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Record crowd at the 26th U.P.
Off-Road 100 Dynomax Shootout
witness intense racing in Bark River, Michigan
Bark River, MI (August 12, 2001)—As the 2001
CORR EXXON Superflo Series moves near completion, the racing action
continues to intensify, as 12 out of 16 rounds are finished. In all
eight divisions, a champion is yet to be crowned with 80 points
remaining.
Pro-4 drivers Jason Baldwin and
Curt LeDuc moved closer to point leader Rob MacCachren by winning
for the first time in 2001. In his second year of racing in the
Pro-4 division, Jason Baldwin and his Filger Manufacturing Ford won
for the first time in 23 career starts. He was able to take the
lead when mechanical problems caused Scott Douglas’ RANCHO
Ford to spin near the finish line. LeDuc’s NAPA Chassis Ford
moved to second-place, where he eventually finished in Round
11.
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Jason Baldwin wins for the first time in
2001. |
LeDuc avoided a pile-up following the first turn
in Round 12 and came out in third place behind Kent Brascho and
Johnny Greaves. When Greaves and Brascho collided early in the
race, LeDuc quickly took the lead, followed by Baldwin and
MacCachren. The top three drivers in the division battled for
several laps, and LeDuc would not let Baldwin or MacCachren around
him.
Several times, MacCachren was within
feet of passing LeDuc, but when MacCachren had to pit to repair his
right rear tire, LeDuc took over and claimed his eighth career
victory. MacCachren’s lead, which was 39 points following
Round 10, is now a 25-point lead over LeDuc, 193 to 168.
The battle in the Pro-Lite division continues to
intensify as Rick Huseman and Jason Crowder picked up crucial
victories in Rounds 11 and 12. In Round 11, Huseman and his Fabtech
Ford bolted from the demanding start—a downhill land-rush
into a tight right turn. Huseman’s power took over and held
off Jeff Kincaid for his third victory of the year.
In Round 12, Jason Crowder came clean from a
massive collision in the first turn to take an early lead. By
avoiding the collision, Crowder extended his lead early, and held
off Art Schmitt for his first win since Round 1. Schmitt came back
to finish second in his Nissan Frontier even though he was involved
in the early collision. With 132 points, Schmitt and Huseman are
tied for third-place, 15 points behind second-place driver Steve
Federico. With an eighth place finish in Round 12, Kincaid’s
lead over Federico was cut to 16 points, 163 to 147.
In Pro-2, Evan Evans’ GM Hydra-Matic
Chevrolet led him to his fourth victory of the year in Round 11,
edging out Scott Taylor and Carl Renezeder. Evans’ win was
the 13th of his career, and the fourth at Bark River. In Round 12,
Kevin Probst, Carl Renzeder, and Taylor led the way during the
first half of racing, with Evans close behind. When they moved
toward a tough left-hand turn, Probst moved too far inside, causing
him to slow in loose dirt. Renezeder’s Lucas Oil Chevrolet
took the lead from that point, and picked up his second career CORR
victory, ahead of Taylor. Probst came back to finish third in his
Quick ‘n Brite/GM Hydra-Matic Chevrolet, his best finish
since Round 8.
Although he did not win in
Rounds 11 or 12, Taylor and his EXXON Superflo Ford will not let up
toward a third consecutive Pro-2 championship. Taylor finished
behind Evan Evans (Round 11) and Carl Renezeder (Round 12). He has
not finished below third place this year, compiling six wins, four
second-place finishes, and two third-place finishes.
In Sportsman 2, Ben Wandahsega broke Dan
Baudoux’s three round winning streak in Round 12 when he took
his first career checkered flag in 39 career Sportsman 2 starts.
Accompanied with a third-place finish in Round 11, Wandahsega is
within one point of second-place driver Andy Morter with four
rounds remaining. Debuting a black Dynomax Chevrolet, Sportsman 2
point leader Mike Oberg holds a 45-point lead over Morter, 194 to
149.
Mark Kleiman’s win streak in the
Stock division grew to five after sweeping Rounds 11 and 12. He
took over the points lead from Eric Dawson with his two victories,
and now leads by 19 points, 167 to 148. Don Williams moved into
third place with a third-place (Round 11) and second-place finish
(Round 12).
Corry Heynen (Round 11) and
Todd Wallace (Round 12) each scored their second victories of the
season in the Super Buggy division. Point’s leader Scott
Schwalbe finished second in Round 11, which gave him a 76-point
lead over Scott Powell heading into Round 12. Schwalbe was unable
to extend his lead to beyond 80 points to claim the Super Buggy
championship in Round 12 when he pulled off the course. Although
his lead was cut, he has a sizeable lead over Scott Powell, 177 to
114.
With five consecutive victories,
Single Buggy driver Mark Steinhardt cut Michael Seefeldt’s
points lead from 19 points following Round 10 to three points, 182
to 179 after 12 rounds. When a fire destroyed all of his racing
equipment including his buggy at his Wisconsin home, Steinhardt
brought Steve Federico’s 2000 champion buggy to Bark River,
where he continues to challenge Seefeldt for the 2001 championship.
Seefeldt had a second-place finish in Round 11 and after he shortly
stalled on the first lap in Round 12, he placed eighth.
In the Light Buggy division, Ben Andrews took the
checkered flag in Round 11 by holding off Greg Stingle and Ben
O’Connell. Andrews’ victory was his second in 2001. In
Round 12, Matt Gerald won for the first time in 24 career starts.
Jason Bort had a season best second-place finish. Jim Schmit also
had a season-best third-place finish in Round 12. Point’s
leader John Huven finished 18th (Round 11) and 5th (Round 12), and
continues to lead the division 148 to 125 over Ben Andrews.
The Crandon International Off-Road Raceway will
host Rounds 13 and 14 of the 2001 CORR EXXON Superflo Series at the
Borg Warner World Championship Off-Road Race September
1-2. |
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