 miles.  Gordon was the 2003 race winner and has recorded seven top-10 finishes at the Upstate New York road course.  Gordon is poised to turn his 1,000^th lap at The Glen this weekend.

DIRECTV HotPass – Tune to channel 795 and experience the race from Robby’s perspective. Channel 795 will be dedicated to Robby during Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. In addition to the network broadcast, you will see in-car camera shots while listening to the team’s radio.

Race Coverage – Fans can watch the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen live from Watkins Glen International beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 8^th live on ESPN.  MRN and SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio will also have live coverage of the event beginning at 12:00 p.m. EST.  Qualifying from the 2.45-mile road course will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 11:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, August 7^th.

Career Notes

Gordon owns three NASCAR Sprint Cup victories:

• Loudon on Nov. 23, 2001
• Infineon on June 22, 2003
• Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, 2003

Gordon owns one NASCAR Nationwide Series victory:

• Richmond on Sept. 10, 2004

Charlotte, N.C. (June 21, 2010) – Expert experience navigating the turns of Infineon Raceway and methodically-planned pit strategy helped Robby Gordon and the No. 7 Monster Energy team race their way to a second-place finish on Sunday afternoon in Sonoma, Calif.  Gordon, a California native and renowned “road course ace,” raced from 16^th utilizing pit strategy to gain track position around the 1.99-mile road course.

Gordon came over the radio during the lap 11 caution period to tell the crew that the car was a little tight trying to navigate through turn seven, but otherwise running well.  The 2003 Infineon race winner added, “It’s no better than yesterday, but it’s still quite a bit better than a lot of cars out here.  We’ll be ok.”

The crew immediately began devising a plan to help the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota Camry turn through the corners, while focusing specifically on turn seven.  The team decided to stay on the track during that early caution and wait until they got inside their pit window hoping to make the 110-lap event a two-stop race.  Gordon was scored in the 15^th-position and steadily holding his position.

The team made their first stop under green on lap 32.  Several of Gordon’s competitors also stopped on that lap making for a busy pit road, but the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota team made it through the pits without any incidents.

When the caution came out on lap 58, Gordon was sitting in the 10^th position just 10 laps outside of his fuel window.  The No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota team decided to come down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel, and another air pressure adjustment to help Gordon navigate the turns.  The team returned to the track knowing that they would need to stop at least one last time to pack the car full of fuel.

Their opportunity to pit came just 10 laps later placing Gordon just inside his fuel window and leaving him to conserve fuel for much of the remainder of the race.  The team packed the No. 7 Monster Energy Camry with as much fuel as it could hold and had Gordon stop just before the field returned to green to top off the tank.

Knowing that they were still close, Gordon continued to conserve fuel under green and during the caution laps to ensure that he could make it the distance.

The race heated up during the lap 103 caution period.  Then leader, Marcos Ambrose failed to maintain a cautious pace—a rule that gained recognition at the 2007 NNS Montreal race during feud between Gordon and Ambrose for the win—and was forced to drop back to the seventh position.  The mistake allowed Gordon and the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota team to move into the second position for the final restart and race Jimmie Johnson for the win.

Gordon followed his line, hit every mark, and held off third-place Kevin Harvick to cross the finish line in the second position.  The finish marks Gordon’s best finish of the 2010 season and ties his second-best finish at Infineon Raceway.  The No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota moved up three spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owners points to the 32^nd position.

“I’m very proud of the effort from the entire No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota team today, and I want to thank everyone on my team – both here and back at the shop,” commented Robby Gordon.  “It was a great run for us, and our strategy worked well. At the end of the day, we got beat on tires—Jimmie had tires that were about 10 laps newer than ours—and that was the difference between winning and losing today. We needed a strong finish today and we did just that, so I’m happy with our race overall and am really looking forward to Watkins Glen now.”

