Scott Taylor earns his 31^st career CORR win, leads Renezeder in Pro-2; Kincaid and Huseman carry on their battle in Pro-Lite

Crandon, Wisconsin -The only thing hotter than the weather and some of the engines in Rounds 5 and 6 of the CORR Lucas Oil Series was the racing.  The drivers took advantage of the fast, 1.5 mile track at the Crandon International Off Road Raceway.  This was the first event of the season where the drivers started from the always challenging and unpredictable land rush start.  

The weekend concluded with the 10^th Annual Potawatomi Governor’s Cup presented by Precision Gear.  In one of the closest Governor’s Cup challenge in recent history, Pro-4 driver Johnny Greaves passed Curt LeDuc on the final lap to claim his first Governor’s Cup Trophy.  Each year, the Crandon International Off Road Raceway features a 10-lap, non-points competition between the Pro-4, Pro-2 and Sportsman 2 trucks on the same course.  Greaves, LeDuc, Carl Renezeder and Scott Douglas were all in the race on the final lap, but Greaves was able to take the lead from LeDuc with two turns to go.  LeDuc’s Skyjacker Ford held the lead with three laps to go, but his right front tire started getting low, which enabled Greaves to take the lead.  LeDuc finished second and Douglas’ RANCHO Ford placed third. 

With a clean sweep of Rounds 5 and 6 of the CORR Lucas Oil Pro Series, four-time defending Pro-2 champion Scott Taylor broke a tie with Carl Renezeder, and now leads the division by 16 points, 90 to 74 over Renezeder.

Taylor’s Mobil 1 Ford picked up his second victory of the year in Round 5, which was the 30^th of his illustrious career.  Larry Gourlie’s Quick ‘n Brite Chevrolet was the first of 12 trucks to turn one from the land rush start.   

Gourlie was able to hold off Renezeder and Taylor for the first few laps.  Gourlie’s suffered a bit of bad luck in Round 5, as the Quick ‘n Brite truck had to pull off the track while he was working on a great start.  Once Taylor’s truck took over the lead from Gourlie, he opened a lead that extended close to 30 seconds by the time he took the checkered flag.  Kevin Probst’s Indycom Chevrolet finished second, and R.J. Flanagan placed third, his best finish of the season.   

In Round 6, Kevin Probst took the lead from the start.  Tommy Bradley’s Quick ‘n Brite truck flipped several times when he was heading into the first turn on the outside line.  After challenging for several laps, Taylor finally took the lead from Probst, but once he did, he was focused on extending his Pro-2 points lead.  Carl Renezeder’s Lucas Oil Chevrolet had another strong performance, placing second.  Renezeder’s finish was his fourth top-three finish in the first five rounds.  

The Pro-4 drivers treated the fans to two unbelievable races that ended with two drivers earning their first victories in 2003.  In Round 5, Jason Baldwin and Curt LeDuc took part in one of the most thrilling endings to a race this season.  In Round 6, Carl Renezeder’s Lucas Oil Chevrolet took home his first win of the year in the Pro-4 division after a dominating performance.   

Jason Baldwin used all of his muscle to take his Filger Manufacturing Ford into first place at the start of Round 5.  Baldwin was being chased by the Forest County Potawatomi Toyota of Johnny Greaves and Carl Renezeder’s Lucas Oil Chevrolet.  The crowded first turn knocked LeDuc’s Skyjacker Ford and Scott Douglas’ RANCHO Ford off their lines, causing them to lose a few seconds on the leaders. 

Greaves, the defending Pro-4 champion, started to pull closer to Baldwin nearing the mid-point of the 12-lap race.  As Greaves was trying every move possible to get around Baldwin, his right rear tire started losing air, and caused him to lose ground to the leader.  With Greaves falling back, LeDuc and Douglas were charging closer to Baldwin.  LeDuc was able to pass Douglas, and his Skyjacker Ford was on the prowl for Baldwin.

  With Baldwin and LeDuc seeking their first win of the season, they were not allowing any room for each other, trading paint and locking wheels a few times.  Struggling and clawing to the checkered flag, Baldwin beat LeDuc to the finish line, earning his 6^th career win.  Greaves recovered from a flat tire to place third. 

Round 6 began when LeDuc’s truck went sideways heading near the first turn, colliding with Greaves’ Toyota, knocking the defending champion off the course.  For the second straight day, Jason Baldwin had the lead on the first turn, but a right rear flat slowed his truck, surrendering the lead to Carl Renezeder.  As each lap passed, Renezeder’s Lucas Oil Chevrolet extended his lead, finished ahead of LeDuc.  Josh Baldwin had his best finish of the year, placing third.  After Round 5, Greaves (77 points) maintains a five-point lead over LeDuc and Douglas, who are tied in second with 72 points.  With Renezeder’s victory, he moved into fourth place with 66 points.   

