San Bernardino, CA – Pro level off-road racing is not for the meek. If you are not going full out, you get left behind. If you fail to stick your grill in on the truck in front of you, the truck behind you will. When you constantly run on the edge, your margin of error is slim. Brandon “The Stinger” Arthur showed up for rounds 9 and 10 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA, looking for a win. He was on the podium both days in rounds 7 and 8 at Estero Beach, but he wanted the top spot.
During qualifying for round 9, he was second fastest. With a zero inversion drawn, he started outside row one for the race. “We started outside the front row but didn’t get a good jump,” said The Stinger, “We came out in third. I ran down Heger and made a pass on him and then started to catch Beat.” Brandon was making his way to front in a hurry. He carried too much speed into a corner and lost traction. “I made a mistake and spun out,” Brandon continued, “Then I got a flat tire and had to run on it for 4 laps; I came home 9th. It was a brutal race on Saturday. A lot of people were having problems.”
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The Lucas Oil track crew had made some changes to the composition of the dirt on the track before the race and the drivers were quick to notice. It did not take long for deep ruts to form on the track. It’s a constant challenge to adjust your truck’s suspension and tire set-up to adapt to the ever changing conditions. Brandon Arthur does his own work on his Competitive Metals, Toyo Tires, Pro Traffic Services, HRT Motorsports, Method Race Wheels, Magnaflow, Aeromotive Fuel Systems, F&L Racing Fuel, Impact, FOX, Heatshield Products, Maxima Racing Oils, FiberwerX, Summers Brothers, Wirefab, ECP Powder Coating, Bink Designs, Axis Rod Ends, Redline Performance Pro Lite, so he understands what makes it tick. Luckily, Toyo Tires has several options when it comes to tire construction and tread pattern. Brandon made a switch from his normal all terrain tire to Toyo’s mud terrain before round 10 on Sunday.
“On Sunday, we didn’t have the best qualifying effort; we started 4th,” said Brandon Arthur. “We were fourth at turn one and then made a pass to get into 3rd. I was in a battle with Beat and got him after the half way caution. Then I set my sights on Brooks and started to real him in a little bit. He was faster in a couple spots on the track, but we were faster in others. He made a slight mistake in turn three and I got past him. From there I kept the hammer down for the win. My Competitive Metals, Toyo Tires, Pro Traffic Services Pro Lite was fast. We made a pretty big change with the tires and it paid off. Our team worked really hard this weekend. The track was pretty brutal and it tore up a lot of trucks. Overall it was a great weekend for our team.
We are already getting ready for Reno. Rounds 11 and 12 of the Lucas Oil series will be at Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, NV, on August 13th and 14th. To get the latest info on Brandon Arthur racing go to: http://brandonarthurracing.com/. There you will find the latest news, photos and videos of Brandon’s accomplishments in the Lucas Oil Series and other select off-road events.
Photography By: Bink Designs