E3 Spark Plugs News

When the Pro Lite Unlimited class rolled on to the track for Round 11 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Truck championship, E3 Performance Spark Plug fans assumed the #15 Stronghold Motorsports/Maxxis Tires Ford truck of Marty Hart would check out. After all, the series points leader was starting on the front row at Surprise, AZ, next to the Wik’s Racing Engines #11 Chevrolet truck of Adam Wik. But, lap one chaos was waiting for the field of trucks in turn four and a red flag flew stopping the race before Hart could complete a lap.

Pro Lite Unlimited winner Chris Brandt held off a last-lap charge in his Toyota truck at Round 11 of the Lucas Oil Off Road championship in Surprise, AZ. Photo courtesy of Lucas Oil, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasoil/

Not to be denied, Hart grabbed the lead on the restart and started to pull away from Wik in second. The #82 mavTV/Lucas Oil Toyota of Chris Brandt slipped by the Nissan truck of Jimmy Stephensen to take over third place. Just as Hart had built a comfortable lead over Brandt who was now running in second and Stephensen in third, his Ford engine started to smoke. By the time the competition yellow flew, Hart’s motor was losing spark. With Hart sidelined by mechanical failure, all eyes turned to watch the restart between Brandt and Stephensen.

When the green flag flew, Brandt would get the better of Stephensen to take the point. Later, Stephensen would out brake Brandt in turn four to take the lead but Brandt quickly reclaimed the top spot. Wik pitted with a flat tire on the last lap. Brandt continued to hold off the hard charging Stephensen at the checkered flag. Third place went to Matt Loiodice in the MasterCraft Safety/Jimco Ford truck. If you want winning performance from your truck spark plugs, insist on E3 Spark Plugs for your car, truck or motorcycle.

Picturesque views and lots of action-packed off-road racing greeted fans over the weekend as Miller Motorsports Park hosted Round 7 and Round 8 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. This was the first year the off-road vehicles raced in the salt desert just west of Salt Lake City near Tooele, Utah. In Saturday’s Pro2 Unlimited class final, Lucas Oil/Tecate Ford driver Rodrigo Ampudia claimed his first ever series win and, on Sunday, E3 Truck Spark Plugs driver Kevin Probst posted a solid seventh-place finish in the Pro2 final for Round 8 of the championship.

Pro2 Unlimited driver Carl Renezeder rebounded to finish 3rd in Sunday's feature event after taking a spectacular end-over-end tumble in the Lucas Oil offroad truck on Saturday at Miller Motorsports Park outside Tooele, Utah. Photo courtesy of www.teamrenezeder.com.

Rockstar Makita’s Todd Leduc finished second to Ampudia in Round 7 of the Pro2 Unlimited off-road trucks class just ahead of former NORBA pro downhill mountain bike racer Robert Naughton. In Sunday’s final event, Leduc would again finish in the runner’s up position this time behind series points leader Rob MacCachren. AMA multi-time national MX champion Ricky Johnson brought his Red Bull truck home in third but was later disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct. Johnson’s indiscretions moved Carl Renezeder to third overall. Good luck came late in the weekend for Renezeder who flipped his Lucas Oil-sponsored truck end-over-end in Saturday’s feature.

In the Pro Lite Unlimited class on Saturday, Hart & Huntington/Rockstar truck driver Chris Brandt took the checkers ahead of Monster Energy’s veteran ace Marty Hart with Jimmy Stephensen, Jacob Person and Adam Wik rounding out the top five. On Sunday, Hart claimed the win in a battle with former X-Games freestyle gold medalist Brian Deegan. Jacob Person and Adam Wik moved up one spot each from Saturday’s round finishing third and fourth respectively. Brandt could only manage a sixth place overall in Round 8 behind Anthony Verdone.

The E3 Spark Plugs team of Kevin Probst heads to San Bernandino, California, for Round 9 and Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Truck Series on August 7 & 8. The popular Glen Helen Raceway is always a favorite of diehard off road racing fans. Whether you’re cruising across town or testing your skills in the salt desert, E3 Car Spark Plugs with our patented DiamondFire technology offer you energy, efficiency and ecology for your ride. Remember to bookmark our website and check often for the latest results from the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series.