Next weekend the Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  TNT, PRN and Sirius Satellite radio will all kick off their coverage at 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, June 27^th, with the green flag scheduled to fall shortly after 1:00 p.m. EST.  Qualifying for the event will be broadcast on SPEED Channel beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST on Friday, June 25^th.  For news and updates, please visit ROBBYGORDON.COM or PLANETROBBY.COM.  Watch Gordon’s weekly reality show at SPEEDFACTORY.TV.

Charlotte, NC (June 16, 2010) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will turn right for the first time of the 2010 season this weekend at Infineon Raceway.  Gordon, who has long been known as NASCAR’s resident road course ace, will return to his home state with the familiar Monster Energy colors on the hood of the No. 7 Toyota Camry.  Gordon won the 2003 race at Infineon Raceway and has contended for the win at the 1.99-mile road course on several occasions since that trip to victory lane.

Robby Gordon’s SPEED FACTORY – Robby Gordon’s SPEED FACTORY is a reality show that features a behind-the-scenes look at a world-class race shop and its day-to-day operations.  Robby Gordon Motorsports is a multi-faceted race shop that houses a variety of elite racing machines that include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, SCORE International Off-Road Trophy Trucks, three Dakar HUMMERs, a Short Course Off-Road Truck and the newest edition, the Monster Truck. All of these different varieties of motorsports make up what Gordon likes to call his SPEED FACTORY.  SPEED FACTORY is scheduled to air two shows a week giving the fan a perspective of what it takes to be one of the most diversified drivers in the world, one of the few owner/driver combinations in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and most importantly, what it takes to make the SPEED FACTORY work.  Visit www.speedfactory.tv to watch the latest episode.

Robby’s Remarks – “I love racing at Infineon Raceway,” said Gordon.  “The road course stops are clearly some of my favorite on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit, but the race at Infineon is especially important to me.  I grew up in California and I still have a lot of family and friends near the Sonoma area, so it’s a lot of fun to go there and catch up with everyone and have them all watch me race.  We’ve come very close to winning this race in the years since my first trip to victory lane at Infineon [Raceway] and I know that we’re capable of putting it together this year.  We just need to stay focused on our goal, make the right strategy calls, and hopefully find a little good luck.”

Expertise at Infineon – Since 1997, Robby Gordon has made 12 starts at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.  The driver of the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota Camry has led more than 150 circuits around the 1.99-mile course and won the 2003 event en route to sweeping both road course events.  In 2007, it looked as if Gordon was on his way back to victory lane, but after starting from the front row and leading 48 laps Gordon ran out of fuel and finished in the 16^th position.

Appearances – Fans at home can watch a special guest appearance by Robby Gordon on SPEED’s Trackside Live! on Friday night, June 18^th.  The show will be broadcast live from the SPEED Stage beginning at 5:55 p.m. PST / 8:55 p.m. EST.  Just hours before the green flag is scheduled to fall at Infineon Raceway, Robby Gordon will meet his fans at his souvenir hauler beginning at 8:00 a.m. PST on Sunday, June 20^th.  The driver of the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota Camry will sign autographs, answer questions and take pictures with fans.

Race Coverage – Fans can watch Robby Gordon and the No. 7 Monster Energy Toyota team take on the 10-turn road course at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, June 20^th.  The 110-lap race will be televised live on TNT beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST, with radio coverage from PRN and SIRIUS Satellite Radio starting at 2:00 p.m. EST.  The SPEED Channel will cover qualifying from the Northern California road course beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday, June 18.  FOR NEWS & UPDATES, PLEASE VISIT ROBBYGORDON.COM or PLANETROBBY.COM.

Career Notes

Gordon owns three NASCAR Sprint Cup victories:

• Loudon on Nov. 23, 2001
• Infineon on June 22, 2003
• Watkins Glen on Aug. 10 2003

Gordon owns one NASCAR Nationwide Series victory:

• Richmond on Sept. 10 2004

Charlotte, NC (April 8, 2010) – The No. 7 Warner Music Nashville / Blake Shelton Camry races into Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for the Subway Fresh Fit 600. After a weekend off, the Warner Music Nashville / Blake Shelton team is ready to put it into overdrive around the 1-mile oval.

