LOORRS: Team LeDuc Racing Utah MMP summary

High Flying Action For Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Team LeDuc Racing At LOORS Rounds 7 & 8 in Utah

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORS) brought short course racing to Utah's Miller Motorsports Park, and as a result the Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Team LeDuc Racing brought home thousands of new fans from the Beehive State. Action kicked off on Friday, June 25th with qualifying and roared into an action-packed weekend of racing under sunny blue skies. Todd LeDuc qualified 4th amongst 14 drivers for Round 7 of racing and started in the front row in the Pro 2 Unlimited class. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Todd pulled out to a comfortable lead in his Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Ford F-150 Pro 2 Unlimited.

After the mandatory restart bunched up the field, Todd battled with Rodrigo Ampudia for the win in some of the most exciting racing of the season. Ampudia bicycled his truck through Turn 5 on the last lap, but was able to gather his truck and narrowly defeat Todd. "I was able to podium at the last race for new sponsor Jagermeister, and I was excited to do the same for the US Air Force here at Miller Motorsports Park," Todd said following the race. The Air Force has signed up for a three-race sponsorship of Todd LeDuc, fitting given the amount of time his 800 horsepower Pro 2 Unlimited truck spends in the air.

Todd's brother, Kyle LeDuc, qualified 3rd for Saturday's racing, just a few spots ahead of his father Curt, who qualified 7th. Track conditions and traffic conspired against Kyle early on in Round 7, causing him to spin out early in the race. Never one to quit, Kyle was working his way back towards the front of the pack, but a flat tire forced him in to the hot pits, costing him valuable time. Kyle eventually finished 10th in his Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Ford F-150 Pro 4, just ahead of his father Curt. Sunday started with Kyle qualifying 3rd and Curt qualifying 7th again, but that is where the similarities end. Kyle drove the No. 99 Rockstar / Makita Ford like a man possessed, running at the front of the pack for the entire race. He battled with Rick Huseman, the eventual winner, for the last seven laps, bringing the capacity crowd to its feet. "I actually ran the fast lap of the day," Kyle explained. "I think that proves that I have what it takes to run with Rick (Huseman)." Curt LeDuc finished the race in 4th place amongst 13 competitors, just three seconds short of reaching the podium.

Todd LeDuc qualified 5th for Sunday's racing action, putting him on the front row again. This time he started on the outside, but with a bit of patience he was able to take the lead and run comfortably up-front until the mandatory restart. Fuel delivery issues on the No. 8 truck caused a momentary lapse in concentration that cost Todd dearly, causing him to spin out and move back to 5th place. Fortunately there was plenty of time left for Todd to work his magic, and his opportunity came on the same turn where Ampudia had bicycled his truck on the previous day. While the rest of the field was getting bunched up, Todd took the Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Ford F-150 high up the banked wall to move into 2nd place with one lap remaining. Pushing his Pro 2 Unlimited truck to the limit, Todd was barely trailing behind race leader, Rob MacCachren, but ran out of real estate and ultimately finished in second place for the second time in as many days.

With the season half way to completion, the "First Family" of short course racing is well poised to make a run at series championships in both the Pro 2 Unlimited and Pro 4 Unlimited classes. The next stop on the LOORS circuit for the Rockstar Energy Drink / Makita Tools Team LeDuc Racing will be at Glen Helen Raceway for the series' only scheduled race in Southern California. Television coverage of the Lucas Oil Off Road Series racing action at Miller Motorsports Park will be broadcast on Speed and CBS networks. Check local listings for broadcast times.

-source: team leDuc