CORR: Heartland Park Topeka pre-event notes

2nd Annual Toyo Tires Off-Road Championships at Heartland Park

TOPEKA, Kan. (July 6, 2005) - The Heartland Park Topeka dirt track will host rounds seven and eight of the Lucas Oil Championship Off-Road Racing Series this Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, for the Second Annual Toyo Tires Off-Road Championships.

Racers will compete in five sportsman categories and three professional classes, including Pro-Lite, Pro-2, and Pro-4. For the only time this season, the CORR series will race all professional classes under the lights of the Heartland Park Topeka off-road setup.

Gates open for each day's racing action at 5 p.m., with the first sportsman classes scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the Heartland Park box office the day of the event. Adult admission is $15 each day, with kids ages 12 and under being admitted for just $1.

This weekend marks the midway point of the 2005 CORR Lucas Oil Series, and two of the three professional categories are still up for grabs.

In the Pro-4 division, Carl Renezeder has a 103-94 lead over defending champion and brother-in-law Jason Baldwin. Renezeder, the 2003 Pro-4 champion, won Rounds 1 through 3, and finished second in Rounds 4 and 5. Baldwin was able to close the gap by winning two out of the last three races (Rounds 4 and 6), and has not finished any worse than 4th this season.

Six-time defending Pro-2 champion Scott Taylor looks to be well on his way to a seventh Pro-2 title. Taylor has three wins (Rounds 1, 5 and 6) and six top-five finishes through Round 6, building a 101-82 lead over Josh Baldwin. Taylor is the first driver in CORR history to eclipse 40 victories in a career (41 total).

Baldwin is having his best season in Championship Off Road Racing, winning his first career race in Round 4 (Antigo, Wis.), and also has one second-place finish and two third-place finishes. Brian Hinman, the 2004 Pro Rookie of the Year, finished 2nd in Rounds 5 and 6, giving him 73 points and sole possession of 3rd in the division.

In the Pro-Lite division, Chad Hord used back-to-back wins in Rounds 5 and 6 to take over the division lead, 95-79 over Steve Federico. Hord has 3 wins and a second-place finish in the first six rounds of 2005. Federico's consistency in the early season (five top-five finishes) keeps his championship dreams alive.

Veterans Art Schmitt (1 win and 5 top-five finishes), with 75 points and Jeff Kincaid (2 wins and 4 top-four finishes), with 70 points are easily within range of Hord and Federico as the second-half of 2005 gets underway. 2004 Pro-Lite champion Kyle LeDuc has struggled in the early part of 2005, currently sitting in 8th place with 44 points.

Heartland Park Topeka, a multi-purpose racing facility located in Topeka, Kan. annually hosts NHRA POWERade drag racing, Championship OFF-Road Racing (CORR), and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in addition to many other events throughout the race season.

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