RJ Sweeps, Hord's Impressive Rebounds and Douglas on the Move at TORC

There was a lot of drama and intrigue at the third and fourth rounds of the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL over the weekend, including a Pro 2wd sweep, a incredible recovery by a Team AMSOIL driver and a banged up Pro 4x4 gets the last laugh.

In the AMSOIL Pro 2wd class, Red Bull/AMSOIL's Rickey Johnson was on a tear all weekend long. After winning round one and taking a second in round two, RJ pushed his AMSOIL-backed Ford into the winner's circle on Friday and Saturday, extending his overall points lead to 22. Team AMSOIL had a great Pro 2wd weekend with a podium sweep on Saturday night (RJ, Jeremy McGrath and Dan Vanden Heuvel). AMSOIL Super Team member Mike Oberg finished sixth on Friday and was battling for second on Saturday with four laps to go before a mechanical issue dropped him to eighth.

In Pro Light, AMSOIL Super Team member Chad Hord stole the spotlight Saturday night. After finishing third on Friday, Hord again battled up front with long-time rival Jeff Kincaid. During a restart, the two veteran drivers pushed hard, but a red flag came out after Steve Federico jumped the start. When Federico slowed down in the dangerous back stretch, he caused a massive chain reaction, causing Hord to flip his truck into the K-rail. Hord was allowed to change a flat tire and retook his spot on the restart. From there, the Upper Michigan native captured the attention of the sold out crowd, pushing the AMSOIL sponsored truck to the front, catching and passing Kincaid for the win. His third podium of the year vaulted Hord into a tie with Kincaid for the overall lead.

"That was one of the most exciting races of my life," Hord said after Saturday's win. "I've never felt the energy of a crowd like I did tonight. To come back after that crash and win is just unbelievable."

In Pro 4x4, AMSOIL Super Team driver Scott Douglas was looking to build off his second place finish at round two. On Friday, the El Cajon, Calif.~native was literally battling with the field. Douglas started on the outside of row two, and stayed out of opening lap aggressions to settle into fourth behind Steve Barlow, Curt LeDuc and pole sitter Johnny Greaves. By the third lap, Douglas had passed LeDuc. Despite aggressive attempts by LeDuc and Adrian Cenni to get by the AMSOIL Ford F-150, Douglas was able to pass Barlow on lap nine for second. From there, Greaves and Douglas diced back and forth all the way to the checkered flag, with Douglas just missing his first win of the year.

On Saturday night, Douglas started on the inside of row three due to TORC's inversion of the top six trucks. Douglas started in good position, but the contact from other trucks came quick and hard. The number 7 truck was hit multiple times on the opening lap, spinning Douglas into the outside concrete retaining wall. With no red flag called for, Douglas had to quickly gather himself up and catch up to the pack. By lap six, he was battling for fourth and by lap eleven, he was back in third. From there, a three-way battle ensued with Greaves and points leader Rick Huseman to the checkered flag. Douglas finished third and and moved into third overall, just three points behind the second place Greaves.

“I knew we had a very fast truck tonight and I was looking forward to putting the AMSOIL Kumho Ford through its paces for these great California race fans.” stated Douglas after the race. “We took some hard hits on the first lap, but thanks to the best crew in the business, the truck held together. Our truck prep is second to none and even with the obvious damage I was able to run it on the ragged edge and challenge for the lead.”

Rounds 3 & 4 of TORC Series from Perris, Calif. will air Sunday June 7 on ABC at 5 pm EST. Next stop on the 2009 TORC Series presented by AMSOIL schedule is "The Big House", Crandon International Raceway in Crandon, Wisconsin on June 20 and 21.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.