Renezeder (Pro-4) and Taylor (Pro-2) in position to defend titles; Kyle LeDuc increases lead in Pro-Lite

Crandon, WI —Defending Pro-4 and Pro-2 champions Carl Renezeder and Scott Taylor needed big weekends to align themselves for a run at the 2004 CORR Lucas Oil Pro Series championships. At the BorgWarner World Championships in Crandon, Wisconsin, they both got what they needed.

In the Pro-Lite division, Kyle LeDuc gained on his lead in the Pro-Lite division, but it was Art Schmitt (Round 11) and Jeff Kincaid (Round 12) who claimed wins over the weekend. For Schmitt and his Nissan Frontier, it was his first win in two years.

Already one of the best off-road competitors in Championship Off Road Racing history, Johnny Greaves became the 8th driver in the 10 year history of the World Championship BorgWarner Shoot-out to claim the prized BorgWarner trophy. Capping off the 35th anniversary of the Crandon International Off Road Raceway, Curt LeDuc finished second and Scott Taylor placed third.

The 2004 CORR Lucas Oil Sportsman Series concluded at the BorgWarner World Championships, with Dan Baudoux (Sportsman 2) successfully defending his division championship. Keith Steele (Stock), Steve Krieman (Super Buggy), Mark Steinhardt (Single Buggy), and Ben O’Connell (Light Buggy) won the other Sportsman division championships.

Carl Renezeder and his Lucas Oil Chevrolet took a giant step in his attempt to defend his Pro-4 title. Entering Round 11, Renezeder trailed Johnny Greaves by nine points, but following a victory in Round 11 and a second-place finish in Round 12, Renezeder took over the division lead 179 to 178 over Jason Baldwin.

Jason Baldwin won for the second time this season in Round 12, when he held off Renezeder. In 12 rounds of competition, Jason Baldwin has 2 wins and 11 top-four finishes. Greaves fell back to third place after a 5th place finish in Round 11. In Round 12, Greaves pulled off the track on the first lap.

Rob MacCachren, the two time Pro-4 champion (2000-2001), and the all-time leader in division wins with 22, returned to the Crandon International Off Road Raceway to compete in the BorgWarner World Championships. MacCachren, driving Greaves’ Forest County Potawatomi Toyota Tundra, finished 9th in Round 11, and scratched in Round 12.

When Evan Evans cut Scott Taylor’s Pro-2 lead to ten points entering Round 11, it was a matter of time before Taylor’s Skyjacker Ford broke through for a victory. Seeking to win his sixth straight Pro-2 championship, Taylor blazed through the first turn in Round 11. With Taylor increasing his lead to 18 seconds, Evans was unable to catch Taylor. However, Evans was able to move into second-place half-way through the round, and held his position. Taylor’s win was the 4th this season and the 38th of his CORR career.

In Round 12, Taylor took the lead into turn one, and once again he built a strong lead, but in the end, it was Dan Vanden Heuvel who won Round 12 in the Pro-2 division. With Taylor falling back, Vanden Heuvel took the lead with three laps to go to claim his second victory in 2004. Josh Baldwin had his best finish of the season, placing second. Pro-2 rookie Brian Hinman also had his best career finish, placing third. Taylor’s lead with two rounds remaining in the season is 184 to 166 over Evan Evans. Carl Renezeder is third with 153 points.

For the first time since Round 3 in 2002, Art Schmitt led his Nissan Frontier Pro-Lite to victory lane. With a premium on the difficult land rush start, Schmitt took the lead, followed by Jeff Kincaid and Rick Huseman. Kincaid held second-place the entire race, and would finish in that position. In Round 11, Huseman (15th place) was unable to gain any ground on Kyle LeDuc (19th place), as both experienced mechanical problems.

In Round 12, Jeff Kincaid passed Rick Huseman’s Fabtech Ford with three laps to go, and went on to claim his fourth victory of 2004. LeDuc, coming off a disappointing finish in Round 11, finished second to maintain a 163 to 146 lead over the BOSS Snowplow Nissan of Chad Hord with two rounds remaining.
Huseman had to pull off the track after leading the entire first half of Round 12, and would go on to place 15th. With Hord finishing 3rd in Round 11 and 4th in Round 12, he has 9 top-five finishes in 12 starts.

In the overall Pro-Lite standings Huseman dropped to third place with 138 points, with Steven Federico in fourth with 134 points. Kincaid, the four-time defending Pro-Lite champion, rounds out the top-five with 128 points.

Although he already won the Sportsman 2 division after Round 10, Dan Baudoux did not let up in the final two rounds, winning in Round 11, and finishing second in Round 12. Baudoux finished the year with 7 wins and 12 top-five finishes in 12 starts. Ross Hoek’s Superlift Ford held off Baudoux in the final round, winning for the fourth time this year. In the final standings, Baudoux finished with 213 points, followed by Hoek with 157 and Mike Oberg with 151 points.

Keith Steele entered the weekend trailing three-time defending Stock champion Mark Kleiman by ten points, but a sweep of Rounds 11 and 12 enabled Steele to claim his first Stock division championship. Entering the final round, Kleiman had a six point lead, but a 14th place finish gave Steele a 189 to 177 victory in the season championship. Rhonda Konitzer, who won her first career Championship Off Road Racing race in 2004, finished the season in third place with 159 points. Corry Heynen led the Super Buggy standings throughout much of the 2004 season, but a victory by Steve Krieman in the final round led to Krieman’s first Super Buggy championship. Krieman finished the season with 3 wins and 9 top-five finishes, but the final win led to his 155 to 149 win in the division. Ryan Mulder finished the season with a win in Round 11 and a third-place finish in Round 12. Mulder finished the year with 138 points.

Battling the entire year for supremacy in the Single Buggy division, Mark Steinhardt and Michael Seefeldt have combined to win the last three division championships, with Steinhardt’slast coming in 2001. A victory in Round 11 and a second-place finish in Round 12 was not enough for Seefeldt to continue his reign as the Single Buggy champion. Steinhardt finished second in Round 11 and fourth in Round 12 to win the Single Buggy championship, 187 to 179 over Seefeldt. Steve Socha, the winner in Round 12, finished third in the year-end standings with 135 points.

Following his Dedicated Systems teammate, Josh Hintz, Ben O’Connell claimed the 2004 Light Buggy championship, 162 to 150 over Craig Metz. Jeff Virnig continued his winning streak, sweeping Rounds 11 and 12 in Crandon. O’Connell finished second to Virnig in both rounds. O’Connell finished the season with 2 wins and 9 top-five finishes.

With two rounds remaining in the CORR Lucas Oil Pro Series, Ford leads the Manufacturer Championships in the Pro-4 and Pro-Lite divisions. In Pro-4, Ford leads Chevrolet 202 to 184, with Toyota in third with 164 points. In Pro-Lite, Ford leads with 208 points, followed by Toyota’s 188 and Nissan’s 174. In Pro-2, Chevrolet leads Ford 218 to 201.

The 2004 CORR Lucas Oil Pro Series season will conclude at the Unadilla Valley Sports Center September 18-19, 2004. For more information, visit www.unadillamx.com or www.corracing.com.