September 10, 2019 – It was another experience and character-building weekend for Ricky G as he and his Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series program traveled to Crandon, Wisconsin this past weekend. Taking on the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway, a wrath of issues forced the up and coming driver to the sidelines in the Pro 2 division but not before he showed great pace leading up to the wheel-to-wheel events.
“I’ve competed at a lot of racetracks, but Crandon is one that definitely stands out to me,” explained Ricky G. “There are high speed corners, long fast straightaways, and to mix it up a little bit, add in several different style jumps. Since this is my rookie season and my first time in a Pro 2 truck at Crandon, I needed to learn this track fast to keep on pace with the other drivers.”
The Crandon event has a very unique atmosphere with more than 40,000 race fans attending Friday’s town parade. Lining the streets of the city to gather hero cards, autographs and giveaways, each and every competitor registered for the event receives a police escort downtown to meet and greet the fans.
Ricky G added, “Friday with the fans was great. It was something that I was not expecting in this small town of Wisconsin, but the people here really enjoy our style of racing. Tomorrow we are on track and I can’t wait.”
Saturday morning provided a very short practice session before qualifying and Ricky G knew he needed to be on his game to not only learn the track but diagnose any required changes to his truck to gain lap time. Feeling that all was well, the team made no changes before qualifying where the young Californian qualified on the outside of the fifth row.
With the green flag flying for race one that afternoon, it was a packed house at the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. Spectators and fans jammed the grandstands in one of the most well attended events all season long with nearly 80,000 spectators. Ricky G had a good start and entered the first corner side by side with a fellow competitor. Bumping and rubbing with dirt and mud flying everywhere, an issue with the power in his #78 became apparent as the race wore on.
“During the race I started to notice an issue with my truck, and I kept losing power each lap. Then on lap seven, with only four laps remaining, my truck caught on fire. Such a heartbreaking moment after moving forward and doing so well but we all had to hold are heads up high and fix the mechanical issue which ended up being a broken torque converter in the transmission.”
Returning to the track Sunday, it was an early start for the Ricky G Racing crew as a Pro 2 Championship race was set to take place before the Cup Race. A transmission issue forced the #78 entry to the sidelines on lap one before the team returned to the paddock to fix the issue and enter the Cup Race that afternoon.
“I feel bad for the team as they spent hours fixing the problem from this morning and as we passed tech to get into the Cup Race,” added Ricky G. “Unfortunately, just before the race we found out that my name was not on the entry list due to my two non-finishes this weekend. It was a bummer not only for me, but the crew as well, after coming out so far to Crandon. Not being able to complete a race hurts, but we will keep our heads high and head to our next event at Glen Helen Raceway.”
Ricky G would like to thank his partners for their continued support. A huge shout out to VP Fuel, Sparco, Micky Thompson Tires & Wheels, CA Custom Lifts, Lucas Oil Products, Ultra Wheels, Wilson Motorsports, the Ricky G Racing Team, G Brothers, as well as the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for another outstanding event.
For more information on Ricky Gutierrez and Ricky G Racing, please visit www.rickygracing.com or contact Kara Adams via email at Info@KaraAdams.com. Also, be sure to follow Ricky G on Facebook (Ricky G Racing), Twitter (@RickyG_78) and Instagram (@RickyG_78).