E3 Spark Plugs News

Round 5 of the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series paid tribute to the late Jeff "Ox" Kargola.

Round 5 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by Geico and co-sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs got underway Saturday at the Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California. Fans were loving the sunny springtime weather and the excitement got kicked up a notch with the presence of off-road legend and NASCAR star Robby Gordon competing in the weekend’s Pro 2 Unlimited field.

Before the engines revved, racers, staff and fans paid tribute to the late Jeff “Ox” Kargola, who passed away April 29 after sustaining a head injury on the second day of the Desert Assassins’ Rip to the Tip motocross event in Baja, CA. Kargola was among the rising stars of the series and is deeply missed.

In Saturday’s Pro 4, Rick Huseman was a marked man, having won the first four races. Sure enough, he bolted out front, followed closely by Adrian Cenni and all three LeDucs – Kyle, Todd and Curt. But, that didn’t last. Cenni ended up in the hot pits on lap six with an unknown issue. Todd LeDuc suffered a shredded left rear tire compliments of a determined Carl Renezeder.

When the green flag dropped after a competition yellow, Renezeder charged past Huseman. The on-track upset didn’t set well with Huseman, who over-jumped the tabletop into turn two of lap 14, planting his front bumper and nearly sidelining himself. The result was a broken shock that kept him from catching up with Renezeder, who gradually increased his lead all the way to the checkered flag. Huseman managed second place followed by Kent Brascho, Josh Merrell and Todd LeDuc.

The Pro 2 Unlimited provided some serious fireworks – literally. The race began with Renezeder and Robby Gordon starting side by side. Renezeder quickly took the lead with Gordon charging hard behind in the first lap, but pulled off the track and out of the race before completing the second lap. The race continued with two red flags for fires onboard Robby Woods’ and John Gaston’s machines. Robbie Pierce’s rollover in turn three brought full course caution. Flat tires for Brian Deegan and Rob Naughton, plus a scary-looking crash that involved Rodrigo Ampudia over-jumping into turn five and landing on Naughton’s side added to the suspense. When the dust and smoke cleared, it was Renezeder who held on for a clean sweep of the two big truck classes. Rob McCachren took second followed by Deegan, Ampudia and Naughton.

E3  Spark Plugs racing fans, be sure to check our next blog for Pro 4 and Pro 2 highlights from Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

Round 14 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series presented by GEICO Powersports and sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs offered up plenty of action from crushing rolls to dizzying spinouts to a bit of a fire show in the Pro 4 Unlimited. As dust and smoke flew, fans cheered as Adrian Cenni landed his first win since Round 10. But Rick Huseman’s fans cheered just as loud. His third-place finish in the #36 Traxxas/Monster Energy Toyota scored him more than enough points to secure his first Lucas Oil Off-Road championship.

A shot from Round 14 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series presented by GEICO Powersports and sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs.

The Pro 4 Unlimited revved up with Jerry Daugherty in the #23 Magnaflow/Racin’ Dirty Chevrolet and Kyle LeDuc in the #99 Rockstar/Makita Ford in front. By the end of lap one, Daugherty still held the lead, but soon gave it up when he rolled into the hot pits with an unknown issue. Next, Mike Johnson provided a bit of a fire show when his truck caught flames. A stuntman by trade, Johnson made a quick escape and drivers stopped while emergency crews cleared the track. By then, it was Huseman in the lead, followed by Carl Renezeder, Cenni, John Harrah and Kyle LeDuc. Harrah and Leduc battled it out trying to get ahead, with Harrah spilling Leduc nearing turn three, shredding LeDuc’s left rear tire. Harrah got a bit of comeuppance when he rolled his own truck just two turns later. Trouble hit Huseman when he split his rear driveshaft, forcing him to finish the race with only front wheel drive and significantly less speed.

In the day’s most gut-wrenching turn of events, defending champ Renezeder passed the white flag, only to see his truck slow down and begin puffing out smoke and steam in turn eight of the final lap with the finish line in sight – a cruel twist for the reigning champion. The race finished with Cenni crossing the finish line first, followed by Travis Coyne, Huseman, Harrah and Josh Merrell, who struggled nearly the entire race with only rear wheel drive.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Cenni, Huseman and all the other winners of the day. Visit the Lucas Oil Off-Road website for full results of the day’s races and to purchase your tickets for Round 15 December 11 and the season-ending Lucas Oil Challenge Cup December 12 at Firebird Raceway in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, AZ. Meanwhile, get your truck in racing shape with E3 truck spark plugs – the best high performance spark plugs on the market.

For the second night in a row, the grandstands at the San Bernardino track were sold-out for the big dogs in the Pro 4 Unlimited Class as E3 Performance Spark Plugs racing fans packed the Glen Helen Raceway for Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing series. Eric Barron was starting on the front row in the LAT Racing Oil/KMC Wheels Chevrolet truck next to the #22 Hart & Huntington/Grenade Ford of Josh Merrell. Barron would take the early lead ahead of Saturday night’s runner up, Kyle LeDuc. As trucks bounced off each other through the rough rhythm section, Merrell would bring out a full-course yellow on lap three as his Hart & Huntington Ford ended up on its roof.

Pro 4 Unlimited driver Curt LeDuc took the time to pose for this Rockstar Energy Drink moment. At Glen Helen's rough short track, LeDuc flipped the #43 in turn three of Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Championship series. Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasoil.

After the restart, the #99 truck of LeDuc would reclaim the point as a determined Carl Renezeder in #1 Lucas Oil/General Tire Ford began to work his way toward the front of the pack. The Traxxas/Monster Energy Toyota of series points leader Rick Huseman had moved into third behind LeDuc and Renezeder before the #31 truck of Mike Johnson spun the Monster Energy Toyota in turn four. Johnson’s aggressive driving would earn him a black flag sending the K&N Filters Ford truck to the rear of the field alongside a disappointed Huseman. After the restart, Renezeder in the #1 Lucas Oil Ford truck was quick to continue his battle with Kyle LeDuc for the lead.

On the penultimate lap of a second night of spectacular racing, Carl Renezeder would roll his #1 Lucas Oil/General Tires truck leaving local favorite Kyle LeDuc in the Makita/Toyo Tires Ford to take the win. Second place would go to a hard-charging Rick Huseman, who had worked his way through the pack after stopping to change a flat tire when Merrell rolled his truck on lap three. A well-deserved third place went to Kent Brascho in the B.F. Goodrich/Lucas Oil Chevrolet ahead of Mike Johnson’s K&N Filters Ford truck. Rounding out the top five was early race leader Eric Barron in the #3 LAT Racing Oil Chevrolet.

An unlucky Renezeder in the #1 Lucas Oil Ford recorded the fastest lap of the race and was the only driver to break the 45-second barrier on the extremely rough Glen Helen short course. The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing teams have a few weeks off to regroup before heading to Speed World Off Road Park in Surprise, Arizona, for Rounds 11 and 12 on September 25-26. Only five championship rounds remain before Pro 4 Unlimited drivers compete for the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Challenge Cup scheduled for December 12 at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, AZ. If you are looking for championship performance, insist on E3 Truck Spark Plugs for your truck.