Off-road racing has always been an emotional affair. Exultation, anger, satisfaction and frustration have always been part of the sport. On Sunday, all those were part of the norm as the AMSOIL Championship Off-Road season wrapped up round four of action.
But there were deeper emotions as Sunday came to a close at the Antigo Lions Roaring Raceway in Antigo, Wis., as the off-road world paid tribute to the late Kyle LeDuc with the inaugural Kyle LeDuc Cup.
A past Champ Off-Road champion and legendary Pro 4, LeDuc passed away after a short battle with cancer. LeDuc was universally respected and a passionate fan favorite. An emotional and hard-fought showdown between the top Pro 2 and Pro 4s was an instant classic and emblematic of a true champion and competitor.
Inaugural Kyle LeDuc Cup Goes to Kyle Greaves
Kyle LeDuc had more than 100 Pro 4 wins in his career, so it may be fitting that the Inaugural Kyle LeDuc Cup winner would go to a driver who would win his first career race behind the wheel of a Pro 2
Symbolism was everywhere for the Pro 2-Pro 4 showdown, including a pair of Monster Energy-backed drivers going 1-2, Antigo being the home of Kyle LeDuc’s first career Pro Lite race, and then the winner sharing the same first name.
Kyle Greaves was the top qualifying Pro 2 for the Cup race, which would last eight laps and have the entire field start simultaneously. The kicker was a joker lane that the Pro 2 drivers had to take on either lap 6, 7, or 8.
Kyle Greaves executed a flawless strategy. Despite CJ Greaves taking the lead on the first lap, Kyle’s decision to take the Joker Lane on the first pass, bypassing Antigo’s infield section, catapulted him from third to first, creating a gap that CJ Greaves couldn’t close.
“CJ passed on lap one, and I thought it was going to be a long race,” said Greaves. “As soon as they said I had some distance behind me, I just picked out some lines that I thought would have some bite. We all miss Kyle. He was a helluva racer, and I knew if you wanted to be a racer like him, you had to throw it all on the line for a Cup race.”
Greaves would finish second, with Pro 2 driver Keegan Kincaid in third.
Greaves Hits Career Mark in Pro 4
It takes time and talent to reach major milestones in racing, and CJ Greaves has put in the time and has always had the talent.
On a momentous Sunday, CJ Greaves seized a first-lap lead and executed a flawless drive, culminating in his 100th career Pro truck win (including Pro 2 and Pro Lite). This victory, combined with his ability to pull away off the start and dominate the mid-race restart, solidified his unbeaten streak in a Pro 4 race in Antigo, a feat that cannot be understated.
“They started bringing up the 100 career wins in Lena, and then the undefeated talks at Antigo started,” said Greaves. “It’s pretty cool to keep the streak alive and do 100 career wins at the same time.”
It was a race-long slog between Johnny Greaves and Jimmy Henderson on Sunday. Johnny Greaves led Henderson as the field hit the mid-race, mandatory caution. The roles switched in the second half as Henderson found enough traction down low in one of the tight 180-degree turns and slipped past Greaves for the runner-up spot.
Beat Leads From the Start in Pro 2 Win
Early success has come to Pro 2 drivers Mickey Thomas and Ryan Beat. Both drivers have been spot-on to start the season, charging hard up front in all four races. After Sunday’s action, both drivers will head to Crandon with a pair of wins and a desire to stretch out after two weekends of short-track action.
On Sunday, the battle for supremacy between Beat and Thomas reached its peak. Beat, the round two victor, seized control on the first lap, maintaining a blistering pace and a solid defensive line throughout the race. He managed to keep Thomas, the Saturday’s winner, at bay, even during some intense side-by-side action over the last two laps, securing his third consecutive podium finish.
“Mickey was just hauling it at a blistering pace,” said Beat. “I think this is the fastest pace Pro 2 has had in many years. It’s cool to be right here with the guys and battling, and we are just stoked to be up here.”
Thomas left no stone unturned in his pursuit of a third win, making every effort to overtake Beat. Despite his best efforts, a second-place finish adds to his impressive record of four straight podiums at the start of the year, securing him the points lead as they head to the Big House in two weeks.
Pro 2 rookie Kyle Greaves snuck around Johnny Holtger just after the mandatory caution and drove away from the mid-pack of racers to finish third.
Gibbs On Point in Pro Lite
Trey Gibbs has proven to be a short-track master in Pro Lite. With the first four rounds of racing on short tracks in Lena and Antigo, Gibbs has been nearly flawless on the tighter confines Champ Off-Road offers to start the season.