Robby’s Thoughts – “After having a week off last weekend, the Warner Music Nashville / Blake Shelton team is ready to get on track at Phoenix [International Raceway],” said Gordon. “We are bringing the same car that we raced at Martinsville a couple weeks ago. I appreciate all the hard work that the guys at the shop put into this car getting it turned around. Even though we have to qualify our way into the show on Friday night, I know that our team is prepared and up to the challenge.”

Gordon’s Past Performances at Phoenix – Since making his debut at Phoenix International Raceway in 1996, Gordon has recorded 15 starts at the 1-mile oval. In just his second start, Gordon recorded his best finish (7th) before winning his best qualifying position (9th) the following year. Since his debut, Gordon has completed more than 4,100 laps around the Arizona short-track.

Vote for Robby – Voting has begun for the 2010 Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 22, 2010. Fans can cast an unlimited number of votes to get their favorite Sprint Cup Series competitor into the 22-driver field. Votes can be placed utilizing the Sprint Cup Mobile application on Sprint and Nextel mobile devices, at the Sprint Experience display during race weekends, or online at: (http://www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/2010/vote/). The winner of the Fan Vote will be announced on May 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST just before the scheduled green flag for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Voting ends at 6:00 p.m. EST on May 22.

Race Coverage – The Subway Fresh Fit 600 from Phoenix International Raceway will be the first time the stars and cars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race under the lights in the 2010 season. The 375-lap event will be aired live on FOX on Saturday night, April 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. MRN and SIRIUS Satellite Radio will carry a live radio broadcast of the race beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST. SPEED Channel will broadcast qualifying from PIR as 47 competitors vie to become a part of the 43-car field on Friday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. EST. For news and updates, please visit ROBBYGORDON.COM, PLANETROBBY.COM or BAMRACING.COM.

Career Notes
Gordon owns three NASCAR Sprint Cup victories:
· Loudon on Nov. 23, 2001
· Infineon on June 22, 2003
· Watkins Glen on Aug. 10 2003

Gordon owns one NASCAR Nationwide Series victory:
· Richmond on Sept. 10 2004

Speedway, IN. (March 29, 2010) – Officials of USAC’s Traxxas Off-Road Championship presented by AMSOIL announced today that the 2010 series will compete at Route 66 Raceway, adjacent to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill, in late-August.

The event will be part of Chicagoland’s spectacular motorsports weekend, also featuring the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Izod Indycar series along with ARCA and the Firestone Indy Lights.

Route 66 Raceway is an 8,000-seat arena which incorporates a half-mile dirt oval which hosted USAC Midget and Sprint Car races between 2001 and 2004.

The debut of the Traxxas Series presented by AMSOIL at Route 66 includes special evening shows under the lights on Wednesday August 25th and Thursday August 26th. The motorsports weekend continues with the NASCAR Camping World Truck race on the larger paved oval of Friday evening, followed by the Izod Indycar Series for the finale on Saturday. The event will be historical by bringing truck racing’s two largest professional series into the same house with both off road and circle track action for fans.

The USAC TRAXXAS Off Road Championship presented by AMSOIL is the world’s premier professional short course off road series. TORC drivers push the limits with 900 horsepower, action-packed fender pounding on challenging natural terrain racetracks. The 2010 season schedule kicks off at USA Raceway in Tucson, Arizona on May 1-2.

