International Raceway made for a perfect race weekend as another record crowd witnessed the fourth round of racing for the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series.
After turning some of the fastest laps in practice it looked like it was going to be a banner weekend for the AMSOIL/Scheuring Speed Sports team. Things were looking positive until the back straight stretch, referred to as "The Minefield", reared its ugly head.
D.J. Eckstrom lined up in heat one of the first Pro Stock qualifiers as one of the favorites for the weekend. Coming through turn one and into the start of the minefield section, Eckstrom was at the front of the back. One jump later a sled behind him lost control and tagged him from behind, removing him from the snowmobile. The racer behind him inadvertently nailed him while he was laying on the track, hitting
him in hip/back area. After a trip to the Emergency Room, the good news was that he had a deep bruised, but had no broken bones. This put him on the spectator side of the track for the rest of the weekend. Despite the lost weekend, Eckstrom still sits seventh in Pro Stock. "It's pretty sore right now," said Eckstrom. "The first turn is always crazy and sometimes you don't get through it. I'm just going to rest it this week and get ready to race in New York."
Meanwhile, teammate Shaun Crapo qualified for both pro finals. In Pro Stock, he was running in the top five when he flipped going through the minefield. With the entire field now in front of him, Crapo was able to move up a few spots and finished 11th. Despite the crash, he is still sixth overall in class points. In the AMSOIL Pro Open class, Crapo came out of corner one in second place and looked like he was in a position to podium. A couple of on track incidents with other snowmobiles made his podium hopes fade fast, finishing 14th.
Meanwhile, teammate Shaun Crapo qualified for both pro finals. In Pro Stock, he was running in the top five when he flipped going through the minefield. With the entire field now in front of him, Crapo was able to move up a few spots and finished 11th. Despite the crash, he is still sixth overall in class points. In the AMSOIL Pro Open class, Crapo came out of corner one in second place and looked like he was in a position to podium. A couple of on track incidents with other snowmobiles made his podium hopes fade fast, finishing 14th.Up next for the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series is the Arctic Cat Eastern National in Farmington, New York February 14-15.
Until then, we'll see you at the races.
