Greaves Dominates Bark River Pro 4×4, Takes Over Points Lead

Abrams, WI (July 12, 2010)–Greaves Motorsports headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to their “home track” at Bark River, Michigan for the Traxxas TORC Series’ rounds 3 and 4 this past weekend. The rural track, that snakes its way around hills, a gravel pit and even a cemetery, is the fastest track on the circuit. This “drivers’ track” features the biggest jump–rightfully dubbed “Monster Energy Jump” where the 800 hp trucks get some sick air of nearly 200 ft!

Johnny Greaves and his Monster Energy/ Toyota/ MasterCraft with BFGoodrich tires dominated the Pro 4×4 class taking wins in both races and in the process earning two Oakley Bomb Awards for the fastest lap times. Jeremy McGrath suffered bad luck with mechanical problems in both races but showed a lot of power and prowess as he ran up front in most of the two weekend races. He earned the Oakley Bomb, fastest lap time award in the Saturday race–a race that had him running blind with a broken hood in his face much of the race!

CJ Greaves had outstanding races in his Monster Energy/ Traxxas/ BFG Super Buggy and walked away from the weekend’s races still leading in the points standings.

Saturday Blow-Out

Jeremy McGrath started his Monster Energy/ MasterCraft/ Toyota/ BFG on the third row for the rolling start in front of a crowd of 5,000 of the most rabid off-road racing fans on Saturday’s opening round of racing in Bark River, MI. Mike Oberg got the hole shot but Jeremy was able to land in the fifth spot through lap 1. By lap 3, Rob MacCachren started loosing air in a tire due to some early contact and had to pull into the hot pit for a tire change. Jeremy passed Chad Hord and moved into second. Part of Jeremy’s hood broke loose and causing him to drive blind leading up to the competition caution.

At the restart… lots of dust! Kincaid moved around Hord for third and set his sites on Jeremy, who was driving blind in several turns. On lap 7, Oberg went wide on the front stretch and “Showtime” McGrath made a strong move to his inside to make the pass for the lead. Jeremy made it around the track in the lead, but just before the start finish line, with two laps to go, he pulled off the track with mechanical problems. He did manage to get the Oakley Bomb Award for the fastest lap.

Johnny Greaves took his turn on the familiar Bark River track–a track that he has owned in the past and was looking to makeup some ground on fellow Monster Energy/ Toyota driver Rick Huseman. Johnny started on the third row for the rolling start but emerged in first after taking the turn one hole shot. His Monster Energy/ MasterCraft Safety/ BFG clad Toyota was dialed in and basically checked-out. The Toyota of Rick Huseman would be the only pressure Johnny would feel the rest of the race.

At the competition caution restart, Huseman saw this as his chance to get around Johnny. But Greaves was able to win the hole shot once again. He began to put some distance between Rick but knew that he could not make a mistake with Huseman on his heels. The Toyotas of Greaves and Huseman pulled away from the rest of the field and finished up one and two followed by Scott Douglas who finished a distant third.
Johnny would also take home the Oakley Bomb Award for the fastest lap.

CJ Greaves had his Monster Energy/ Traxxas/ BFG Super Buggy lined up for the land-rush start in the 9th position. He didn’t get a very good start, missing a shift and tangling with one of the other buggies as they sailed 5-wide into turn one. But he worked hard and pushed quickly into the top four behind Steve Krieman, Bob Klause, and John Frana, who was in the lead. CJ was in a tight race for third and made the move around Krieman in the gravel pit leading up to the mandatory caution.

Not to be make the same mistake twice, CJ made a great inside move on the restart to pass Krieman in turn one to move into second. The inside position allowed him to hold the spot through turn two. CJ tried to make ground on John Frana who had pulled away for a sizeable lead. Greaves ran out of time but kept his composure and held off pressure from Krieman to take the runner up spot on the podium.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Greaves Completes the Sweep

With the threat of rain in the Upper Peninsula, the pro races were moved up to early afternoon. Jeremy McGrath would represent Greaves Motorsports first to the line in the Pro 2WD class. He started once again on the third row in the sixth position.

Jeremy made it though the first laps clean, moving all the way up to third. But by lap 4, bad luck would hit McGrath once again and he pulled off the track, finishing his day appropriately in “Cemetery Corner.”

The Pro 4×4 race featured a lot of carnage, taking some of the top drivers out of competition in the early going. Nobody had anything for Johnny Greaves. He passed Steve Barlow on lap two in one of his favorite places to pass, “Cemetery Corner”, and pulled away to a 10-car link lead.

At the restart following the mid-race caution, it was a Monster move for the two Toyotas of Greaves and Huseman. Greaves won the hole shot and Rick Huseman, who had recovered from a lap one crash, made a couple of moves and took second at the AMSOIL turn. It looked like another Monster combo punch, but Huseman’s truck would succumb to the early damage and pull out of the race. Johnny had smooth sailing to the checkered flag to complete the weekend sweep, earn two Oakley Bomb Awards, and move to the top of the points standings.

In the Super Buggy race, CJ Greaves wound up in the fourth spot as the field went through turns one and two but he quickly took third in the “Cemetery Corner” on lap one of Sunday’s final race. On lap three, he made a great inside move to take the lead in front of the crowd at the start/finish line. Greaves would hold the lead up to the caution at the halfway point. On the rolling start, he missed a gear in the horseshoe turn, loosing 4 positions. But Frena spun in front of him putting him in third and in position to battle back for the lead. With two laps to go, CJ had made his way to second. He tried one last charge to get around the buggy of Steve Krieman in AMSOIL corner but ran out of time and had to settle for the second spot on the podium.

CJ maintained his points standings lead and stretched it to 33 points over the next competitor.