Main Street Crandon Celebration

As the race action came to a close at Crandon International Raceway, the events of the weekend were nothing short of historic and monumental.  When the gates opened at the “Big House” on Friday, the crowd already had a taste of things to come as the 40th Anniversary of Crandon Raceway kicked off with a huge celebratory parade earlier in the day.

Guided by a police escort, the long procession of race vehicles made their way from the track to downtown Crandon as excited kids ran out of their homes to wave at the passing trucks and buggies.  Lining up along both sides of Main Street, the racers provided fans the opportunity to get autographs and pictures while the race teams held crew competitions for the spectators.

As in most small towns across the country, the parade kicked off at noon sharp with the attention-grabbing siren of the local fire engine and an overhead plane dropping goodies on the crowd.  Following behind the fire truck was the local high school marching band and all the carefully hand-crafted floats one would expect to see in a small town parade.  The usual rewards of candy and trinkets were thrown from the passing floats as the children rushed in to grab their prizes.  Finishing up the parade was the procession of race vehicles making their way back to the track to kickoff the official start of the weekend’s racing action.

Jeff Kincaid

Friday night found Jeff Kincaid in the No. 4  looking to claim his third consecutive Forest County Potawatomi (FCP) Challenge Cup during the “Decision at Sundown” race in the ProLight class.  After leading the pack for a few laps, Kincaid suffered a broken wheel which allowed Chad Hord (who also made his Pro 4×4 debut over the weekend) to sneak in, claim the victory and earn the 3rd Annual FCP Challenge Cup.  Following closely behind was Christ Brandt in the No. 82 while Mark Oberg crossed the finish line in the No. 30 ProLight.

Saturday’s Pro 4×4 class provided the spectators a preview of the carnage and mayhem that wrecked havoc on ABC’s live coverage of the BorgWarner Cup race on Sunday.  During the 4th lap, Kyle LeDuc was running in the second position in the No. 99 Rockstar/Makita Ford when he received the dreaded black flag for giving Steve Barlow the “chrome horn” causing the No. 2 Red Bull sponsored truck to flip.  Not content with the black flag penalty, Barlow urged TORC Officials to disqualify Kyle from running the prestigious BorgWarner Cup race the following day.  Ultimately, the decision was handed down that Kyle LeDuc would be fined 5 points and would be placed on “probation” for the remainder of the season.

Adrian Cenni Crash

During the 7th lap of Saturday’s race, Adrian Cenni caught a rut with his tire, brought the truck up on two wheels, and caught some spectacular air before the truck came to a rest on its side.  Damaged beyond repair for the finish, the No. 11 Cenni Pro 4×4 was towed off the track and back to the pits where Dave Clark and crew undoubtedly had a long evening of repairs to prepare the truck for Sunday‘s racing.  Surprisingly, Curt LeDuc was also caught off-guard by the same rut and crashed almost simultaneously with Cenni.  The Senior LeDuc was able to get right sided and continue on with the race finishing in the 8th position.  Scott Douglas took home the checkered flag while Chad Hord made an impressive debut in the Pro 4×4 class by claiming second and Mike Jenkins earned his first podium with a third place finish.

It was undoubtedly a great weekend for the LeDuc’s as Saturday’s Pro 2WD competition found Todd charging full speed ahead to not only claim the “hole shot” during the land rush start, but also lead the entire race from the green flag to the checkered.  Rounding out the podium was Rob MacCachren in the No. 11 truck while local favorite, Evan Evans followed closely behind  for a hard-fought third place finish.

As Evan Evans pulled up to the podium to claim his third place trophy, the crowd of 40,000 spectators cheered as he delivered a deeply touching and emotional tribute to his dad, Walker Evans.  “It is incredible to be here at Crandon International Raceway for the 40th Anniversary and race the same track he did so many times.  I cannot tell you what an amazing honor it is to be on the podium knowing my dad was out there watching me race.  He has always been an inspiration to me and I am so proud to be here today,” commented Evans.

Robby Gordon Wheelie

Sunday’s Pro 2WD race was probably one of the most  highly anticipated events of the weekend as Robby Gordon made his first appearance at Crandon International Raceway for the first time in 20 years.  As the field of 20 competitors charged full steam ahead during the land rush start, it was Scott Taylor in the No. 8 Miller Electric-sponsored truck who would claim the “hole shot” and the early lead with Rob MacCachren in second.  By the second lap, Robby Gordon in the No. 007 Polaris-sponsored Pro 2WD, worked his way from third to second and ran hard to catch the seemingly invincible Roush-Yates powered Ford of Taylor’s.