For up to date schedules and to see the latest TORC videos please visit www.torcseries.com

Justin Lofton may be a new face in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but the 2004 Best In The Desert Rookie of the Year and former Class 1000 champion has a long history in the desert. It was in this rugged environment where Lofton originally relied on MasterCraft Safety products, and that relationship did not come to an end when the 24-year-old driver entered the high stakes NASCAR arena.  Holding Lofton firmly in place at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour are MasterCraft Safety’s new six-point SFI 16.5 Camlock Restraints, which were designed from the ground up specifically for the demanding conditions of NASCAR racing. The talented rookie placed in the top twenty in the first two races of the season, proving that he is a quick learner. Look for Lofton to continue his strong season at the Kroger 250 in Martinsville on March 27th.

Adding to Lofton’s safety and comfort is his MasterCraft Safety Signature Series two-layer race suit. Available in SFI 3.2A/1 and SFI 3.2A/5, MasterCraft Safety performance driving suits meet and exceed all relevant fire protection requirements while providing a comfortable fit and design with innovative features such as 360 degree soft Nomex® stretch knit arm attachments for unrestricted arm movement. Related products include fuel and pit crew fire suits, neck braces, helmet skirts, and elbow and knee pads for pit crew safety.

Based in Santee, California, MasterCraft Safety is the leading manufacturer of suspension seating, five-point restraints, window nets, and limit straps used in applications as varied as NASCAR and military vehicles. The common theme is that MasterCraft Safety is the first choice in environments where safety can mean the difference between life and death. MasterCraft Safety’s full-line of performance seating offers both comfort and protection in high “G” load situations and provides an 84% reduction of energy in a 50 G load impact. More information on MasterCraft Safety’s full-line of products can be found by visiting www.mastercraftsafety.com.

Charlotte, N.C. (January 18, 2010) – Officials from Robby Gordon Motorsports announced today that they have formed an alliance with BAM Racing, who will be fielding the No. 49 Warner Music Nashville Toyota during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Robby Gordon Motorsports will provide the team with technical support, race cars and personnel.
BAM Racing will make their debut at Daytona International Speedway with David Gilliland behind the wheel. Gilliland raced for Robby Gordon Motorsports in the Richmond Race last September, piloting the No. 7 to a 24th-place finish. He has been successful at superspeedways throughout his NSCS career capturing the top starting position twice on these unique track formations – the 2006 October Talladega race and the 2007 Daytona 500.
“I’m very excited for our new alliance with BAM Racing, especially heading into the Daytona 500 next month,” said Gordon. “Our team has worked with David [Gilliland] a few times in the past, and we seem to mesh very well. This alliance puts RGM in a great position to basically have a ‘teammate’ on the track that we can work with throughout the weekend to improve our car, as well as to help BAM Racing improve their car. Hopefully both teams will be able to capitalize on that and bring home strong finishes at Daytona.”

As the race trailers and teams head to Nevada for the SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300, it is certain that things will be just a little different this time around. After the major Baja 500 results “shake-up” that stunned the off-road community, it is anyone’s guess what the future of desert racing has in store – especially with the available and evolving technology.

Sal Fish

Catching up with an obviously busy Sal Fish, I asked him a few things about the Terrible’s Primm race and what he expects.

RDC: This is the first SCORE International race since the “black box shake-up” at the Baja 500. How do you think this technology will change or affect the how the racers prepare and compete for SCORE events?

Sal: “Honestly, I must be a little naïve! First of all, I was hoping it wouldn’t change anything or the way the racers compete. I was hoping all of our racers were staying on the course we designed and not speeding on the highway so we can keep our permits and the agreements we have in place with the various agencies and land owners.”

RDC: One of the race teams was extremely vocal in regards to an IRC equipment malfunction that resulted in penalties being assessed. This penalized team offered up another competitive system’s data to prove their team did not stray from the marked course or speed. Will redundant tracking systems be an option for teams concerned about equipment malfunction and penalties resulting from such failures?

Sal: “To the best of my knowledge, we are working with the best technology out there. As with anything, of course there is always room for improvement but we have to crawl before we walk. As far as running a back-up system, no one would go to Baja without spares. The racers take spare shocks and parts so it would only seem reasonable to expect to have a back-up.”

