STEELE, MASON, VANDEN HEUVEL DOMINATE WSORR 2008 POST SEASON AWARDS
MILWAUKEE, Wis., (October 9, 2008) - Keith Steele, John Mason and Dan
Vanden Heuvel dominated the Lucas Oil World Series of Off-Road Racing
(WSORR) "Night of Champions" Awards Banquet much as they dominated racing
during the regular season by walking away with a combined nine awards
during the annual event held at the Potawatomi Bingo and Casino in
Milwaukee, Wis., last weekend.
Mason and Vanden Heuvel shared the prestigious WSORR PRO Driver of the Year
Award and Steele was named as the top SRT (Sportsman) driver in 2008. All
three racers also were WSORR season class champions and Steele added a
World Championship ring for his Super Truck title earned during the
BorgWarner World Championship weekend at Crandon International Off-Road
Raceway.
Steele made the most trips to the podium (five) of any driver by also
winning end of the season awards from KC Hilites and MSD Ignitions.
"This was really a dream season and it all starts with the support of my
family and friends at the shop and at the track," said Steele, of Madison,
Wis., as he then paid tribute to his primary sponsors Monster Energy Drink,
Goodyear and USG Sheetrock along with a host of others. Steele won eight
races and finished on the podium in 11 of the 12 rounds of racing.
Mason, of Plymouth, Wis., had nine podium finishes and four wins on his way
to the PRO Super Buggy title in his Mendeola Goodyear Honda in 2008. "I'm
proud of the year we had, all the hard work that went into it, all the
sponsors. Especially Mendeola coming on board this year was just a great
boost to our program," he commented.
"I decided at the last minute to run this season off our own dollar," said
Dan Vanden Heuvel as he accepted his PRO Driver of the Year award.
"Fortunately, the World Series has a great payback so I was able to run off
their dollar all year," he added. The off-road veteran from Appleton,
Wis., celebrated his 30th year of racing with nine podiums and three wins
in his Maxxis Chevy.
The PRO Rookie of the Year award went to Dave Waldvogel of Fond du Lac,
Wis., who had two podium finishes and finished fifth in the PRO 2WD points
race in his Bendix Toyo Chevrolet. Mitch Dorr, of Rockford, Ill., had
three podiums and a win in his BFG Ford Stock Truck to share Rookie of the
Year honors with Ron Schreiner, of Hudson, Wis., who finished on the podium
four times on his way to fifth place in the final Super Truck standings in
his 9-Inch Floater Uweld truck.
Other major awards announced during the ceremony included Ford Trucks as
the PRO Truck Manufacturer of the year with Cliff Irey of Ford Truck
Motorsports accepting on behalf of Ford and Goodyear as the PRO Tire
Manufacturer of 2008 with Jack Cummins, off-road racing program manager,
accepting on behalf of Goodyear.
The awards banquet featured special presentations and comments from major
WSORR sponsors including Lucas Oil, the Forest County Potawatomi, Traxxas(
and BorgWarner. Tom Fredrickson represented Lucas Oil on stage, FCP Tribal
Chairman Phil Shopodock and FCP Race Team Manager Tom Boelter spoke on
behalf of the Potawatomi, Damron Atkins of Traxxas presented special RC
trucks to Series champions and Skip Cline was on hand representing
BorgWarner.
Doug Davis, president and general manager of WSORR, announced the 2009
World Series schedule which once again includes 12 rounds of racing
beginning with the season opener at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.,
May 30-31. Tour 2009 again visits Crandon International Raceway, Wis.,
June 20-21, Bark River International Raceway, Mich., July 10-12, Oshkosh
Speedzone, Wis., July 24-25, another visit to Bark River August 8-9 and the
season finale at Crandon for the historic 40th Annual BorgWarner World
Championships( Labor Day weekend, September 4-6. Davis also announced that
WSORR will be supporting a national charity in 2009, the American Diabetes
Association. The series will donate a portion of each venue's profits to
the ADA's local chapter, located in that area.
