Champ Race Coverage: Elk River AMSOIL Pro SXS
Rounds 7 & 8 are in the books.
Amsoil Championship Off-Road delivered short-course racing chaos and excitement at the ERX Off-Road Nationals, and the Pro UTV classes saw two fan favorites at the top of their games on Friday and Saturday, as reported by Champ. Pro Stocks were first up in the racing program, and Round Two winner Jeb Bootle took the lead off of the start, with Colin Truett settling into second and two-time winner CJ Greaves buried deep in the pack. Greaves ended the first lap in sixth and put his race craft to work as he combined patience and bold moves to work the field. With three laps to go, Greaves put together physical but cleaned moves on Truett for second and then Bootle for the lead. CJ and Jeb were side by side through the final four turns with Greaves hanging tough for his his third Pro Stock win in four rounds with Bottle and Truett on the Pro Stock podium.
In Amsoil Pro UTVs, Andrew Carlson has been in the mix at every round in 2024, and Elk River is the Pro SxS points leader’s hometown race. Carlson’s RZR Turbo was pulling hard at ERX, and only CJ Greaves could keep him in sight. Greaves put the mid race mandatory caution to good use and pulled up on Carlson several times in late laps, but Andrew was not to be denied. Greaves even spun out and dropped way back, but he was able to slice through the field and back to the front, dropping Kainan Baker to third. Carlson and Greaves made it a Polaris 1-2 with Baker’s Can-Am third.
Saturday morning started with rain, but the skies cleared for another day of great racing. Pro Stocks were up first again, with Jake Kosmecki taking the early lead before giving it up to points leader Owen VanEpren. Striking just before the mandatory caution, CJ Greaves got Kosmecki for second. Greaves timed the restart perfectly and dropped VanEpren to second. Greaves pulled away from the field for the win and his second Pro Stock weekend sweep, while VanEpren held off Colin Kernz for second and his sixth Pro Stock podium of 2024.
After winning Friday’s Pro SxS race by two tenths of a second over CJ Greaves, Carlson put on a clinic on Saturday, leading the main from green to checkers. Greaves sat in second throughout the race but couldn’t match Carlson’s flawless pace, scoring his fourth Pro SxS podium of the season. Jeb Bottle bounced back from a tough race on Friday to round out the podium.
Champ heads to Lena, Wisconsin, for the Dirt City Off-Road Nationals on July 27th and 28th.
CHAMP OFF-ROAD 2024 UTV RACE SERIES
1. Lena, WI…PT A. Carlson/Pol, PS O. VanEpren/Yam
2. Lena, WI…PT K. Chaney/C-A, PS J. Bootle/Yam
3. Antigo, WI…PT A Carlson/Pol, PS CJ Greaves/Pol
4. Antigo, WI…PT A Carlson/Pol, PS CJ Greaves/Pol
5. Crandon, WI…Rained out
6. Crandon, WI…PT K. Chaney/C-A, PS O. VanEpren
7. Elk River, MN…PT A. Carlson/Pol, PS CJ Greaves/Pol
8. Elk River, MN…PT A. Carlson/Pol, PS CJ Greaves/Pol
9-10. July 27-28…Dirt City Motorplex/Lena, WI
11-12. Aug. 10-11…Bark River Raceway/Bark River, MI
13-14. Aug 30-31…Polaris World Shootout/Crandon, WI