The weekend is in full swing and Round 14 of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series took place on Saturday. The action the night before did not disappoint and only lead the fans wanting more. With only two rounds left prior to the start of the day drivers would need to give it their all to stay in the points battle.

If racers thought the stands were placed the night before, Saturday had standing room only. Off-road fans in Southern California lined the fence to catch a glimpse of the high horsepower vehicles.

The fireworks during the national anthem was just the warmup to the excitement that took place under the lights in Lake Elsinore, California.

Pro 4

After yesterday’s battle Kyle LeDuc would be four points behind Carl Renezeder at the start of the night’s Pro 4 race. This would be one to watch and see if LeDuc could continue to make his comeback.

Carl Renezeder did everything he could to pass Kyle LeDuc, but just could not catch the no. 99 truck.

LeDuc took another early lead and was able to hold Renezeder back. A caution midway solidified the extra point for leading mid-race. It would be a sprint to the finish line with LeDuc sweeping the weekend and tying Renezeder going into the last and final round in Chandler, Arizona next month.

“It is crazy to hear that we are tied,” LeDuc said. “I did not think that this would happen, but we just continued to battle.” Renezeder would take home second place with Rob MacCachren taking home third.

Going into Round 15 Pro 4 is anyone’s game.

Pro Lite

After dominating the Pro Lite field the night before, Jerett Brooks, would come out and look for the podium sweep. He once again started on the front line, and would need to hold off a field with plenty of talented drivers.

With so many trucks on the course, there is bound to be a little contact.

Brooks would hold off the field and take home the weekend sweep, with his 7th win of the year. Giving Brooks a run for his money was Ryan Beat who finished second and Cole Mamer in third. “When your rubbing you ain’t going forward,” said Beat. “ I just sat back and ran my own race.”

“I wasn’t going to give up,” Mamer said. “My team and I have worked so hard to get this truck up on the podium.” Mamer would also be celebrating his first Pro Lite podium.

Jerett Brooks would sweep Lake Elsinore putting himself in a great spot to win the championship next month.

Atop the podium for the second night in the row Brooks. “Coming into today I was super nervous with all my friends and family here,” Brooks said. “We have to keep charging hard next month and push to take home the championship.”

Pro Buggy

Out of all the races, the night before this class had the most action. It seemed like vehicles were getting taken out left and right. One of the biggest heart breaks was with the no. 99. The buggy sustained serious damage, but the team pulled an all-nighter to get the car ready for Round 14.

The Pro Buggy race had a lot of great driving and kept the cautions to a minimum.

Darren Hardesty and his no. 99 would come back and qualify to start on the front line. Saturday’s race had a lot less action than the night before with Hardesty taking home his third win of the year. Rounding out the podium was Garrett George in second and Kevin Mccullough placing third.”It was a real battle out there,” Mccullough said. “We had to play follow the leader out there and just hope that someone would make a mistake.”

With little mistakes, the field was pretty set from the start. “The season has been very up and down,” George explain. “Yesterday was hard to sit and watch from the pits, but I had to come out strong today to get back on top.”

Darren Hardesty on the podium, something that should have happened the night before, but a bad crash kept him off.

Hardesty had the crash of the weekend, but his team was able to get him back out and on the podium. “I got out front and I kept everyone behind me,” Hardesty said. “I cannot thank everyone who worked all night to get my car back together enough.”

Pro 2

The last race of the weekend in Southern California brought out plenty of hometown heroes. Drivers like Brian Deegan and Jeremy McGrath who got their start racing motocross at the tracks in the distance would once again be the center of the stage.

These 900 horsepower trucks can really get up and fly.

Deegan would once start on the front line in front of his home crowd. Once the green flag was waved it seemed like nothing would keep him from taking home the win. He has missed some short-course races this year due to his commitment racing rallycross. Out of the points battle, he had just one thing on his mind – win!

Brian Deegan was flawless on Saturday night. He ran the perfect race for the fans in the stands.

Deegan would hold off Renezeder and Patrick Clark for the victory. The crowd erupted as soon as he came down the final stretch towards the checkered flag. “It’s perfect. You line up on the front row and think ‘don’t mess this up,'” Deegan said. “I have had a lot of second and thirds this year, so it feels great to get this off my back and especially in front of all my friends and family.”

Rob MacCachren capped off the night by clinching the Pro 2 point championship

It may have been an off night for the off-road driving legend, but Rob MacCachren clinched the Pro 2 championship with one round left. “Brian Deegan and I have been trading winning this class for the las seven years,” MacCachren said. “He has three, but now I have four. The key to winning a championship is being reliable. With the help of everyone on my team we have been able to do that this year.”

The series heads to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park October 22-23 for Round 15 and the Challenge Cup. For more information on the series or to purchase tickets be sure to check out Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series’ website.