John Greaves (Pro-4) and Kyle LeDuc (Pro-Lite) sweep Rounds 9 & 10 to move close to the top in the championship standings

Bark River, MI (August 14, 2005)—They are both champions, and with the critical stretch of the 2005 CORR Lucas Oil Series upon the drivers, both Johnny Greaves and Kyle LeDuc made great strides for their chance at a championship at the U.P. Off Road 100 at the Bark River Off Road Raceway in Bark River, Mich.

For defending Pro-Lite champion Kyle LeDuc and his Skyjacker Ford, the first six rounds of the season were more of a nightmare. In those rounds, LeDuc had two top-five finishes. After Round 6 in Crandon, LeDuc trailed Chad Hord by 51 points, and was in 8th place. Four rounds and four victories later, LeDuc now trails Hord by nine points.

In Round 9, LeDuc coasted to the victory by taking the lead on turn one; not giving the Forest County Potawatomi Toyota of Jeff Kincaid or division leader Chad Hord’s BOSS Snowplow Nissan Frontier much of an opportunity to catch him. Kincaid and Hord held on to finish second and third respectively, keeping their championship hopes alive. For the first time this year, Steven Federico’s Mechanix Wear/PF Changs Toyota did not finish in the top ten. Federico, fourth in the division standings, was sidelined with a broken axle on the third lap.

In Round 10, LeDuc had to work much harder for the win, as he had to move from 5th place after Lap 1. Starting from the pole position from the inversion, Lee O’Donnell held the lead for the first four laps. In the middle of the fifth lap, with Federico in the lead, LeDuc took over the lead. Kincaid passed Federico on the final lap to finish in second.

In the Pro-Lite standings, Hord’s lead has been cut to one point, 133-132 over Kincaid, with LeDuc in third with 124 points.

Johnny Greaves’ struggled during the first four rounds, with a best finish of 5th place. Greaves’ first win came in Round 5 at Crandon, and his Forest County Potawatomi Toyota is heating up with four rounds remaining in the season. In the last six rounds, Greaves has 4 victories (including three straight) and a second-place finish.

In Round 9, defending division champion Jason Baldwin finished 2nd, and Josh Baldwin finished 3rd. In Round 10, Curt LeDuc’s Skyjacker Ford ran a strong race, maintaining the lead for two and a half laps, before an unlucky spin at the start finish line allowed Greaves to pass him for the lead and eventual win. Rick Huseman finished 3rd in Round 10. Carl Renezeder, the division leader in his Lucas Oil Chevrolet, had a 7th (Round 9) and 5th (Round 10) place finish, maintaining a 152-142 lead over Greaves. Jason Baldwin is in third-place with 141 points.

In the Pro-2 division, the U.S. Army/Toyo Tires Chevrolet of Kevin Probst saluted troops across the country with a win in Round 9. By holding off Carl Renezeder, Probst took home his first win since Round 7 in 2002. Josh Baldwin finished third. The Bark River Off-Road Raceway has been more of a second home for Evan Evans.

Winning for the first time since Round 2, Evan Evans claimed his 25th career Pro-2 win in Round 10. Of his 25 wins, 10 have occurred at Bark River for Evans. Renezeder finished 2nd for the second consecutive round, and division leader Scott Taylor finished 3rd, his first top-three finish since he won Round 6 (Crandon). In the Pro-2 standings, six-time defending champion Scott Taylor has a 12-point lead over Renezeder, 145-133. Continuing his best career season, Josh Baldwin is in third-place with 123 points.

Although he was unable to continue his winning streak, Sportsman 2 division leader Ben Wandahsega will bring a 162-145 lead over defending champion Dan Baudoux heading into the final two races of the season. In Round 9, Baudoux inched closer to the lead, winning for fourth time this year. Gordon Zima had his best finish of the season with a second-place finish in Round 9, with Wandahsega placing third. In Round 10, the Skyjacker/Toyo Tires Ford of Ross Hoek took home the checkered flag for the second time this year, holding off Mike Oberg and Mike Savage.

In the Stock division, a pair of drivers earned their first career CORR victories at the U.P. Off Road 100. Al Konitzer, who had 33 career starts in the division heading into Round 9, held off division leader Keith Steele for his first career win. In Round 10, it was Rookie Eric Ruppel’s turn to taste victory lane, as he held off Rod Wells and Dave Waldvogel. After Round 10, Steele has a 155-141 lead over Waldvogel, with Beauchamp in third with 132 points.

With back-to-back wins in Rounds 9 and 10, Aaron Hawley of Las Vegas, Nev. became the first CORR driver to claim a championship in 2005. Hawley, the 2003 Super Buggy champion, came back in 2005. With two rounds to go and a championship sealed, Hawley has 4 wins and 9 top-three finishes, building an impressive 161-107 lead over Scott Schwalbe. Corry Heynen is third with 103 points.

As has been the custom this year, Michael Seefeldt and Mark Steinhardt continue to battle back and forth for the lead in the Single Buggy division. In Round 10, Seefeldt took home his fourth victory of the season, holding off John Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald won his first race since Round 1 when he took the checkers in Round 9. Steinhardt finished the weekend with a 2nd place finish in Round 9 and a 4th place finish in Round 10. With two rounds remaining in the 2005 season, Seefeldt leads Steinhardt 146-143. John Fitzgerald is third with 127 points.

In the Light Buggy division, Chad DeWall won his first career CORR race in Round 9, holding off Jeff Virnig and Craig Metz. In Round 10, Jamie Kleikamp won for the second time in the last three races. Matt Gerald finished second, and Greg Stingle finished third. In the season standings, Virnig continues to lead Ben O’Connell, 128-108. Metz is third with 106.

The 2005 CORR Lucas Oil Series will return to the Crandon International Off Road Raceway for the BorgWarner World Championships over Labor Day weekend, September 3-4. For more information, visit www.corracing.com.