Check out this great LOORRS Glen Helen qualifying recap from Scott Neth!
Glen Helen Qualifying
With flames firing out their exhausts and their brake rotors glowing red, the spectacle that the drivers of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, put on at night is one that creates a unique atmosphere of excitement all its own. Night races are always a favorite of fans and crews alike; there’s something in the air, the kind of feeling that harkens back to the memories of nighttime football games in high school. Here in San Bernardino, CA, Glen Helen Raceway has been hosting night races for Lucas Oil Off Road since 2010, and the races here have always been spectacular. Today, qualifying was the order of the day, as the drivers would do two separate qualifying sessions: the first would set the grids for Saturday night’s Round 9 races, and the second would do so for the Sunday night’s races of Round 10. Despite two full practice sessions earlier in the day to help drivers dial in their setups, time was still of the essence, as drivers would have to hope they got it right today, for there would be little time to make setup changes between any of the sessions. Read on to find out who got it right, and who missed the mark.
Pro 4 Unlimited
First out on track for qualifying were the monsters of Pro 4 Unlimited, and in the Saturday session, it was Eric Barron who set the early benchmark at a 47.190. Just behind him, Rob MacCachren was the only driver to go quicker on the opening lap, as he posted a 47.056, which remained the leading time for the next three laps. On lap five, Barron got back to the top spot with a 47.025, but on the next lap, it was points leader Carl Renezeder who then took over the top time, as he turned a 46.813. Renezeder’s time held up as the best time of the session, giving him the pole and the one championship point that comes with it. Behind Renezeder, MacCachren was second quick after improving to a 46.827 on lap seven, and Barron’s earlier time was good enough to give him third. Kyle LeDuc was fourth quick at a 47.233, and his brother Todd LeDuc rounded out the top five with a 47.722.
For Sunday qualifying, the session opened with two laps under yellow, and once the real action got started, it was again Barron who quick early, as he put up a 47.139 on lap three. Renezeder turned a 46.891 on the same lap to move to the head of the pack, and amazingly, turned the exact same time, to the thousandth of a second, on the following lap- talk about consistency! Renezeder’s time, or times rather, held up until the final lap, when MacCachren pipped him at the end with a 46.814 to take pole. Renezeder was second, with Kyle LeDuc third at 46.976, Barron fourth, and Ryan Beat fifth with a 48.912.
Pro Buggy Unlimited
The battle for Saturday pole in Pro Buggy Unlimited was fiercely contested, with the top time getting improved on every single lap! First out on track, it was Dave Mason Jr. who posted the early leading time at a 53.025. Right behind him, Steven Greinke went quickest of all on the first lap, as he turned a 52.201 to lead the pack early on. Greinke improved on his own leading time on lap two with a 52.091, but was then knocked off by Geoffrey Cooley’s 52.048 on lap three. Cooley then edged that leading time down again on lap four with a 51.568, before getting bested by Bradley Morris’ 51.535 on lap five. On lap six, Greinke returned to the top of the chart with a 51.477, and sealed his pole position with a 51.258 on the seventh and final lap. Cooley improved to a 51.528 on the last lap to slot in second, while Morris’ time from lap five kept him in third. Larry Job put in a 52.110 to take fourth, and John Fitzgerald was just behind in fifth with a 52.184. Impressively, fourth to tenth places in this session were covered by just over eight tenths of a second!
The Sunday round of qualifying was also a close one, and it was Mason Jr. who was again first to post a time, and his 52.181 led the time sheets, if only briefly. Greinke (51.258) and Cooley (50.926) both knocked the leading time down on lap one, with Greinke then taking it down to 50.291 on lap three. Cooley answered with a 50.235 on the same lap, and that time would hold up until the final lap, when Greinke snuck in a 50.158 to grab his second pole position of the day. Cooley’s earlier time was good enough for second, with class newcomer Adrian “The Wild Man” Cenni taking third at 50.689. Morris was fourth with a 50.891, and Mason Jr. improved to 50.922 to finish fifth.
Pro Lite Unlimited
This weekend sees a big change in Pro Lite Unlimited qualifying, as for the first time, drivers will have to qualify just to make the main event race. Qualifying will work like this: as before, the class will be split into two groups for qualifying. The top eight finishers in each qualifying session will automatically make the main event, and will line up on the grid with those from group one on the inside row, and those from group two on the outside row. Those who don’t qualifying this way can still make the main by finishing in the top two positions in a last chance qualifying (LCQ) race (this weekend, these will be run on the day of each main event race). The final two starting spots for the main event will be given to the two highest-placed drivers in championship points who haven’t qualified for the main event via qualifying or the LCQ (no one driver can use this way of getting into the main for more than three consecutive races).