RDC: Will SCORE International accept competitive tracking system data to back-up IRC‘s data?

Sal: “We are currently considering accepting other system’s data but nothing has been decided yet. It is a decision we will probably make before the Baja 1000. If we decide to accept another system’s data, it will have to be pre-approved by SCORE International.”

RDC: There was no “pre-run” for the Primm race due to restrictions placed on off-road vehicles and the protection of the Desert Tortoise. How hard is it getting to coordinate races in the US with all the land issues?

Sal: “We are jumping through some real small hoops and it is getting more and more difficult to put on races. Everything is a cause for concern. I have been out with the Bureau of Land Management everyday, twice a day for nearly a week surveying the Desert Tortoises. We go out and drive the course between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and then again from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. We are very limited on what we can do here, especially on a piece of land that has so many race events. It is definitely a cause for concern but I am going to do everything I can to make sure we can continue to put on events here in Nevada.”

RDC: So what are you looking forward to for this weekend’s event?

Sal: “I have to admit, I am extremely excited to have Robby Gordon skipping a NASCAR race to come out and compete in this SCORE event and in a full season of our series. I think Robby brings a lot of attention to our sport and this is definitely a time when we need it.”

The Terrible’s Primm 300 event is an extremely crucial race for competitors in the points contention. As the fourth race out of SCORE’s five race desert series, the Primm 300 can make or break a season as evidenced by Robby Gordon’s decision to skip the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Gordon, who currently claims the top points position in the SCORE Trophy Truck class is looking to hang onto his points lead and for the first time since 1996 is running a full season in the SCORE series. “This is the first time I have run a full SCORE schedule since 1996. I won the Trophy Truck Championship back then and I am confident that I can do it again this year,” commented Robby Gordon.

With heavy-hitters such as Rob MacCachren and Brian Collins starting in the back of the pack, the first lap of this 69 mile loop (and rather fast course) will undoubtedly play out in a very interesting manner. Greg Nunley, a relative newcomer to both the Trophy Truck class and desert racing, has Robby Gordon staged directly behind him. It is doubtful he can hang onto his starting position for very long considering Gordon’s trademark “on the edge” driving style. Without the experience behind the wheel and the knowledge of the course that Vegas natives, MacCachren and Collins, have it is hard to believe Marc Ewing in the No. 68 Trophy Truck will fare that well either. For anyone who is not able to make it to Primm, live race tracking is available through the required and now infamous “black box” that has forever changed the face of desert racing as we know it.

Follow the outcome of the race on race-dezert.com this weekend.

Two tracks, two series, two states, one weekend

Minneapolis, August 14, 2009 – Labor Day Weekend usually means rest, relaxation and a long weekend. To one of the hardest-working racers in the sport, Robby Gordon, it is an opportunity to travel across the country and do what he loves best, race. Gordon will race The Off Road Championship (TORC), at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, in Crandon, Wis., on Sunday, September 6, and then jump on a plane and head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Labor Day Classic 500, later that night.

“I am very excited about this new opportunity with Polaris as the primary sponsor of the TORC entry in Crandon and the NASCAR entry in Atlanta. To combine these two tracks where I historically perform well together on Labor Day weekend should make for an exciting double-header,” commented Robby Gordon on the Polaris sponsorship.

As part of the multi-year product development and marketing agreement Polaris and Gordon inked earlier this year, Polaris will be the primary sponsor of Gordon’s No. 007 TORC Chevy Silverado race truck for the TORC race and the primary sponsor on the No. 7 NSCS Toyota Camry, at the NASCAR Labor Day Classic 500.

“We can not be more excited to be associated with Robby and what he is trying to accomplish in both Crandon and Atlanta,” said Craig Scanlon, director of Off-Road Vehicle sales for Polaris. “Robby has quickly become a integral part of the Polaris family and we are very proud to have him represent the more than 3,000 employees at Polaris.”

