LAKE FOREST, CA (May 2, 2013) – Not only has eight-time champion, Carl Renezeder, swept the first four rounds of races in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro-4 division in 2013, if you go back to the end of 2012, you’ll find that he’s on a six-race winning streak and has won eight out of the last nine races. That’s a pretty serious stat. It’s all business when the he straps the helmet on and pulls the belts tight, but there’s a lighter side to Renezeder that friends, family, crew and fans also find endearing.
For instance, before he climbed into the race truck on Saturday afternoon, he arrived in staging whistling the tune to the Andy Griffith Show. It’s good to know that while he takes the racing very seriously, he doesn’t take himself all that serious. Even his chatter over the radio to his spotter is comprised of goofy moments, like the lap before the green flag in Sunday’s Pro-2 race when his request was to “please keep me apprised of all the inside line craziness.” Perhaps that kind of lightheartedness is what’s need to balance out the intensity of four races in two days, and all the demands that go along with it.
“The race weekends are full of stress, so if you can’t find a way to have some fun, you’ll bury yourself in it and never get out of your own way,” commented Renezeder after rounds three and four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past weekend.
He definitely found both ends of the spectrum throughout the weekend. Practice started out well on Friday afternoon, and then he qualified both trucks in the top three on Saturday morning. The first race Saturday afternoon was the Pro-4 event, and it was classic Carl Renezeder making great moves throughout the race to score his 108th career short-course victory. But in the parade lap following the race, he jumped on the radio and let the crew know that there was a definite motor issue that would need to be resolved that night. He celebrated in victory lane, then signed some autographs and went back to work in the Pro-2. He had several great on-track battles but ran out of laps to chase down the leaders, settling for a third-place finish – his sixth podium in as many races on the season.
Renezeder was right about the Pro-4 motor. Debris in the filters confirmed that a motor change was in order, so the crew went to work. The next morning, just three laps into a five-minute qualifying session, the back-up motor let go. The crew would have less than three hours to do a four-hour job, and they had to figure out the culprit of two motor issues in two days.
It turned out to be an oil line to the motor that was delaminating on the inside, sending debris into the oil pump, ultimately causing both failures. With the issue sorted out, they felt comfortable putting a third motor in the truck for that afternoon’s event.
Renezeder has a group of guys that are unflinching in the face of adversity, and they proved their worth that afternoon. The motor change was complete in time to get him into the line-up before opening ceremonies. A seventh place starting position meant he had a lot of work ahead of him in the race.
But, just like his guys, Renezeder thrives on adversity. He proved their effort were worthwhile by picking off all six trucks ahead of him in just 14 laps, securing his eighth Pro-4 win in the last nine races.
Pro-2 didn’t turn out as well. The track just never came around to match his set up, and he spent time battling mid-pack, winding up in 10th place as the checkered flag flew.
“It’s a bummer to finish out the weekend on that note,” commented Renezeder, “but it’s good to have some homework. I’m proud of this entire team, and we’re already looking forward to the next event in a few weeks in Lake Elsinore.”
Results from LOORRS Rounds 3 & 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 26-28 2013:
Pro-2: Rnd 3 – qualifying: 3rd; race: 3rd
Pro-4: Rnd 3 – qualifying: 2nd; race: 1st
Pro-2: Rnd 4 – qualifying: 2nd; race: 10th
Pro-4: Rnd 4 – qualifying: 7th; race: 1st
Follow the team and 8x champ Carl Renezeder throughout the season:
http://www.facebook.com/CarlRenezeder