CORR: Chula Vista Shootout summary

$332,000 distributed to drivers in the inaugural Nissan Off Road Nationals Shootout

Chula Vista Calif. (October 2, 2005)-One week removed from the crowning of the 2005 CORR Lucas Oil Pro Series champions, the first Nissan Off-Road Nationals Shootout provided enough incentive with $332,000 up for grabs. The winner of each division was based on the accumulation of points from Saturday and Sunday.

One week after motorsport superstars Jeremy McGrath, Boris Said and Roberto Guerrero made their Championship Off Road Racing debut, Supercross/FMX star Travis Pastrana and Jesse James of West Coast Choppers took their opportunity in a Pro-2 truck.

Pro-4

Winning seven straight Pro-4 races did not satisfy 2005 Pro-4 champion John Greaves, who came out winning the round by holding off Carl Renezeder (2nd) and Rick Huseman (3rd). In Round 2, Carl Renezeder powered to the lead from the land rush start, with Rob MacCachren and Josh Baldwin following his lead into turn one. Greaves took over third position from Baldwin on Lap 5, and two laps later, Greaves moved into 2nd place, trailing Renezeder. As Greaves attempted several times to close on Renezeder, Greaves flipped with three laps to go, allowing Renezeder to comfortably maintain his lead and win the Pro-4 shootout 36-28. Josh Baldwin finished third with 26 points.

Pro-2

Scott Taylor's 6-year reign as the Pro-2 division champion ended this year, with Renezeder claiming victory in the division, but it was Taylor who controlled both rounds of the Nissan Shootout. Returning to the form that Championship Off Road Racing fans are use to seeing from Taylor, he swept both rounds, winning 40-30 over Evan Evans. After holding off Kevin Probst (2nd) and Evans (3rd) in Round 1, Taylor again took the lead from the start in Round 2. For 11 of the 15 laps, Renezeder trailed Taylor, but the #17 of Renezeder ran off the track after running too high into a turn. At that time, Evans moved into 2nd and Dan Vanden Heuvel into 3rd. Renezeder finished 3rd in the standings, followed by Vanden Heuvel and Probst.

Jesse James (10th place) and Travis Pastrona (13th place) took their shot at the best Pro-2 drivers in Round 2, with both experiencing the "trial by fire" method of short course off-road racing.

Pro-Lite

Chad Hord was disappointed not to win his first Pro-Lite championship last weekend, but the power behind his BOSS Snowplow Nissan Frontier came through this weekend, with Hord sweeping both rounds to win the division trophy and cash. In Round 2, Hord took advantage when Steven Federico, Kyle LeDuc and Jeff Kincaid all had to pit when the mandatory yellow flag came out in Round 9. With Hord taking over the lead, he held off fellow Nissan driver Mark Krueger for the victory in Round 2. Hord won 40-30, with Lee O'Donnell placing 3rd with 22 points.

Sportsman 2

Although they competed at the same time as the Pro-2 division, seven Sportsman 2 drivers battled for their share of the largest purse in off- road racing history. Mike Oberg (Round 1) and Greg Adler (Round 2) traded victories, but with a 3rd place finish in Round 2, Oberg held off Adler 34- 31. Dan Baudoux finished third with 30 points.

Super Buggy/Class 10/12

30 drivers started in the Super Buggy/Class 10/12 division, providing more than enough action all weekend. Fresh off of his second Super Buggy championship in the last three years (2003, 2005), Aaron Hawley swept both rounds of the shootout, holding off Steve Krieman and Larry Foddrill (tied) 40-28.

Desert Truck 7

Off-Road Racing veteran Larry Roeseler, known for his desert racing success, conquered the short course at the Chula Vista International Off- Road Raceway successfully. By winning Round 1, and placing 2nd behind Broc Ross in Round 2, Roeseler edged out Ross 36-34. Javier Sacio placed third with 30 points.

Desert Truck 7s

John Holmes held off Brian Cannon both days, winning the Desert Truck 7s division 40-32. Holly Hoffman had a 5th place finish in Round 1 and a 4th place finish in Round 2 to place third with 23 points.

Single Buggy/1600 (Race 1)

With more than 40 entries, the Single Buggy/1600 division was split into two races. In Race 1, Arden Dennington and Michael Seefeldt tied at 36 points each, but Dennington won the tie-breaker by winning Round 2, with Seefeldt finishing second in the round. Dennington finished 2nd behind Seefeldt in Round 1. Aaron Hawley finished 3rd with 25 points.

Single Buggy/1600 (Race 2)

Mark Steinhardt swept both rounds of the Single Buggy/1600 race, finishing ahead of Adam Pfankuch both days. Steinhardt won 40-32, with Craig Forest placing third with 26 points.

Unlimited Desert Truck

The Unlimited Desert Truck division was one of two divisions that competed on the 2-mile desert course. Marty Coyne and Jason Baldwin led the field both days, but it was Coyne who was able to take the victory in both rounds ahead of Baldwin to claim the trophy for the weekend. Tim Herbst finished 4th in Round 1 and 3rd in Round 2 to finish with 26 points (3rd).

Unlimited Desert Buggy

Rob MacCachren and John Herder tied atop the Unlimited Desert Buggy standings with 34 points each, but with his victory in Round 2, MacCachren won the shootout under the tie-breaker rules. Herder's victory ahead of MacCachren in Round 1 put him in position, but a 2nd place finish was not enough for Herder. Andy McMillin finished 3rd with 26 points.

-corr-