On his 20-year anniversary of his first World Championship win in the series, Gordon returns to Crandon in hopes of capturing the first cup race of the TORC season. He is still the youngest off-road racer in history to win a World Championship title and ring at Crandon.

A whirlwind of a weekend, Gordon will practice for the TORC race on Friday and Saturday morning, then fly to Atlanta after Saturday’s practice to qualify for the NASCAR Labor Day Classic, and return to Crandon on Saturday night for more prep before the race on Sunday. After the TORC race, he’ll jump back on a plane to compete in the NASCAR race on Sunday evening.

“Earlier in the year, we began our relationship working on product development with Polaris’ Side-by-Side division. To have them become more involved in our program is very exciting, especially on the Off-road racing side of things. This enables us to continue sharing information back and forth to further help with the future development on the consumer Side-by-Side products,” stated Gordon on his relationship with Polaris.

This past winter, Gordon and Polaris entered into a three-year agreement that included Gordon providing insight on future products and promoting Polaris’ RANGER RZR Side-by-Sides. The agreement was unique in that Gordon would not only market Polaris product but also use his off-road expertise to help create new Polaris vehicles. It won’t be much longer when off-road enthusiasts will see the first of the units co-developed by Robby Gordon and Polaris.

“Gordon is one of the hardest-working names in racing, and his work ethic and off-road knowledge has been instrumental in the development of new Polaris products during the past seven months. We look forward to an exciting Labor Day race weekend and future product launch,” added Scanlon.

The TORC off-road race can be seen live on ABC, Sunday, September 5, from 4-5 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Labor Day Classic 500 will air on ESPN, starting at 7 p.m. ET, Sunday night.

About Polaris

With annual 2008 sales of $1.9 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER™, snowmobiles and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world.  Victory motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace.  Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships.

Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.

(Charlotte, NC) April 23, 2009 – Robby Gordon, driver of the No. 7 Jim Beam Toyota, will pilot Chassis 209 in this weekend’s Aaron’s 499. This race car has brought much success to Gordon and his team over the last year; it posted three top-10 and four top-15 finishes in the last five restrictor-plate races. They look to build upon this success and bring home another strong finish.

“Vote for Robby” – While the team is preparing for this weekend’s 188–lap race, Jim Beam is preparing to kick off their annual “Vote for Robby” campaign, which encourages fans to vote Gordon into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race event on May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jim Beam representatives will roam the famous infield, rousing fans to “Vote for Robby” distributing custom-designed “Vote for Robby” T-shirts and stickers.

Talladega Totals – Gordon will make his 16^th Cup appearance at the 2.66-mile high banked tri-oval, where he has recorded one top-five, five top-10, and seven top-15 finishes. Gordon also captured a front-row starting spot in 2002 and has two top-10 starts prior to the wave of the green.

Talladega Talk – “We have had some good luck at Talladega lately, finishing 8^th and 11^th at the two races last year. We are bringing back the same car, which helps boost my confidence going into this weekend’s race. Sitting 35^th in points, we really need a good run to help turn things around for us. With our Toyota-powered engine, we feel confident that we will have a good run this weekend,” commented Gordon.

Appearances – Gordon will be at the Montana Grille located at 55023 Hwy 77, Lincoln, AL 35096 on Friday, April 24^th. He will sign autographs for the public from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

TV and Radio Times – Qualifying is set for Saturday, April 25^th at 11 a.m. (ET) on Speed, MRN, and Sirius Satellite radio. The Aaron’s 499 will begin on Sunday, April 26^th at 2 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN and Sirius Satellite radio.