Dominating the field and setting a new track record with a lap time of 1 minute, 23 seconds and 84/100ths, Taylor continued to expand his lead over second place Robby Gordon while the No. 48 Red Bull truck of Ricky Johnson’s looked for every opportunity to claim Gordon’s spot.  When the green flag dropped after the mandatory caution, Taylor once again found the lead and Ricky Johnson was finally successful at passing Gordon during the 7th lap.  Hanging onto their positions for the remainder of the race, Taylor took the checkered flag while Ricky Johnson crossed the finish line in second place and Rob MacCachren rounded out the third place podium.

The real dramatic race action actually took place during the final lap and just a few hundred feet from the finish line.  Robby Gordon, Todd LeDuc, and Evan Evans were neck-and-neck battling it out for the fourth place finish when Gordon gets bumped by LeDuc causing his truck to spin backwards on the track.  Todd slips by the 007 truck to claim fourth while Evan Evans sneaks by for the fifth place finish.  Gordon, still facing the wrong way on the track, throws his truck in the reverse gear and crosses the finish line backwards for the sixth place finish.

Sunday’s Pro 4×4 BorgWarner Cup Challenge brought with it the excitement and frustration of live television as numerous wrecks caused a frantic last-minute restructuring of the broadcast format.  As the 4 wheel drive trucks staged for the infamous land rush start, it was Mike Jenkins in No. 47 Traxxas truck who would claim the much sought-after “hole shot” during the 16th Annual BorgWarner Cup race.  Entering unfamiliar and uncharted territory, Jenkins claimed his first early lead during a land rush start but lost control, narrowly missing Johnny Greaves in the No. 22 Monster Energy sponsored truck, and collided with the side guard wall just before turn one.  After the initial impact, Jenkins charged full speed ahead and finally came to a stop when the truck collided with the guard railing at the bottom outside corner of turn one.

PRO4 - Jenkins Crash

In a separate but equally spectacular incident, Steve Barlow, Jamey Flannery,  Adrian Cenni, and Steve McCrossan got all tangled up just a few hundred feet further down the track and just moments after Jenkins dramatic crash.  With almost fifty percent of the Pro 4×4 field involved in wrecks and the track under red, the folks at ABC were forced to “slice” in previously recorded race footage while the carnage was cleared from the track.

As the green flag dropped for the restart, it was Curt LeDuc who claimed the “hole shot” while son, Kyle LeDuc, followed closely behind in second place.  Passing “Poppa” in the second lap, Kyle continued to lead the race, crossing the finish line as the 2009 BorgWarner Cup Champion and earning his fourth Oakley “Bomb Award” of the season for the fastest lap time.  The emotional victory was an obviously proud moment for the Senior Leduc (winner of the 1998 BorgWarner Cup) as he said, “Today I am passing the torch to Kyle.”

The 26 year old LeDuc took home $43,500 in purse money – $40k compliments of Crandon International Raceway and an additional $3,500 thanks to Ford and their “Racer Performance Award” prize money for winning in a “Built Ford Tough” truck.  In addition to the large purse, Kyle also adds his name to the prestigious, sterling silver BorgWarner Cup trophy.  “This is a dream come true – my dad won this race and I have wanted for a long time.  I can’t believe I am the BorgWarner Champion,” Kyle said during his podium interview.

In what seemed like a “battle of the energy drinks” both on and off the track the entire weekend,  it was Rick Huseman in the No. 36 Monster-sponsored Pro 4×4 who would take second place.  Curt LeDuc claimed third in the 16th Annual BorgWarner Cup Challenge and become the first “father and son” team to earn the Cup title and place on the podium during the same race.

With the conclusion of the BorgWarner Cup, the 40th Anniversary of Crandon International Raceway was undoubtedly a historic event in off-road racing history.  Track records were broken, racing legends were honored, and the fans got to witness the sometimes emotional tradition of racing passed on from generation to generation.  It was definitely a monumental weekend that will live on forever in the memories of the fans and those who were there to witness the events of the weekend unfold, as they have done every Labor Day weekend for the past four decades.