RIVERSIDE, California (September 24, 2014) - To be continued. That's what Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series officials were forced to say late Saturday (September 20), when heavy rain and lightning in the Las Vegas area forced them to postpone the second round of racing in the Loctite Fight under the Lights.
"I was definitely disappointed," Stronghold Motorsports Pro 4 driver Brandon Bailey said, "especially after what happened on Friday (when he finished eighth after a first-lap mishap forced him to spend six laps in the pits). I ran pretty good in qualifying on Saturday. I was feeling pretty good and couldn't wait to go racing.
"I don't mind the rain, but the lightning is scary."
It primarily was because of the possibility of a devastating lightning strike in the heavily-populated pits and spectator area at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that officials called a halt to what would have been round 14 of the 15 that determine the major class championships.
The details haven't been finalized, but the main events in the Pro 4, Pro 2, Pro Buggy and Pro Lite classes that were not run in Las Vegas will be run before the final round of the championships and the season-ending Challenge Cup races at Lake Elsinore (California) Motorsports Park on October 23rd-25th.
That will give Bailey, crew chief Nick Griner and the rest of the team, time to go through the vehicles and make any needed repairs. They will have the opportunity to do some testing to continue refining the new MAVTV/Toyo Tires/SolarWorld Pro 4 Ford truck the team debuted in March and the Pro Buggy of Larry Job, who was having his best weekend of the season at Las Vegas.
Also on the schedule, is an appearance at Lucas Oil Off Road Expo at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona, California, October 4th-5th.
"I hated to see everything get postponed," Bailey said, "but now we'll get to go racing in beautiful Southern California, at home, where I like to go racing anyway. Having three rounds of racing that weekend will be tough on the crew, but it's a good thing it's the last weekend (of the short course season). They'll know they just need to push through and it'll be over."
It hasn't been the type of season the series' three-time Team of the Year had anticipated because of a series of teething problems with the Pro 4 and hard-to-diagnose issues with the Pro Buggy engine and transmission. The team has maintained a positive attitude throughout it all, however, and showed again at Las Vegas that it remains committed to winning.
Job's strong fourth-place finish in the Pro Buggy race followed sixth-place showings at the two previous events and positioned him for a top 10 finish in the point standings.
Bailey is ninth in the Pro 4 standings after battling back from the first-lap incident that occurred when "I got off the (Turn 1) tabletop a little bit sideways, with a little bit of help" and was unable to prevent a rollover that resulted in a tow to the hot pit area.
"It was unfortunate," Bailey said. "We were just in a bad spot and there was not much we could do about it. I was glad we got it fixed and came back out and finished. I think we even gained two points."
The busiest member of the team on Saturday was the youngest. Madix Bailey, Brandon's son, drove to a fourth-place finish in the beginner-level Junior 1 Kart main event and then had an impressive seventh-place finish in his debut race in the intermediate-level Junior 2 Kart division.
"It wasn't a bad weekend for the team," Brandon Bailey said. "I think we gained some momentum, so it was all good."
STRONGHOLD MOTORSPORTS 2014 SCHEDULE
Jan. 31-Feb. 2 Best in the Desert BlueWater Parker 425 desert race, Parker, Arizona (Finished 2nd in Class 1, 16th overall)
March 14-16 Best in the Desert General Tire Mint 400 desert race, Las Vegas (Finished 5th in Class 1, 16th overall)
March 22-23 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Wild Horse Motorsports Park, Chandler, Arizona (B. Bailey 9 & 5, Pro 4; Job 5 & 11, Pro Buggy; M. Bailey 1, Jr. 1 Kart)
April 25-26 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Lake Elsinore (California) Motorsports Park (B. Bailey 5 & 5, Pro 4; Job 6 & 19, Pro Buggy; M. Bailey 6, Jr. 1 Kart)
May 2-4 Best in the Desert Canidae Tap It SilverState 300 (Finished 14th in Class 1500, 34th overall)
May 10-14 NORRA Mexican 1000, Ensenada to Santa Rosalita, Baja California, Mexico (Finished 6th in Evolution Unlimited class, 7th overall)
May 30-31 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Wild West Motorsports Park, Sparks, Nevada (B. Bailey 9 & 10, Pro 4; Job 15 & DNS, Pro Buggy)
June 21-22 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah (B. Bailey 6 & 10, Pro 4; Job 9 & DNS, Pro Buggy; M. Bailey 6, Jr. 1 Kart)
August 1-2 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Glen Helen Raceway, Devore, California (B. Bailey 10 & 5, Pro 4; Job 6 & 14, Pro Buggy; M. Bailey 6, Jr. 1 Kart)
August 14-16 Best in the Desert General Tire Vegas to Reno (Finished 21st in Class 1500; 79th overall)
August 22-23 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Wild West Motorsports Park, Sparks, Nevada (B. Bailey 8 & 6, Pro 4; Job 6 & 14, Pro Buggy)
September 19-20 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Las Vegas Motor Speedway (B. Bailey 8, Pro 4; Job 4, Pro Buggy; M. Bailey 4, Jr. 1 Kart, 7 Jr. 2 Kart; 14th round postponed)
October 24-25 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Challenge Cup, Lake Elsinore, California
November 12-16 SCORE Baja 1000 desert race, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
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