NOTES

Career

· Gordon owns three NASCAR Sprint Cup victories:

· Loudon on Nov. 23, 2001

· Infineon on June 22, 2003

· Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, 2003

· Gordon owns one NASCAR Nationwide Series victory

· Richmond on Sept. 10, 2004

In order to win you need to have a plan and a flawless day. Sounds simple but not everybody was able to stick to such a simple formula. Brian Collins (Trophy Truck #12) however did exactly that. He had no flats and never got tempted to steer away from his race plan. “… I put a plan together, being patient, and I told Billy (my co-driver) that’s what we were going to do and he monitored my speed all the time down the real rough sections so we didn’t have a flat or hurt our shocks and we just had a great day. It’s nice when you put a plan together and it works.” said Brian after his win at the finish line. “I told people I was going to go slow off the start and no one ever believes you. I just drove my own race today and everyone came to me. That’s a lucky day of racing and I wish every one of them were that way.”

At around RM 167 it looked like a battle between Brian Collins and BJ Baldwin (TT#1) for the win. BJ Baldwin was first on course followed shortly by Brian. But yet another equipment failure haunted last years SCORE Trophy Truck champions chance for a win. At around RM 190 a ring and pinion failure forced TT#1 to be parked until repairs could get completed. A sixth place was the consequence but it helped to elevate BJ in the points standings a bit.

Robby Gordon (TT#77) was as usual, the most spectacular vehicle to watch on the course. He had a flat tire early in the race and lost lots of time to change it out. His jack system failed and a simple 2 minute tire change turned into a 20 minute delay as he had to limp on the flat tire for a while while finding local volunteers alongside the course to help change the tire. However he made up time to eventually finish 2nd in his class and overall with just 12 minutes 31 seconds after the winner. However after the race there was heated talks between Robby Gordon and his competitors over some alleged course cutting. Robby admitted that he dropped off a 10ft cliff instead of driving around it. Andy Grider, a motor cycle rider, is his co-driver and perhaps Andy pointed out some of the faster bike lines.

An appeal is pending the 2nd place finish of Robby Gordon and SCORE will make a final decision by the end of the week.

Also notable Adam Householder finished 11th overall and 5th in class. Adam is new to the class and now possibly 3rd in SCORE TT points.

Ronny Wilson took the win in class 1. The Wilson brothers are always good for a win so this one did not come as a surprise.

The Herbst brothers are back in desert racing after a year of absence. Troy Herbst navigated a new Trophy Truck to a 7th place finish in class while Tim drove the old shark class 1 car finishing 2nd. Whatever was once the familiar Herbst red is now black with bright green Monster Energy decals.

The All German Motorsports team of Armin Schwarz and Marten Christensen had a flawless day but were unable to defend their 2009 win in San Felipe. Third place had to do this time around.

SCORE decided to remove tracking devices from the list of requirements and without such technology and safety equipment in place it opens the doors for heated debates after the event. SCORE has checkpoints in place that racers need to pass through and get registered. However anything in between seems to be fair game if the enforcement is non existent. We witnessed one car take a parallel line to the race course that was much smoother and faster. Short of calling it cheating we have to assume it was a navigational mistake.

When talking about cheating the question is who do you cheat? The promoter? The competitor? The fans? We feel that you cheat yourself foremost. A simple last place finish after driving every single mile and not breaking the rules does feel a lot better then a shortcut. Cheaters. Try it sometime.

We hope that some form of electronic inch by inch tracking will come back to SCORE asap.

Besides all the fun there are also reports of injuries of spectators that were standing too close to the course. There is also an unconfirmed rumor of a spectator fatality floating around the net. We wish a full and quick recovery to all those that left San Felipe with injuries.