The Antigo track offered a rougher racing circuit, with the Pro 2 and Pro 4 trucks running their points race earlier in the day. But with every restart, Gibbs was quick off the jump on Sunday and separated himself from a talented field. He continuously pulled away for his third straight win and fourth podium to start the 2024 campaign.
Johnny Holtger put his head down and worked through the field to get on the box for the fourth straight time. Holtger shuffled to the back of the pack early but came from ninth to second after he got past Michael Funk with under four laps to go. In his first weekend of racing in 2024, Funk backed up a fourth-place finish on Saturday with a third on Sunday, his first career Pro Lite podium.
Parrish Makes Last Turn Pass for Pro Spec Win
There are different driving styles, and Champ Off-Road’s Pro Spec has them all. At every race, those styles are on full display.
Whether it was being tactical or finding a little contact, it was a race that featured everything on Sunday. Over the final three laps, Nick Visser, Chris Van Den Elzen, and Chris Parrish showed door-to-door racing, slide jobs, and various line choices. When it was all said and done, Parrish slid underneath Van Den Elzen in the final turn and powered his way to his first win of the season.
Van Den Elzen, despite a few early race setbacks, managed to take the lead over Visser. However, the race was far from over. The three-way battle and Parrish’s unexpected surge kept the audience on the edge of their seats. In the end, Van Den Elzen finished second, just ahead of Visser, who had held the lead for a significant part of the race and reclaimed it in the final laps.
Weekend Sweep for Bonacci in Pro Buggy
Lorenzo Bonacci is on a roll in Pro Buggy, but he had a dogfight for the win on Sunday.
Bonacci has had to work his way through the field in all his two previous wins this year, but on Sunday, he started on the pole and found himself out front early. Dave Mason, Jr. challenged him during the first half, but after the mid-race restart, Bonacci had his hands full with Jordan Bernloehr.
Despite the challenging conditions of a wet track, Bonacci showcased his precision and control, not missing a single mark. He skillfully held Bernloehr at bay, with the interval never exceeding two car lengths. The two were neck and neck several times, but it was Bonacci’s mastery that prevailed, driving him to his fourth consecutive win and a significant increase in his overall points lead.
Bernloehr entered the day four points behind Bonacci, keeping pace with a runner-up finish. Round one winner Billy Buth finished third.
Carlson Sweeps Pro SxS
Winning on the Championship Off-Road circuit is challenging, and winning while holding off CJ Greaves, bearing down on your rear bumper, makes it extremely difficult. Andrew Carlson was undeterred on Sunday, taking the sweep and holding off Greaves.
Carlson maneuvered through early traffic and into the lead on lap three. He was consistent early and picked up speed late when needed. He needed it because Greaves had charged through the field after starting 11th and pushed Carlson over the racetrack’s second half. But Carlson kept a consistent gap over Greaves and never let the past champion get an edge.
Carlson’s third win of the season, and he heads to Crandon with the points lead. It was Greaves second podium of the year, and he moved into second overall. Owen VanEperen finished third.
Greaves Sweeps Pro Stock SxS
It was an early battle for control of Sunday’s Pro Stock SxS, but CJ Greaves’s return to form was on full display in Antigo
Greaves’ response to an opening weekend in Lena three weeks ago was to fix the issues and come out swinging in rounds three and four. Greaves and Owen Van Eperen were the early pace-setters, but Greaves got the lead on lap four and inched away from the field through the second half, leading to a weekend sweep for the Polaris driver.
Yamaha’s VanEperen was able to settle into the second spot and drove to his fourth straight podium. He will enter Crandon with a 20-point lead over Jeb Bootle. Colin Kernz earned his third podium of the year by finishing third.
Pro-AM SxS: David Gay was on a mission after the mid-race mandatory restart in Sunday’s Pro-AM SxS. He had moved from tenth to third before the mandatory caution came out but then took advantage of an open door on the inside of the track and shot to the race lead ahead of Jesse Greaves. The win extended Gay’s winning streak to three and extended his overall points lead.
The restart also gave a boost to Ben Heiting, who moved up 14 spots on Saturday to finish third and followed it up with a second-place run on Sunday. Kolton Krajicek was the big mover on Sunday. After starting 14th, Krajicek jumped into third with two laps remaining on his way to his first podium in 2024.
Check out the AMSOIL Championship Off-Road website for the full schedule of events.
