Rick Huseman is the man to beat thus far in the E3 Spark Plugs co-sponsored Lucas Oil Off Road Series Pro 4 Class.
Lucas Oil and E3 Spark Plugs racing fans must be exhausted this week, what with three full days of weekend racing. The Lucas Oil Modified Racing Series presented by Rockstar Energy Drink dropped the green flag on round two of its 2011 season Saturday with the4 CANIDAE All Natural pet Food 75 at the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway in Blythe, CA. And the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by Geico Powersports held its third and fourth rounds on the Speedworld Off Road Park tracks in Surprise, AZ.
The CANIDAE 75 gave fans plenty of on-track fireworks with an uncharacteristic nine yellow caution flags. Aaron McMorran, Doug Hamm and reigning series champion Jim Mardis spent much of the race locked together like a freight train. McMorran held the lead spot lap after lap after lap. Finally, lap 71 wrapped with both Hamm and Mardis passing. The move earned Mardis the bonus for the Magnaflow Exhaust Products’ Clean Pass award, but it was Hamm who sailed into the Sunoco victory lane first. The win was a redeeming one for Hamm, whose 2010 season ended badly and whose 2011 season got off to a rough start. Fourth and fifth places, respectively, went to Tim Morse, who won the Dart Machinery Trophy Dash, and Doug Carpenter, who started the race mid-pack and worked his way up to the electronic scoreboard, earning him the E3 Spark Plugs Hard Charger Award.
Hick Huseman and Rob MacCachren proved their mettle on the tracks once again, winning Rounds 3 and 4 of the Pro 4 and Pro 2 (respectively) races on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s Pro 2 race was a heated match between MacCachren and Marty Hart, with Hart leading most of the race until Hart lost a tie rod in turn five. But on Sunday, it was an early and consistent clean getaway for MacCachren.
Huseman continued his own clean sweep, winning both the Pro 4 rounds as nearly all of his competition fell victim to fire or equipment failures. He has now won all four Pro 4 class races of the season and has firmly established himself as the guy to beat this year. Game on!
E3 Spark Plugs congratulates all of this weekend’s winners.