In Saturday qualifying, group one was led early by Brian Deegan, who posted a 51.048 on the opening lap. Deegan improved to a 50.943 on lap two, but was then bested by RJ Anderson’s 50.768 on lap three. Anderson’s time remained the quickest at session’s end, which gave him the pole. Deegan wound up second, with Noah Fouch third at 51.107, Casey Currie fourth at 51.189, and Ryan Beat fifth at 51.480. Jerett Brooks, Ray Griffith, and Aaron Daugherty rounded out the top eight, and will all transfer to the main event, while Trenton Briley, Todd Cunningham, Oscar Rodriguez, and Erik Apple will all head to the LCQ.
In group two, things were similarly simple, as it was Sheldon Creed who set the early benchmark at 51.020. After two laps under caution, the field picked up speed again, with Creed improving the leading time to a 50.986. On the same lap, Bradley Morris timed in at a 50.567, which would end up as the top time of the session. Creed improved to a 50.680 on lap six to hold second, while Jimmy Fishback was third with a 51.520. Reigning Modified Kart Champion Myles Cheek, running the national series in Pro Lite Unlimited for the first time this weekend, finished fourth with a 51.762, and fifth was Chris Brandt with a 52.050. Chris Lawrence, Kyle Hart, and Eric Hunter rounded out the automatic qualifiers for the main event, leaving Justin Smith, Mike Lawrence, Drew Britt, and Kyle Lucas to head for the LCQ.
Sunday’s sessions started off very similarly to Saturday’s, as in group one, Deegan and Anderson dominated the lead. Deegan opened with a 51.312, which Anderson bettered with a 50.565. Deegan came back to claim pole on lap three with a 50.336, while Anderson’s earlier time kept him in second. Third was Currie (50.619), fourth was Fouch (50.805), and fifth was Beat (51.066). Cody Rahders (running in Pro Lite Unlimited in the national series for the first time this weekend, but who didn’t make it out for Saturday qualifying), Trenton Briley, and Jerett Brooks rounded out the top eight, while Ray Griffith, Todd Cunningham, Aaron Daugherty, Oscar Rodriguez, and Erik Apple will try their luck in the LCQ.
In Group 2, it was a case of “one and done,” as Creed came out first on track and posted the session’s top time, a 50.286. Morris also posted his best lap on lap one, and his 50.436 put him second in the session. Cheek was third with a 51.315 on lap five, Fishback was fourth with a 51.457 on lap nine, and Hart was fifth with a 51.574 on lap five. Brandt, Smith, and Mike Lawrence will make the main after finishing in the top eight, while Britt, Hunter, Chris Lawrence, and Paul Hoffman are off to the LCQ.
Pro 2 Unlimited
Pro 2 Unlimited qualifying found the Saturday polesitter within one lap. Rob MacCachren was first on track and posted a 48.782 to lead the time sheets briefly, but after about five seconds, it was Brian Deegan who posted the quickest time of the session, a 48.323. MacCachren improved to 48.340 on lap seven to hold second, with Robby Woods taking third at 48.742. Bryce Menzies was fourth quick at 48.856, and fifth was Carl Renezeder with a 49.282.
Sunday’s session was an almost identical story, with MacCachren first to post a hot lap at 48.483, before getting bested by Deegan, this time with a 48.330, on the opening lap. Once again, that time from Deegan would hold up for pole, with Marty Hart taking second with a 48.357 on lap three. Renezeder was third with a 48.443 on lap five, while MacCachren’s early time was still good enough for fourth, and Greg Adler picked up fifth with a 48.589 on lap three.
Junior 2 Kart
Like Pro Buggy Unlimited, Junior 2 Kart was another class whose Saturday pole position would be determined after a lengthy fight between several different frontrunners. Hailie Deegan had the early top time at 52.867, but was bettered by both Ryan Carey (52.238) and Ricky Gutierrez (51.860) on the opening lap. Carey dropped the leading time to 51.789 on lap two, before Gutierrez took it away with a 51.757 on lap three. Carey got it back with a 51.345 on lap four, but it was then Dylan Plemons who took his turn at the top with a 51.249 on lap five. Deegan got the top spot back briefly on lap six with a 51.208, but was overhauled by Gutierrez’s 50.960 on the same lap. Gutierrez’s 50.960 would finally wind up as the pole-winning time, with Deegan taking second, Plemons third, Parker Porter fourth at 51.331, and Carey fifth.
