TOOELE — The question was fresh on most everyone’s mind of the thousands of fans who attended Saturday’s session of the Lucas Oil off-road racing series at Miller Motorsports Park.
Will this be the last time the national series ever makes a stop in Utah? Or any other national racing circuit, for that matter?
Last May the Larry H. Miller Group announced that it would not renew its lease on the property, a property the late Larry H. Miller built in 2006. That lease officially expires Oct. 31 of this year. The news was taken hard by track employees, local racing participants and certainly by fans who have enjoyed top racing events over the past ten years.
There’s hope shared by everyone involved that another company will take up the lease and continue bringing elite racing events to what most deem as a top national racing complex.
As for Saturday’s races, they certainly entertained the fans who once again packed the stands.
The Mod Kart races opened up the day’s events with Christopher Polvoorde winning a thrilling battle over Hailie Deegan, securing a first-place by just a 0.048 second-margin.
Bryce Menzies then topped off the afternoon by taking home the Pro 2 series race with a hard-fought win over second-place finisher Carl Renezeder and Sheldon Creed, who finished in third. The race featured multiple stops and changes at the top before Menzies emerged during the final laps.
“I put myself in a bad position qualifying for sixth (spot) and I knew it was going to be tough getting up to the front,” Menzies said following his win. “I think patience really helped out…it was one of the (most fun) races I’ve done.”
With the win, Manzies increased his lead in the overall standings of the Pro 2 series.
For Creed, it was his first time finishing in the top three in the Pro 2 series on the year and was noticeably pleased with that feat on the podium following the race.
“I’ve struggled in the first part of the season…but I’ve slowly and slowly been getting it,” Creed said. “To get back in the race was fun and I just have to thank my whole crew and my family.”
In the Pro 4 race, Menzies again made his way to the podium, placing second to season points leader Kyle LeDuc.
Darren Hardesty won the Pro Buggy race with a time of 13:48.717, with Kevin McCullough (13:50.596) taking second and Mike Valentine (13:51.043) third.
Jerett Brooks took down the Pro Lite crown with his 16:08.003 time, beating out second-place finisher Brandon Arthur (16:08.580) and third-place finisher Ryan Beat (16:09.819.)
The series will continue on Sunday with gates opening at 8 a.m. Opening ceremonies will begin at 2 p.m. with the final six championship races beginning shortly thereafter.
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney