Lena, WI (July 29-30, 2023)–The Greaves Duo entered the Dirt City Motorplex for rounds 7 and 8 in Lena, Wisconsin with a lot of momentum with CJ Greaves atop the standings in all 3 of his race classes. The team ran strong but did not podium in all races which is a rare occurrence for the Monster Energy Duo. Rain prevented practice and qualifying on Friday however the track was ready for racing on Saturday. CJ Greaves swept the Pro Stock SXS weekend in his Monster Energy Toyo Tire Polaris by collecting his 5th and 6th win. He struggled in the Turbo SXS but squeezed out 5th and 6th place finishes. CJ took his number 33 Toyota to the top spot once again in the Pro-4 class but a late flat took him out of contention on Sunday. As Johnny continues to get healthy, he finished 5th in-spite of a flat tire on Saturday and a late race pass by Cenni bumped him off the podium on Sunday.
Pro Stock SXS
Saturday: CJ Greaves rolled off from the pole position in Saturday’s Pro Stock side-by-side race which was his first time on the track for the weekend due to cancellation of practice and qualifying. CJ and the rest of the 25 car field would have “on the job training” for the technical Dirt City track. While CJ and Jeb Bootle did battle up front, there was a 5-car pileup behind them. Bootle was in the lead but his motor blew before the end of lap one, handing the lead over to CJ’s Monster Energy Toyo Tire Polaris RZR which stretched his lead with every lap. CJ had a 7-second lead over the 2nd place running Owen VanEperen at the competition caution.
With the field re-stacked for the second half of the race, CJ led the field to the green flag. VanEperen and Carlson were scrapping behind CJ for second place which allowed him to continue to stretch his lead. CJ went on to take his 3rd win in a row.
Sunday: CJ started a little deeper in the field for Sunday’s Pro Stock race, but quickly went to the 4th position before turn 3. The first half of the race was uneventful with no crashes and the field spread-out. With the Carolina start, the CJ was right behind the leader on the restart and he wasted no time powering around the front runner to take the lead. Owen Van Eperen stayed right with him and pressured CJ to the very end. Greaves prevailed to complete the Pro Stock SXS sweep for the weekend.
Pro Turbo SXS
Saturday: CJ lined up deep in the field for Saturday’s Pro Turbo SXS action. From row 6, there were a lot of cars for CJ to pass. CJ did not make up much ground at the midway point of the race. On the restart, he began to make up a few positions as attrition took its toll on some of the front runners. With 2 laps to go, he had creeped up into the top 5 where he was at the checkered flag.
Sunday: CJ started on the front row in Sunday’s turbo side-by-side race with the smallest field of the 2023 season. He got a great start but a spinout and other problems sent him to the back of the 17 car field. Some of the other top points contenders were also having problems. With 2 laps to go, Greaves had managed to get his Monster Energy Toyo Tire Polaris RZR into 6th place. Despite the 5th and 6th place finishes, CJ only dropped down 1 spot in the points standings and only 10 points out of first.
Pro-4
Saturday: The two trucks of the newest Pro-4 rivalry lined up on row two for the Saturday Pro-4 race. CJ Greaves and Jimmy Henderson were side-by-side with only 5 trucks on the grid. CJ went right to 2nd but Henderson passed him when CJ had to check up to avoid the leader, Cole Mamer, who slowed in turn 3. Still in the first half of the race, CJ’s Monster Energy Toyo Tire Toyota out maneuvered Henderson in one of the tight Dirt City turns and reclaimed 2nd. He set his sights on Mamer and took the lead just ahead of the competition caution.
On the restart, Henderson and Mamer were trading paint behind CJ which allowed him to stretch his lead. Meanwhile, Johnny Greaves had moved into striking distance of a podium by moving into 4th. Unfortunately he cut a right front tire in his charge to the front and had to pull into the hot pit for a tire change with less than 2 minutes to go. The younger Greaves had stretched his lead to more than 3 seconds and sailed on to take the win.
Sunday: The capacity crowd was ready for the final race of the weekend to see a repeat of the fender-to-fender Pro-4 race. Jimmy Henderson took the early lead with Mamer riding behind him in 2nd. CJ was letting the dust settle some but when Mamer biked his machine in the turn, he took advantage and grabbed 2nd. The field settled down and spread out to regroup for a 2nd half showdown. At the green flag, the racing order was Henderson, CJ Greaves, Mamer, and Johnny Greaves. CJ was nose-to-tail with Henderson and Johnny grabbed 3rd as the 3 trucks hit the hairpin turn. Henderson over rotated that broke his momentum. CJ was unable to checkup in time and cut his right front tire in the process. CJ had to head to the pits for a tire change which put him a lap down and out of contention. Adrian Cenni also passed Johnny to bump him off of the podium ending a long streak when there was no Greaves on the podium.
The points raced tightened some but CJ is still first in the standings. Johnny remains in 5th.
Next up for the Greaves Duo is the Island Resort and Casino Off-Road Rumble in the U.P. at Bark River International Raceway in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Bark River will host round 9 and 10 on August 12th and 13th .
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