You know what they say about floodgates – once they're open, it's hard to shut them again until all the water is out.
Eric Barron (ABOVE) seems to be working that maxim to the max. Breaking through with his first Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 4 Unlimited victory in Round 8 at Miller Motorsports Park in June with a faultless drive, he continued that form into Rounds 9 and 10 under the lights and in front of a packed house at Glen Helen Raceway near San Bernardino, Calif. On Saturday, he grabbed the lead in his LAT Racing Oils/Maxxis Toyota with a quick start then had to fend off a hard charge from Kyle LeDuc. That charge led to plenty of beating and banging, but also had the unfortunate result of LeDuc's Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford slowing to a crawl afterward, leaving Barron to the second win of his career.
The battle didn't end there, though, and continued on into Sunday's races. Once Barron had the lead and Kyle was into second, the fight was on. And it was indeed a fight, including multiple corners of side-by-side racing and even a twin bicycle through Turn 2. But LeDuc couldn't make anything happen, and Barron had his third straight victory. That has vaulted him well up in the point standings, but LeDuc still holds the points lead in the class.
Bradley Morris has proven himself very quick since joining the Pro Lite ranks in 2012. And while he has continued to win in two other classes – Limited Buggy and Modified Kart – he hadn't been able to turn his speed into victory. That changed in a big way at Glen Helen. Morris grabbed the lead early, but had a host of seasoned veterans and previous winners behind him. Brian Deegan was chief among those, and even took the lead briefly. But the fight between those two turned into a four-way battle with Casey Currie and RJ Anderson. That mash-up left Morris once again in the lead, which he never relinquished despite the challenge of a green-white-checker finish after a late-race caution.
Sunday saw a repeat of the matchup between Morris's Goldstar Asphalt/Oakley Ford and Deegan's Rockstar/Makita Ford. But Morris led flag to flag, with only a brief challenge by Deegan, who finished second with Currie third, making the podium all the same players from the previous night. Anderson had a couple of bad nights at Glen Helen, although he did finish on Saturday. Not so on Sunday, but neither did Chris Brandt, so Anderson didn't lose much of his substantial points lead.
Marty Hart has a nasty – to his competitors, anyway – habit of cruising away from the Pro 2 field when he gets into the front early in his ReadyLift/GearUp2Go Ford. That habit manifested itself in the final race on Saturday night. He was pursued early by Jeremy McGrath – back in the No. 2 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Ford after missing Miller to attend to family matters – and Deegan, who waged their own battle for second. Both had to pit for a tire, though, and Hart was cruising. Late in the race, Patrick Clark, Rob MacCachren, Greg Adler and Rodrigo Ampudia pulled up to Hart, but couldn't do much about passing him, especially as they battled between themselves. Clark finished second, his best result yet.
Hart wasn't able to pull that trick on Sunday night, though, as first a back-in-the-field start and later a mechanical issue hampered him. Deegan was up front, with a big battle between McGrath, Carl Renezeder, Robby Woods and MacCachren waging behind for the podium. While none could challenge Deegan's Rockstar/Makita Ford for victory, they produced plenty of action between themselves, with McGrath and Woods claiming second and third.
The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series resumes Aug. 24-26 on a brand-new course at Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, Nev. Built into a hillside, the track is slated to have some spectacular features and great viewing. See www.lucasoiloffroad.com for more information.
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Round 9 winners
Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 4
Pro 4 Unlimited: Eric Barron
Pro 2 Unlimited: Marty Hart
Pro Lite Unlimited: Bradley Morris
Pro Buggy Unlimited: Doug Fortin
Super Lite: Sheldon Creed
Limited Buggy: John Fitzgerald
Modified Kart: Cole Mamer
Kart Jr. 2: Parker Steele
Kart Jr. 1: Conner McMullen
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Round 10 winners
Glen Helen Raceway, San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 4
Pro 4 Unlimited: Eric Barron
Pro 2 Unlimited: Brian Deegan
Pro Lite Unlimited: Bradley Morris
Pro Buggy Unlimited: Mike Porter
Super Lite: Sheldon Creed
Limited Buggy: Bradley Morris
Modified Kart: Myles Cheek
Kart Jr. 2: Tyler Winbury
Kart Jr. 1: Broc Dickerson