Supercross in Seattle
Windham and Laninovich in top 10

CORR Champion Tests Desert’s Resolve
Super Team gets “Terrible” seat time

El Cajon, Calif.  ~  Scott Douglas won eight championships in the dessert sands of America’s southwest. He’s raced in all of the major venues, including the Baja 1000, and been successful. After he switched over to the short courses of Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) in the 1990’s, he still took time out of his busy schedule to race the long distances the desert had to offer. Last weekend he proved his worth in the southwest sun once again.

Spring has arrived in the Nevada desert, which means it’s time for the Best in the Desert, Terrible’s Town 250 in Pahrump, Nev. This point-to-point event started in Johnnie, Nev., headed north along Interstate 95, then headed south just before Beatty, and finished the 250 miles in Pahrump.

After Douglas and co-driver Jeremy Runyen, checked the #3107 AMSOIL/Rancho Ford Explorer for a final time, the Douglas Motorsports team was confident for a strong finish.

Douglas quickly found himself in the lead, with Rod Hall in his factory backed H3 about three minutes behind. The pace of the race quickened as the competition continued to keep the pressure on the frontrunners. The team found the course rougher than expected, due in part to the large number of entries in the unlimited class, but the Rancho Suspension took the abuse and the superior traction of the Kumho Tires kept the team out in front.

After making their final stop for service at mile 213, the finish was in site. Unfortunately, just 20 miles from the finish ,an upper ball joint broke, destroying the left front suspension and quickly ending the day for Douglas Motorsports. 

“The truck ran great all day, even with the hot desert temperatures, our AMSOIL equipped engine and trans performed perfect,” said Douglas. “This is the second race with Kumho Tires and they seem to really work well with the “tried and tested” Rancho shocks. The Reider Racing gearing we chose for this event really helped us power through the silt bed. The competition in our class just keeps getting faster it is amazing the abuse our stock Ford Explorer can handle. A ball joint failure has never occurred in the past 4 seasons of racing. The upcoming extra time off in the schedule ensures our Ford Explorer will compete for the win at the Vegas to Reno event.”

The Douglas Motorsports Best in the Desert Class 3100 entry is not only a race truck, but also a test bed for Ford Trucks. The data collected during and after each desert race is analyzed by Ford Motor Company engineers. This information is applied to the design and manufacturing of future Ford trucks and SUVs. Douglas Motorsports may not win every race, but the race truck data collected makes Ford trucks and SUVs a winner in the showroom and on the roads of the world.

Douglas will now switch gears and prep his Ford truck for the C.O.R.R. series. He will join the AMSOIL/Kumho Super Team in the Pro-4 and Pro-2 classes when they begin their season May 20 and 21 in Chula Vista, Calif.

Smith Nabs Top Five
Spring tune-up swings into summer heat

Attica, Ohio ~ Brady Smith continues to pound away at the points lead in the NARA Late Model series, but he took a detour last weekend to race in the American Late Model Series in Attica, Ohio. The move paid of for the Solon Springs, Wis.-native, who had one of his best nights of racing in 2006 last Friday at the Attica Raceway Park. The driver of the AMSOIL #2 MasterSbilt from Mars / Pro Power Monte Carlo found himself battling up front all night at the Buckeye State venue. Smith won his heat and finished a strong fourth in the $2,000 to win feature.

Following his successful night at Attica, it was on to the Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Maryland for the Deuce. The night did not go as smoothly for the AMSOIL team, as their sixth-place finish in the heat and fifth-place run in the B-Main were not quite good enough to transfer into the $10,000 to win NARA Late Model Dirtcar Series-sanctioned feature event on Saturday. Smith currently finds himself twelfth in the latest version of the NARA points standings heading into the off-weekend and second in the Rookie of the Year battle behind Steve Casebolt.

The Brady Smith Racing team will take this weekend off from racing competition. The team will use this off-weekend from the rigors of the NARA Late Model Dirt Series schedule to regroup and build a new MasterSbilt from Mars car. The next scheduled NARA event will take place on May 13 at the Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, Tennessee.

 “We are going to take this weekend off and get back to square one with our racecars,” commented Smith. “Some of our setups that we have been trying have put us behind, so we will be going back to the basics this week. At Attica, we seemed to figure out that place right off the bat. The track was pretty racy and we ran well all night. Then at Hagerstown on Saturday, our car was not quite good enough to get into the feature. We have a great bunch of guys working on the cars and a great group of sponsors, so we will regroup this weekend and get ready for the next series event at Tazewell.”

Co-op Sponsorships

If you are a T-1 certified AMSOIL Dealer looking to sponsor a local racer through the AMSOIL Co-op Race Program, please fill out the G-2074 and send it the AMSOIL Racing Department. Teams who were sponsored last year will need to fill out the form once again. Also, please remember to send in your race results, as they will be included in the Checkered Flag.