LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS

story and photos: Shaun ochsner

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series hosted its final rounds of the season at Glen Helen Raceway. The season was set to begin in March when the COVID Pandemic forced the cancellation of several races for months. The season finally kicked off in July without fans. Short course racers quickly found their groove on the track after months long lockdown. Some were lucky enough to get some testing in before racing started. As the series moved to the next rounds in Wheatland, Missouri at Lucas Oil Speedway, things went into overdrive. Worried about not getting a full season in, officials added two triple headers to the schedule. This meant racers would have to deal with three-days of continuous racing. Short course racing is punishing on even the best prepped vehicles. It’s 20-minutes of hard driving and door banging. Short course racing pushes parts to the breaking point as drivers charge hard for the lead. Add in an extra day of racing and your whole race program can change.

One of the most consistent drivers in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series was Myles Cheek. Racing in the Production 1000 UTV class, Cheek has been on the podium at every single round. Cheek had seven wins in the class earning him the season championship.

Elliot Watson won eight straight Pro Buggy races. Watson, the defending 2019 Pro Buggy championship was back, and he let everybody know. Watson may not have always started out front every round. There was always a half-way point in the race that ABOVE: Elliot Watson won eight Watson was making a move for the lead. While both straight Pro-Buggy races. Trey Gibbs and Matt Brister were always there to put a little pressure on Watson, it was Watson who had an incredible 53-point lead over Gibbs for the championship. Watson also received the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series driver of the year award.

Brock Heger secured his position in the championship standings early. Multiple podiums and wins put him 42 points ahead of closest competitor Christopher Polvoorde. Heger was back on the podium in first place during Round 9. In the final Round Heger would pull off the track with a transmission issue on the second lap. He still had enough points to secure the season championship, even with Christopher Polvoorde taking the Round 10 win.

One of the tightest and craziest points battles was in the Pro-2 class. The drivers in Pro-2 are incredibly fast and talented. Jerett Brooks came into the final rounds, seven points ahead of Doug Mittag. In Pro-2, anything can happen. The final rounds proved both drivers had to work for the championship. Mittag started Round 9 out front. A second lap caution shuffled Mittag to third and Brooks gained the lead spot for the rest of the race. The final round saw just as much drama. Cory Winner had the pole position and started out front. Trevor Leighton saw opportunity to take the lead. Meantime, behind Leighton, both Mittag and Brooks were digging for the lead. Leighton spun out and Mittag took over the lead and stayed there the rest of the race. Despite Mittag’s win, Brooks won the season championship by two points.

Other season championship wins went to Connor Barry in Modified Kart and Corry Weller in Turbo UTV.