Top 20 Overall Finishers

1. Brian Collins, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram 1500, 3:47:49 (61.21mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

2. Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., Chevy CK1500, 3:59:20 (58.26mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

3. Ronny Wilson/Rick Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 4:05:43 (56.75mph) (Class 1)

4. Mark Post, Laguna Beach, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 4:07:57 56.24mph (SCORE Trophy-Truck

5. Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithuilt-Ford, 4:13:17 (55.05mph) (Class 1)

6. Chet Huffman, Northridge, Calif./Jerry Whelchel, Portola Hills, Calif., Chevy C1500, 4:17:05 (54.24mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

7. Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Jimco-BMW, 4:19:42 (53.70mph) (Class 1)

8. Julio Herrera/Carlos Olmos, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Jefferies-Chevy, 4:23:05 (53.00mph) (Class 1)

9. Dale Lenk/Brett Lenk/Grant Lenk, Costa Mesa, Calif., Penhall-Chevy, 4:25:16 (52.57mph) (Class 1)

10. Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif./Rick Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 4:34:01 (50.89mph) (Class 1)

11. Adam Householder, Orange, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 4:34:40 (50.77mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

12. Paul Keller, El Cajon, Calif./Charles Rudolph, San Diego, Jimco-Chevy, 4:42:14 (49.41mph) (Class 1)

13. Ron Brant, Oak Hills, Calif./Ben Monroy, Torrance, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 4:48:35 (48.32mph) (Class 1)

14. Richard Boyle, Ridgecrest, Calif./Tommy Kirkmeyer, Adelanto, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy, 4:48:45 (48.29mph) (Class 1)

15. Jose Canchola Jr./Francisco Gonzalez, Mexicali, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 4:51:48 (47.79mph) (Class 7)

16. Mike Lawrence, Banning, Calif./Blake Kirkpatrick, Hacienda Heights, Calif./Joel Liska, Banning, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 4:54:43 (47.31mph) (Class 10)

17. Rick St. John, Encinitas, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif., Duvel, 4:54:48 (47.30mph) (SCORE Lite)

18. Josh Rigsby/Steve Ewers, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Penhall-Chevy, 4:58:15 (46.75mph) (Class 1)

19. Dave Crinklaw, Reedley, Calif./Mike Thurlow, Kingsburg, Calif., Ford F-150, 4:59:05 (46.62mph) (Class 8 )

20. Kevin Carr/Noe Valdez, San Diego, 5:11:18 (44.79mph) (Class 5)

Next on SCORE’s schedule is the Baja 500 June 5th-7th in Ensenada Mexico.

Race Results Link

[Show as slideshow]

San Felipe, Mexico (March 13, 2009) – While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series enjoys a weekend off, Robby Gordon is preparing to return to his desert racing roots by participating in the 23^rd annual Tecate SCORE  San Felipe 250. After winning the season-opening Laughlin Desert Challenge, Gordon and his No. 77 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires team have decided to compete for the 2009 SCORE championship.

Gordon has only participated in this race twice in the last thirteen years. He won the race in 1996, but failed to finish in his most recent attempt in 2004. He will be racing the same trophy truck that he drove to victory earlier this year, so look for a great performance from the No. 77 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires trophy truck.

With over 225 entries from 20 U.S. states and 10 different countries, Round 2 of the 2009 SCORE Desert Series will commence on Saturday, March 14^th at 10 a.m. PST. It will be a 232.4-mile race course, which will run through the picturesque fishing village of San Felipe that is located on the East side of the Baja California peninsula along the Sea of Cortez. The winner of tomorrow’s race is expected to finish in less than four hours, and the No. 77 team hopes to cross the finish line first.

“Rather than enjoying a weekend off, we are headed to San Felipe to race our No. 77 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires trophy truck in the SCORE International Off-Road Series race. When I run a SCORE race, I usually have to commute and pull double-duty. This week is a real treat for me as I can focus on just the desert, which is exciting for me,” commented Gordon, who has two career class wins in his limited San Felipe attempts. 

“I haven’t raced San Felipe in years, but we did test after Daytona and have pre-ran all this week. We feel that we have put together a competitive package for this weekend’s race. I am also really excited about the new tire package that Toyo Tires has put together for us. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to pull off another good finish and continue to lead the SCORE championship points standing,” furthered Gordon, driver of the No. 77 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires trophy truck.