CORR: Baldwin first entry for Crandon Shootout

"Fastest off-road racer alive" first to register for 2002 Borgwarner Shootout at Crandon

CRANDON, WI -- Each year since the inception of the World Championship BorgWarner Shootout at Crandon Raceway in 1995, racers compete not only on the track for the most prestigious prize and purse in off-road racing, but also to be first to register for the event. Registration for the 2002 BorgWarner Shootout was no different. Ford 4x4 driver Jason Baldwin, Laguna Beach, CA, was the first official entry received for the 2002 Shootout.

Baldwin already holds the title as the "Fastest Off-Road Racer Alive" for setting the single lap speed record last year at Crandon Raceway. Baldwin won the pole for the 2001 Shootout by posting a record time of 1:24:50 around Crandon's 1.75 mile track during the Trail Master Time Trials for the race.

Off-road racing's most prestigious race, the Shootout for the $100,000 BorgWarner Cup is the main event at the annual BorgWarner World Championship Off-Road Races, August 30-September 1. It will be the 8th annual running of the 10-lap event.

"Last year was my first heavy metal BorgWarner Shootout and it's one biggest events in all of racing -- not just off-road," said Baldwin. "I want my name on that Cup," he said. " I would just like to thank BorgWarner and Crandon International Off-Road Raceway for making such a premier event possible," said Baldwin, whose truck is equipped with a BorgWarner 4x4 transfer case. "Our entire team is delighted to be the first to register for the Shootout," said Baldwin, whose sponsors include Filger Manufacturing, Ford, BF Goodrich tires, among others. "It nice to be able to come to Crandon from Southern California and be number one before we even take a lap," he smiled.

Driver registrations for the World Championship BorgWarner Shootout are all posted with the U.S. mail on the same day and are sent to professional off-road truck racers throughout North America. This year, Shootout registration packages were mailed from Denver, CO. "There is a lot of money on the line and prestige with the silver and gold BorgWarner cup," said Cliff Flannery, president, Crandon Raceway. "The nature of the racing breed is for the top drivers to be first no matter what and represent their sponsors well," he said. Crandon BorgWarner Shootout packages have been mailed in the past from Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Crandon, Atlanta, Ft. Myers and Bonita Springs, FL.

Chad Schlueter's Rampage Racing Team (Ford) was first to register for the inaugural Shootout event in 1995. Dan Vanden Heuvel, Appleton, WI, (Chevrolet) was the first to register in 1996. Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, CA, (Ford) registered first three consecutive years from 1997 to 1999. Carl Renezeder, Laguna Beach, CA, (Chevrolet) was first in 2000, while Wisconsin native and Forest County Potawatomi Toyota Tundra driver Johnny Greaves was the first to register last year.

First 2-wheel driver racer to register for the 2002 Shootout was Sportsman 2 pickup driver Jason Janusz, Palmyra, WI. Other drivers the first to register for World Championship races include Rich Heibing (Johnsonville Formula 4x4 class), Todd Babl (Schaefer's Food Mart Classix American Sedan class), Tim Gall (Enduro truck class), and Dan Tutro, (GOBs class).

Off-road race fans can see Baldwin's run for his first BorgWarner Shootout win at the BorgWarner World Championship Off-Road Races, August 30 - September 1 at Crandon. Upwards of 300 racers in various classes will be competing for World Championship recognition over the weekend. Vehicles range from entry level buggies to high horsepower, high performance 4x4 race trucks. The venerable off-road raceway expects a record crowd for its 33rd anniversary of World Championship off-road racing.

The race weekend draws the "cream of the crop", said Flannery. "Off-road racers from all corners of the country descend on this event," said Flannery. The annual Crandon World Championship have drawn such racers as Robbie Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Brendan Gaughan, among others at previous events. Ford Trucks has won the coveted Cup the last five years in a row. The 44-inch, 150-lb. award has been on display at the Ford Truck Product Development Center in Dearborn, MI. If Baldwin is successful, Ford would continue to hold on to the BorgWarner Cup for an unprecedented six years in a row. Chevrolet won the race in 1996. Dodge won the inaugural race. BorgWarner also sponsors the famous Indianapolis 500 BorgWarner trophy.

In addition to BorgWarner, other key sponsors at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway include the Forest County Potawatomi, Trail Master, American Axle & Manufacturing, Snap-On Tools, Rancho, 4 Wheel Parts Performance Centers, BF Goodrich, Indian Springs Lodge, Goodyear, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Bergstrom Ford, Johnsonville Sausage, KC Hilites, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Brands, Miller Electric Welders, Baumgart Tire, Precision Gear, Parsons Chevrolet, Amsoil, Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, Bluffs at Horseshoe Bay, Associated Bank, Potawatomi Bingo Northern Lights Casino, K&N, Kumho, GM Hydra-Matic, among others.

Crandon kicks off the 2002 World Championships with an Xtreme Thunderfest show under the lights. The Friday evening, August 30 "Xtreme Thunderfest" begins at 7:30 p.m. and features well-known monster trucks such as and The Destroyer; Destroyer Jr., Devastator and Amsoil American Dream machine, the "Human Bomb" -- a motorcycle daredevil act--; Figure 8 stock car racing; and the high-soaring Triple X Freestyle Moto-X Team. On Saturday, racers will compete for World Championship titles in off-road racing classes ranging from American Sedans to 4x4 trucks. On Sunday, Lucas Oil Championship Off-Road Racing action continues all day with the BorgWarner Shootout scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. It is the season finale at Crandon for the 2002 CORR season.

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