The Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORS) brought short course racing to the state of Utah for the first time, and Team Stronghold Motorsports was there to be part of the history-making event.  The track at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, located to the west of Salt Lake City, featured sweeping turns, huge tabletops, and high speed moguls that play perfectly into the strengths of all five of Stronghold’s talented drivers.  Beautiful weather and long summer days brought out the fans, who packed the bleachers to see teams battle for series points and the LOORS season reaches the half way mark.   “We are really happy with the weekend’s results,” said enthused team owner Scott Bailey.  “We have a great team and are just starting to find our rhythm. We qualified poorly with all our trucks on Saturday, we made some adjustments, and put all 3 of the trucks on the podium. I think it shows how we are coming together as a Team both with our drivers and our crew.”

In the first race of the day on Saturday, spectators were on their feet as they received a great introduction to short-course racing.  Off-road legend, Rob MacCachren, started on the front row in Pro 4 Unlimited for the Stronghold Motorsports team, filling in for Jeremy McGrath.  MacCachren took off like he was shot from a cannon, battling for the lead with Travis Coyne for the first half of the race.  After the mandatory caution at the mid-point, Rick Huseman slipped past MacCachren, who spent the rest of the race avoiding traffic and trying to reel in Huseman.  When the checkers came out,  MacCachren’s No. 21 Rockstar Energy / Stronghold Motorsports finished in 2nd place in his first race as part of Team Stronghold Motorsports.  Proving this was not a fluke, MacCachren returned for Round 8 on Sunday to post a 3rd place finish in Pro 4 Unlimited.

2009 Pro Buggy Unlimited champion, Chuck Cheek, qualified 4th on Saturday for Round 7.  Cheek started the race in the middle of the pack, patiently settling into the pace of the race before going on the attack.  Unfortunately, Cheek’s No. 957 open-wheel buggy experienced heavy front-end damage after making contact with another driver.   Cheek limped around on three wheels to salvage as many points as possible, eventually finishing in the 8th position.  On Sunday, Cheek started on the front row and was in the lead early, running a few laps out front.  “Unfortunately, I left the door open a little too wide and Jerry Weltchel schooled me pretty hard,” remarked Cheek, adding, “I tried to tuck In and stay close to Jerry, but unfortunately some aggressive contact from a pursuer behind me caused me to spin while exiting Turn One.”  Regaining his composure and with just a few laps left, Cheek was able to work back up to a 6th place finish.  Cheek is currently sitting in 8th place out of 28 drivers in the series standings and with 8 rounds left he hopes to work back into contention in the Pro Buggy Unlimited class. Look for a leaner and meaner Chuck Cheek in Rounds 9 and 10!

In Pro Lite Unlimited, Marty Hart only qualified in 10th, but he saved it all for the race and battled for the lead with Chris Brandt for the entire round.  Hart finished in 2nd place, less than a second from the win!  Hart also had the fast lap for the day in his in his No. 15 Stronghold Motorsports / Maxxis Ford, reaching speeds up to 55 mph.  On Sunday, Hart started on the front row and quickly pulled ahead to lead the race.  Hart kept the No. 15 truck at the front of the field for the entire race, with only Brian Deegan ever threatening the lead.  In the end, Marty Hart took home the victory for the Stronghold Motorsports team.  Hart currently sits 3rd in season points and hopes to repeat his Pro Lite championship from 2008.

The final race of each day was the premier Pro 2 Unlimited class, where Rob “Fig” Naughton qualified 7th in his No. 54 Stronghold Motorsports / Maxxis Ford.  Naughton ran with the leaders for the entire race, moving up from 5th to 3rd following a spectacular crash that took Carl Renezeder out of contention.  In some of the closest, most exciting racing of the season, Naughton finished in 3rd place, yet was less than two seconds from the win.   Sunday, Naughton started on the second row, but a flat front tire forced him into the hot pits.  Once returning to the track, rollovers and spun out vehicles brought out the yellow flag repeatedly, never giving Naughton the time he needed to get back to the front of the pack, resulting in a 10th place finish.  With the season half over, Naughton sits in 5th place amongst 27 drivers in his first season in the Pro 2 Unlimited class.

Stronghold Motorsports is heavily invested in the best equipment and the best mechanical support available in racing today; an investment that results in success. The Stronghold pit crew features over 50 years of off-road racing experience in support, prep and fabrication.  Headquartered in Riverside, California, Stronghold Motorsports fields it’s entire team out of its 12,000 sq. foot facility.  Stronghold Motorsports is looking forward to more success at Glen Helen Raceway, for Rounds 9 and 10 of LOORS racing on August 7-8.  For more information be sure to check out Stronghold Motorsports website for race results, photos and video at: http://www.strongholdmotorsports.com/