Corona, CA (October 20, 2009)–This weekend, October 23rd-24th, the excitement of the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL comes to a head at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track for “The Final Showdown”. The action has been heating up throughout 2009; this weekend will see many battles won and lost, but there will only be three victors in the war for the 2009 Championship. The three who emerge will carry their title on to defend it in 2010. Some will say that these champions have already been decided, but as most familiar with the sport will tell you-it is far from over.
The bloodiest battle will by far be the AMSOIL PRO 2WD class, as Rob MacCachren and Ricky Johnson have been fierce competitors throughout the season, but even more so in last few races with MacCachren edging ahead of Johnson by only 4 points. MacCachren also has one more podium than Johnson. But the story does not end there; Todd LeDuc sits only 5 points back from Johnson. This three way fight for the championship will no doubt be a roller coaster of emotion for the teams, drivers, and fans- and there is no telling who will come out victorious-it is anyone’s game.
The Kumho Tire PRO 4×4 class has seen some of the best racing, and some of the most spectacular crashes-and two rounds of racing leaves plenty of room for anything to happen. Veteran Scott Douglas has been extremely consistent in 2009, moving the AMSOIL driver into third place in the points race, 2 points up on fourth place Johnny Greaves and just 15 points behind second place Kyle LeDuc. The championship hunt will not be easy for this hungry wolf pack as points leader Rick Huseman has a whopping 28-point lead and 6 Oakley Bomb Run Awards for the fastest lap time, leaving him playing defense for the weekend.
Like Huseman, Jeff Kincaid has dominated the PRO Light class for most of the season, with 9 podiums and 10 Oakley Bombs. Kincaid, with a 27-point lead, still needs to finish well to secure the championship. Chad Hord holds the second place position in points, with third place Marty Hart and fourth place Chris Brandt closely behind Hord. Both Hart and Brandt will be aggressively chasing down Hord’s second position- and chipping away Kincaid’s points lead. Only one thing is for sure in this class- no one can touch Kincaid’s massive artillery of 10 Oakley Bomb Run Awards for the fastest lap times.
Joining in the fun will be two new drivers making their PRO 2WD TORC debut- the first, Las Vegas local Bryce Menzies will be driving his #7 Super Clean Ford. Twenty-two year old Menzies has been successful in his few years of racing short course. The second driver is Ryan Arciero driving the #83 Ford. Though Arciero will be making his first TORC appearance, the Arciero name is not new to short course-Ryan’s father, Frank, Jr. (Butch), and uncle, Albert, are both highly successful off-road drivers. Butch won numerous championships in the SCORE and Mickey Thompson Off-Road Series. Ryan’s brother (and one-time off-road co-pilot) Robert, is a highly-skilled mechanic for road racing teams.
In addition to the online broadcast efforts of Dirt Newz.com’s Live at TORC and USAC Live Race Day Coverage, ABC will bring the Las Vegas Finale event into everyone’s house with a television, airing the race on Sunday, November 8th, at 1:30pm EST.
Fast Facts
The Race: Las Vegas, Nevada 2009 Season Finale
The Date: Friday October 23rd and Saturday October 24th
The Track: The Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track
The Time: Friday, 6pm and Saturday, 6pm.
TV: ABC Sunday October 8th at 1:30pm EST.
Radio: DirtNewz.com
Schedule: Practice- 1pm Race- 6:15pm
Track Contact: Chris Powell media@lvms.com
2009 Top 3 Drivers in Points:
PRO Light 1) Jeff Kincaid 2) Chad Hord 3) Marty Hart
PRO 2WD 1) Rob MacCachren 2) Ricky Johsnon 3) Todd LeDuc
PRO 4×4 1) Rick Huseman 2) Kyle LeDuc 3) Scott Douglas
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Highlights:
Just a few miles north of The Strip, Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits like a diamond in the desert. For NASCAR fans, it is one of the most exciting stops on the schedule. Needless to say, there is plenty in Vegas to fill up your weekend.
Driving Directions:
From The Strip:
Follow I-15 North to Exit 54 (Speedway Blvd.). Speedway is about 12 miles north of downtown Las Vegas. Alternate route is Las Vegas Boulevard North.
From Utah and areas North:
Follow I-15 South to Exit 54 (Speedway Blvd.)