Three-time defending champion Jeff Kincaid and Rick Huseman are beginning to distance themselves from the rest of the Pro-Lite field.  Kincaid and his Forest County Potawatomi Toyota swept Rounds 5 and 6, giving him a slim 81 to 77 lead over Huseman and his Fabtech Ford.  Kincaid’s winning streak is now at three, and the Forest County Potawatomi Toyota driver now has 26 career wins.  Of his 26 Pro-Lite wins, 11 have taken place at the Crandon International Off Road Raceway.   

Steven Federico and his Ingles Market Toyota had a third (Round 5) and fourth (Round 6) place finish, moving him from 13^th place to a tie for 6^th after Round 6.  Chad Hord (61 points) and Art Schmitt (59 points) continue their consistent driving.  Hord’s BOSS Snowplow/Lucas Oil Toyota has not placed out of the top-five in the first five rounds.  After an uncharacteristic 17^th place finish in Round 1, Art Schmitt’s Nissan Frontier has finished in the top-four three straight times.  Schmitt’s Nissan Frontier team is currently fourth in the Pro-Lite standings with 59 points, two points out of third.    

In the Sportsman 2 division, Dan Baudoux picked up his second straight victory in his TeamTech Ford Chevrolet in Round 5, holding off Brian Hinman and Michael Savage.  Baudoux’s victory was the 14^th of his Sportsman 2 career.  In Round 6, Baudoux once again found himself in contention, battling with Sam Konitzer.  Konitzer was able to hold off Baudoux for most of the race, and after Baudoux took the lead briefly, Konitzer took it back and went on to claim his first Sportsman 2 win since 1998.  Baudoux finished second.   

Ross Hoek and his Superlift Ford fell victim to bad luck in both rounds.  He took the lead on the first lap both times, but he had to pull off the track each time.  In Round 5, Hoek placed 7^th, his best finish of the year.  Baudoux presently has an 80 to 68 lead over second-place driver Michael Savage.    

In the Stock division, Keith Steele increased his lead to 15 points over Jeff Lutzow, 86 to 71 by sweeping Rounds 5 and 6.  In five rounds, Keith Steele has three wins and five top-four finishes.  Defending champion Mark Kleiman struggled in Rounds 5 and 6, finishing 10^th both times.  Rookie Randy Rundhaug had a third-place finish in Round 5 and finished second in Round 6.   

In the Super Buggy division, Aaron Hawley won for the second time in 2003, holding off Gary Nierop and Steve Krieman.  Corry Heynen picked up his first win of the 2003 season in Round 6.  Heynen’s win was his first top-ten finish in five starts.    

In the Single Buggy division, Mark Steinhardt maintained his hold on first place by winning Round 6.  Steinhardt’s win was his second in 2003, and the 20^th of his Single Buggy career.  Steinhardt beat Brad Erickson to the finish line.  In Round 5, Steve Socha took home a win for first time in 2003, by holding off John Svanda and Adam Guberud.  Steinhardt’s Single Buggy points lead is 67 to 61.  Bob Blaney and Socha are tied for second-place.  

The Dedicated Systems team of Josh Hintz and Ben O’Connell each earned a victory in Rounds 5 and 6.  In Round 5, 2002 Light Buggy champion Josh Hintz took home his first win of the season as he looks to close in on his teammate, Ben O’Connell.  Steve Oman had his best finish of the year in Round 5, placing second.  O’Connell finished third.  In Round 6, O’Connell won for the second time in 2003, holding off Hintz and Todd Lemke.  O’Connell has a 73 to 51 lead over Hintz and Matt Gerald, who are tied for second.  Jeff Virnig is in fourth with 50 points.   

In the 2003 CORR Lucas Oil Series Manufacturer Championship, Ford leads the Pro-4 division with 86 points.  Toyota (77) is in second, and Chevrolet (74) is in third.  Ford also leads the Pro-2 division, 90 to 88, over Chevrolet.  Toyota maintains a 94 to 78 lead over Ford in the Pro-Lite division.  Nissan is currently third with 68 points.

CORR Officials also announced that Round 4 (Antigo) will be cancelled, and would not be made up.  Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2003 CORR Lucas Oil Series will move to Bark River, Michigan for the BOSS Snowplow Off-Road Challenge on July 12-13.  For more information on the event, visit www.corracing.com or call (906) 466-2778.