Colorado Springs, CO 9/6/12 – 2012 hosted an epic fall Crandon event. It is always said and its always true – nothing beats Crandon. The small town came out in droves for the yearly parade. The weather was perfect, competition stiff, and racing dramatic. Especially tight was the points race in the Pro-Light division. Brad Lovell came to conquer a 1-point deficit on leader Andrew Caddell. While he only has one race win at Crandon, Lovell is known for his speed on the track.
Brad made the first jab in qualifying setting the fast time and grabbing 2 points in the process. Caddell returned the volley by qualifying 2nd and earning a single point – the pair would line up on the grid in a season points tie. Brad added, “Our Nissan is the fastest truck at Crandon and I knew we had to make it count this weekend. The inversion of the starting grid is always a factor but we are here to score points.”
In the first race, Lovell failed to get the hole shot and emerged from the start a few truck lengths off of Caddell. The two trucks battled it out, several times making contact until it came to a head in a sharp right hander. Caddell, on the outside, over rotated a bit while Lovell left him no room on the inside. The trucks collided spinning Caddell and crashing together a total of 4 trucks. Lovell emerged in front of last years champion but not without damage. The #1 spark plug wire had broken free in the impact and Lovell worked his way around the course on 7 cylinders to finish 4th. Caddell would finish 7th. Lovell said, “The collision did neither of us a favor. Luckily, the BFG’s held up and I didn’t cut a tire. No one, other than the Traxxas camp, has put my driving under scrutiny so basically, thats that. We’ll win the championship through skill, not dirty driving.”
The #44 AMSOIL/Torchmate Nissan now held a 6 point lead. During the 2nd race Lovell pushed through the pack in the treacherous Turn #1 and took the lead until NIssan teammate Casey Currie forced his way to the front on the outside of the Gravel Pit. Caddell found himself in 3rd and the three trucks separated from the pack all turning lap times within .1 seconds of each other. The order would remain the same until a driving error let Caddell slip by Lovell for 2nd. “I’m always happy to get on the box but dissapointed I didn’t beat Caddell. I have no one to blame but myself. The team was excellent this weekend and all the pieces of the puzzle were there for me. But hey, the bottom line is that we are leaving Crandon 5 points up!”
The drama filled weekend certainly adds to the intensity of the points race. No doubt that two rounds of racing in the same day will mix things up as the TORC Series holds their final 2012 event in Lancaster, CA Sept. 29 & 30. The Lovell Racing team will have to be on their toes for what is sizing up to be a David vs Goliath battle for all the marbles. Now leading points in two series, the team must first face off challengers in Ultra 4 at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, UT Sept. 22nd. More news soon as the exciting season comes to a close!
2012 TRAXXAS TORC SERIES PRESENTED BY AMSOIL
4/20 & 21 Charlotte, NC * Live on SPEED 4/20
5/26 & 27 Red Bud, MI
6/16 & 17 Crandon, WI * Includes Ultra 4 Racing
7/19 & 20 Chicago, IL * Live on SPEED 7/20
8/11 & 12 Bark River, MI
9/1 & 2 Crandon, WI * World Championship Racing
9/29 & 30 Antelope Valley, CA * Traxxas Pro-Light Cup