Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) visited Nevada August 13-14 and had one of the biggest off-road racing events of the year at Wild West Motorsports Park. LOORRS events provide spectators two full days of racing in five categories: Mod Kart, Pro Buggy, Pro2, Pro4, and Pro Lite.

Kevin McCullough blasts around the turns, maintaining speed into the straightaway.

There are many activities at these events, and it seems like the action never stops. Once the opening ceremonies start, it is non-stop action the rest of the day until the last race ends. While we love watching racing on TV, there is no substitute for watching these in person, talk where we can to the drivers, walk through the pits, hearing the roar of the engines, and seeing the trucks fly through the air at over 100 mph.

Pro 2 Driver Patrick Clark from Las Vegas, Nevada brought the Budweiser no. 25 truck out on the track.

If you have not been to a LOORRS event, let’s break down what you can expect to see.  Fans are encouraged to come early and attend the morning qualifying events for all of the classes competing in the afternoon. The different racing classes will take turns on the track and will complete laps to determine their starting order. The drivers running the fastest laps during qualifying will start at the front of the pack later in the day, barring any inversions.

Here is a look at what the competition for Hailie Deegan, “The Dirt Princess,” saw during the race Sunday.

LOORRS events are some of the fan-friendliest events in all of the types of racing we have seen.   Series sponsors very generously offer up free Rockstar energy drinks, Lucas Oil products, and Geico gift bags along with other swag from vendors in attendance.  There is a large vendor section, with a variety of race team shirts and manufacturers of off-road products. They can answer technical questions about their products and recommend solutions for fans to solve their own off-road racing dilemmas.

Rockstar, Tonka, Geico, Lucas Oil and other sponsors really poured out the swag.

While the track crew performs track maintenance between qualifying heats and televised events in the afternoon, the top drivers from the series come out to the track and meet huge lines of young fans.

These kids collect autographs, pictures, full-size posters, sunglasses, baseball hats, autographed RJ Anderson t-shirts, and for some lucky fans, and Tonka trucks. There are literally so many signed items that the little fans have trouble carrying them all back out to Mom and Dad.  Parents are delighted to see everything the kids have collected, until you see Dad realize he will need to walk all of this stuff back to the car.

Short-course trucks are built to withstand the rough course and high-flying jumps.

We recommend you not only attend the race, but take the time to walk through the pits to see these engineering marvels up close. The short-course trucks sit low to allow them to cruise at high speeds and corner without losing speed. They fly down the straightaway and sail through the air, landing over 100 feet down the track often less than perfectly, but still under complete control and immediately back on the gas.

It is an amazing thing to see with this type of racing and watching the trucks pass the first time at full speed led to grandstands full of comments like “Whoa,” “Wow,” and “Damn”. LOORRS is not something the comfort of a living room couch and surround sound can replace; you absolutely have to see it in person to get the full experience.

Brian Deegan tried to help one of his smaller fans collect the autographed posters and toys.

Opening ceremonies for the race start as the Pro4 trucks take the track. The trucks roll up to the starting line and wait for the official start of the televised section of the race. Everything begins with the singing of the national anthem by a local recording artist.

We broke out the different types of classes and included the race results and the season points results in the section below.

Pro Lite trucks circled the track in preparation for the start.

Modified Kart

The next generation of future off-road racing legends may be found in the young adults driving the modified karts of the LOORRS. The drivers range from 10-15 years old, but you would have no idea there were kids behind the wheel watching them race. This is serious and these kids fly, hitting their lines and punishing competitors for every driving error.

Mod Kart kids are the future of off-road racing. Many of the drivers here are believed to be the celebrity racers of the future.

The karts are replicas of the larger short-course trucks. They use a 450cc motorcycle motor with around 48 horsepower and have a 73-inch maximum wheelbase and a 58-inch maximum width.  The karts must weigh a minimum of 815 pounds, including the driver.