Sunday’s session was also a very tight race, with Deegan again laying down the early benchmark at 52.964. Hayden Cling (52.724), Broc Dickerson (52.685), and Gutierrez (51.537) all bettered the session-leading time on lap one, with Porter then edging ahead of Gutierrez by just one thousandth of a second with a 51.536 on lap two. Cling got back in front with a 50.924 on lap three, with Gutierrez then surpassing him with a 50.634 on lap four. On the seventh and final lap, Carey snuck in to grab pole for himself with a 50.308, with Gutierrez holding second thanks to his earlier time on lap four. Plemons would finish third at 50.730, followed by Dickerson, who improved to 50.746 to take fourth. Cling rounded out the top five with his 50.924 from lap three.
Junior 1 Kart
Just after taking Saturday pole in Junior 2 Kart, Ricky Gutierrez came back out to try and do the same in Junior 1 Kart. By virtue of being first on the road, Blaze Nunley led early with a 58.369, but was bettered by both Daely Pentico (55.520) and Gutierrez (55.420) on the opening lap. Pentico re-took the top spot briefly on lap three with a 55.271, but Gutierrez answered right back with a 54.614, and followed that up with a 54.528 on lap four and a 54.084 on lap five. Gutierrez’s time on lap five garnered him the pole, his second of the day, while Pentico improved to 54.996 to hold second. Madix Bailey was third with a 55.163, with Mason Prater fourth at 55.245 and Kamrin Dickerson fifth at 56.331.
Sunday’s session was all about Gutierrez. Nunley was first on track again, and posted the first hot lap at 56.417, before getting bettered by Pentico (55.436), Bailey (55.397), and Gutierrez (54.325) on the opening lap. Gutierrez then went on a tear; his first lap was already over a half second quicker than anyone else would go in the session, and from there, he only got quicker. Lap two was a 54.251, lap three was a 53.932, and lap four was the pole-winner, a 53.864. Prater would take second with a 54.880, followed by Pentico, who improved to 55.184 to take third. Bailey’s early time netted him a fourth place in this one, and fifth was Nunley, who improved to a 55.832.
Modified Kart
In the Saturday session, Travis PeCoy was first out on track and first to post a time: 47.378. Jeff Hoffman was the first to lower that leading time, as he turned a 45.658, but his leading mark was then bettered by Preston Roben (45.291) and Cole Mamer (45.210) on the same opening lap. Hoffman got back in front with a 45.055 on lap two, but it was then PeCoy who bookended the session by re-taking the top spot on lap five with a 44.818. PeCoy grabbed pole position with that time, with Hoffman’s time from lap two holding up for second. Myles Cheek was third at 45.065, Mamer was fourth, and Gavin Harlien was fifth with a 45.177.
Modified Kart’s Sunday session was the final one of the afternoon, and after two laps under yellow to begin the session, it was again PeCoy who posted the early leading time, a 46.070. Hoffman bettered that with a 45.612 on the same lap, as did Cheek with a 45.414 and Mamer with a 45.149. On the next lap, Roben took a tenth off the leading time with a 45.049, before Mamer grabbed the top spot back with a 45.000 on the lap after that. Mamer’s time held up for pole position, with Roben’s time also standing up to give him second, Cheek improved to a 45.081 to grab third, while Scotty Steele wound up fourth with a 45.154. Fifth went to PeCoy, after he dropped to a 45.203 on lap five.
That does it for qualifying here at Glen Helen. Tomorrow night, the real racing will begin, with gates opening to the public at 2:00 pm. The first event on the track will be Pro Lite Unlimited’s first-ever last chance qualifier race at 4:20 pm, followed by the first main event race, Junior 2 Kart, at 5:30 pm. Opening Ceremonies is set for 7:00 pm, with the first pro class race of the evening, Pro 4 Unlimited, just afterwards at 7:15 pm. This race weekend is usually our most popular of the year, and tickets go quick, so get here early to make sure you get the best seat possible. Come out and share an evening under the lights here at Glen Helen; there’s nothing quite like night racing!
About the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series:
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is the evolution of the long-standing support of short course racing by Forrest Lucas and Lucas Oil Products. Steeped in the Midwest tradition of short course off-road racing infused with a West Coast influence, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing brings intense four wheel door-to-door action to challenging, fan-friendly tracks. Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: This is Short Course. For more information, please visit www.LucasOilOffRoad.com.
Written by Scott Neth for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
