Crandon World Championship Off-Road Races: Weekend Preview
In spite of all the uncertainty that this year has brought to the world in general, much less the world of off-road racing, short course’s most important constant for more than 50 years remains standing for this weekend. The 51st annual World Championship Off-Road Races at Crandon International Raceway are taking place as scheduled, with fans on hand, and the driver lineup will be one of the best anywhere this season.
Of course, the stars of Championship Off-Road continue their chase for the title this weekend, with Kyle LeDuc hoping to maintain his 14-point advantage over CJ Greaves in Pro 4, Greaves hoping to build on his leads in both Pro SXS classes, Kyle Greaves continuing to pursue the Pro Lite title as a rookie, and Kyle Kleiman and Keegan Kincaid renewing one of the tightest battles of the season in Pro 2. But they’ll be joined by some of the biggest stars in the sport—some crossing over from the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, and some making their only start of the season.
The biggest news comes in Pro 2, as the respective additions of Rob MacCachren and Travis Pastrana for their only rounds of the year adds plenty of intrigue before even getting to the LOORRS regulars. MacCachren decided to make the trip in the wake of the numerous adjustments to the desert racing schedule this year, while Pastrana makes his first-ever visit to Crandon in Andrew Carlson’s Pro 2. Defending LOORRS champion Jerett Brooks, former Crandon Pro Lite World Champion Brian Deegan, and Doug Mittag headline the southwest invasion, with a total of 17 trucks on the entry list.
With Pro 4 only running in the midwest this year, most of the drivers on this weekend’s roster have been running all year long, but there are a few notable additions. RJ Anderson is back to defend last year’s Crandon World Cup win in his only start of the season in the class, while Bryce Menzies will look to dethrone him and Brooks will pull double duty. In addition, hometown hero Jamey Flannery will return after a popular one-off entry last year.
Pro Lite will have a true showcase of some of the best drivers in America, as west coast regulars like Cole Mamer, Mason Prater, and Jimmy Weitzel join midwest standouts like Kyle Greaves, Carson Parrish, and Zach Szymik in their deepest field of the year. Also returning to off-road action is Hailie Deegan, whose transition to stock car racing currently sees her fourth in ARCA Menards Series standings.
Live streaming of the World Championship Off-Road Races can be seen throughout the weekend at https://livestream.com/isoc, including Sunday’s Crandon World Cup events. The Championship Off-Road season concludes on September 26-27 with a return to Crandon for the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run, which was postponed from June.
Images via Championship Off-Road