These small karts still have 13 inches of front travel and 19 inches of rear travel, allowing them to fly over the modified short-course. Drivers like Hailie “The Dirt Princess” Deegan, led the pack this season, accumulating over 475 series points followed closely by Trey D. Gibbs with 463 points, and Christopher Polvoorde with 452 points. Trey Gibbs won the first race on Saturday, and Hailie Deegan won the second race on Sunday.

Hailie Deegan and her team including father and racer, Brian Deegan posed for pictures after racing ended on Saturday.

Pro Buggy

The Pro Buggy class is made up of custom-made, open-wheeled buggies with 1650-1835cc motors. These typically have 210 horsepower and must weigh a minimum of 1800 pounds, including the driver.

There is no age requirement in this class, and we saw drivers ranging from young adults to seasoned veteran drivers. The side-by-side, open-wheel racing on a short track adds something we do not see in the other classes. Buggies literally drive over the top of each other and often lock together when colliding through the hairpin turns.

Mike Valentine did everything possible to get in front of Elliot Watson.

Jerett Brooks is the driver to watch in this class, leading the series with a total of 560 points. Closely followed in second place is Brandon Arthur with 533 points, and Ryan Beat in third with 513 points. Over the weekend, Darren Hardesty won the race on Saturday and Kevin McCullough was able to take the lead and stay in front on Sunday.

Darren Hardesty Jr. logged the fastest lap and a first place finish during racing on Saturday.

Pro Lite

Pro Lite consists of vehicles with two-wheel-drive, mid-size trucks built on a standard chassis. These trucks have 300 horsepower and must weigh a minimum of 2,800 pounds, including the driver. The trucks have a 122-inch maximum wheelbase and a 74-inch maximum track width. All trucks must have a travel limit of 12 inches in the front, and 14 inches travel limit in the rear.

Brock Heger brought the no. 12 Pro Lite truck down the straightaway in front of the grandstand.

Drivers in the Pro Lite class put on quite a show over the weekend. Jerett Brooks finished in first on Saturday. Ryan Beat survived the carnage on the race Sunday and finished on top of the podium.

Ryan Beat led the pack and finished on top of the podium.

Pro2

Pro2 trucks are two-wheel-drive, full-size race trucks built on a standard chassis. These trucks have somewhere between 700-900 horsepower and must weigh at least 3,750 pounds, including the driver. These trucks have a maximum 122-inch wheelbase and a maximum 93-inch track width.

Brian Deegan flew through the air in pursuit of the leaders Sunday.

Racing legend Rob MacCachren had an amazing weekend, finishing in first place in both the Pro2 and the Pro4 classes. MacCachren also led all drivers in the season with 584 points. RJ Anderson trails by 77 points with a total of 507 points, followed closely in third by Jeremy McGrath with 506 points. Rob MacCachren won the race on Saturday and then followed it up with another win on Sunday.

Rob MacCachren pulled the no. 21 Pro2 car in front of fans to celebrate after winning on Sunday.

Pro4

Pro4 trucks are four-wheel-drive, full-size race trucks and have between 700-900 horsepower and must weigh a minimum of 4,000 pounds, including the driver. Pro4 truck requirements are much like the Pro2 trucks, in that they have a maximum 122-inch wheelbase and a maximum 93-inch truck width. They have a maximum of 18 inches front wheel travel and a maximum of 20 inches rear travel.

Drivers battled through Turn 2 of the Pro4 race on Sunday.

The Pro4 racing over the weekend was some of the best of the day, with constant lead changes and trucks colliding through the first few turns trying to get out to an early lead. Rob MacCachren led the pack on Sunday finishing on top of the podium, but he is still trailing in series points.

Carl Renezeder led the series with 545 points followed in a close second by Kyle Leduc. Rob MacCachren trails in third place, only 25 points behind first with 520 points. Kyle Leduc won the first race on Saturday, followed by Rob MacCachren winning the most exciting race of the day on Sunday.

Rob MacCachren thanked his team and sponsors after winning the Pro4 race on Sunday.

We are already looking forward to the next race in the series, which happens September 23-24 in Lake Elsinore in a battle under the lights. Stay tuned for updates from that race and the rest of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, and be sure to check out the gallery filled with highlights from the weekend.