Davis also announced that the 2009 season again includes a $100,000 dollar
purse at each event and will include three major Cup races, including the
most prestigious short course off-road race event in the country - the
BorgWarner Shootout. He noted that the World Series of Off-Road Racing has
now paid out in excess of $1.6 million to drivers in the last two seasons,
in addition to contingency awards. "We have a vibrant, healthy and
competitive off-road race Series," he said at the banquet. "How
competitive? The Series had 52 different racers reach the podium this past
season", he commented.
The 2008 World Series season witnessed new champions crowned in nine of the
eleven WSORR classes. Dave DeMaegd, Mishawaka, Ind., was able to
successfully defend his Formula 4x4 crown in his Goodyear Jeep and Rob
Weiland, of Hortonville, Wis., repeated as Classix champion in the
Grassroots Classix division in his Goodyear Chevrolet. Highlighting the
class championships was the sixth overall PRO Light Pickup title of Jeff
Kincaid, Argonne, Wis. Kincaid, driving his Traxxas Potawatomi BFG Toyota,
won seven races on the WSORR circuit and the Potawatomi "Decision at
Sundown" Challenge Cup race. Kent Brascho, Pell City, Ala., was the PRO
4x4 Series champ in his Lucas Oil Goodyear Chevrolet and also won the
prestigious 15th Annual Potawatomi Chairman's Cup race. Off-road racing's
most prestigious award, the $125,000 BorgWarner Cup, was presented to 2008
winner Scott Taylor, of Belvidere, Ill., for his Labor Day weekend victory
at hallowed Crandon Raceway in his Skyjacker BFG Ford.
SRT class champions for 2008 included Mike Vanden Heuvel, of Appleton,
Wis., who won seven of the 1600 Light Buggy races during the season in his
Toyo machine. Eric Ruppel, of Chetek, Wis., won the Stock Truck crown in
his Phil's Inc., BFG Ford and Mark Steinhardt, of Rhinelander, Wis., was
the 1600 Buggy champ in his Phil's Inc., BFG machine and DeMaegd the
returning champ in Formula 4x4. The 2008 WSORR Grassroots class champions
are Weiland in Classix and Jim Van Rixel in Enduro Truck.
2008 World Championship rings were handed out to the winners in all 11
WSORR classes. Winners included: Ross Hoek, Holland, Mich., PRO 2WD,
Skyjacker Goodyear Ford; Chad Hord, Felch, Mich., PRO Light Pickup truck,
Boss Snowplow Amsoil Kumho Mazda; Johnny Greaves, Abrams, Wis., PRO 4x4,
Monster Potawatomi BFG Toyota; Tim Lemons, Harrison Township, Mich., PRO
Super Buggy, Goodyear Toyota; Keith Steele, Super Truck, Monster Goodyear
Chevrolet; Eric Ruppel, Stock Truck, Phil's BFG Ford; Mark Steinhardt, 1600
Buggy, Phil's BFG; Mike Vanden Heuvel, 1600 Light Buggy, Toyo Tires; Tim
Moeller, Hastings, Minn., Formula 4x4, Goodyear Ford. Grassroots World
Champions were Matt Dale, Skandia, Mich., for the Enduro class in a Ford
and Weiland won Classix. Both won the special title on Goodyear tires.
Official sponsors for WSORR include Lucas Oil Products, Forest County
Potawatomi, United Trailers and Sunoco Race Fuels. General Tire serves as
"Official Tire" of WSORR. Official "R/C car" of WSORR is Traxxas.
Additional sponsors include Skyjacker, E3 Spark Plugs, BorgWarner and Super
Clean Degreaser. Nationwide coverage of World Series events airs on SPEED
TV with coverage of the 2008 WSORR season beginning in November. Dates and
times to be announced.
-credit: WSORR.com.
