Championship Off Road Racing
270 Newport Center Drive, Suite 100
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 467-2397
(949) 467-2399 fax
1-866-501-CORR
www.corracing.com

 

 

Rob  Naughton Sweeps CORR @ Texas Motor Speedway

Phoenix, AZ ( October 25, 2007) - What can I say about CORR Round 11 & 12 in Texas other than perfect.  The truck, the team and the races ran as smoothly as a well oiled machine and we left with back to back wins.  Can't ask for much more than that and definitely need to give all the credit to the team for giving me a great truck to race.
On Thursday we had qualifying, I put in some sub par laps and ended up qualifying 4th and Kyle LeDuc was first.  Kyle pulled a 4 inversion which would put me on the poll for Friday nights race, my favorite spot to start from.
The track at Texas Motor Speedway was tight and very technical.  The dirt from the clay oval made for very slick blue groove conditions and it was definitely a drivers track.  I knew throttle control and patience would be very important.
Starting from the poll in Friday nights race I was able to put my Maxxis tires, ReadyLift Suspension Prolite out front and maintain a steady lead.  My dad who is my spotter kept telling me what was going on behind me and when to pick up the pace or hold it steady.  It was a weird race in the since of, I felt as if I was driving too slow and wanted to push it, but trying harder usually resulted in slower lap times.  Every time my spotter informed me of who was in second and closing, a turn or two later they were gone. 
Marty Hart made a great charge up to second and may of challenged for the lead but got taken out by Rodrigo Ampudia, LeDuc moved into second and then spun putting Rodrigo back in second. 
Following the mandatory caution, I was able to put a couple seconds on the pack and maintained it for the win, Rodrigo was second and Casey Currie in third.  Where we dodged the bullet was in Saturday qualifying.  I went out on lap one and put in a mellow lap.  On lap two the lap I usually push it, I broke an axle.  Three laps sooner or later and It would have broke in the race which would result in a dnf or last place finish.  Fortunately my first lap was good enough for the second qualifying spot with Jeff Huseman first.  With no inversion tonight I would start on the outside of row one.  My crew put new axle's in and got the truck ready for the race.
At the start of Saturday nights race my goal was to drive around the outside of Huseman in turn one and two and hopefully have the inside and lead into turn three.  I got out of shape leading into turn two bouncing off the outside wall and in the corner of my eye saw two trucks coming together and starting to crash.  Turns out Rodrigo and Hart got into each other and nearly took me out in the process.  The race was red flagged and restarted.  
On the restart, I did exactly what I had planned and had the lead exiting turn three. From there I tried to put in steady mellow laps and maintain a lead up to the mandatory caution.  A few laps into the race I lost radio communications with my spotter and had no idea what my lead was.  In turn one I was able to catch the race on the Jumbotron and basically was using it as my spotter to keep an eye on the race behind me.  The track was super slick and my high lines were not working as well as the night before.  I had a few hard contacts with the wall and decided to back it down a notch until the mandatory caution.  
What I though was a comfortable lead (based on the Jumbotron) was not and Rodrigo caught me by surprise and shot by for the lead.   I tried not to overreact keep my cool, re-apply pressure and look for an opportunity to pass. Following the mandatory caution restart, I was able to get along side of Rodrigo and then he slowed with a mechanical problem (apparently he broke an axle).  Back in the lead I tried to put in steady fast laps and was able to pull a small cushion and hold it to the finish for the win.  Second was Kyle LeDuc and third went to Jeff Huseman.
As a result, I have extended my points lead over Casey Currie to 29 points and have eliminated everyone else from the Championship points race.  Because one point is awarded for starting, technically I have a 31 point lead.  With only 20 points available for a win, Currie would need two top 3 finishes and I would have to DNF both days.  Not impossible but highly unlikely. 
At this point the plan is to race hard but smart on Saturday in Primm (Nov. 2nd) and wrap up the championship.  Then race even harder on Sunday and try to finish the season with a Championship and a win.
I want to say thanks to all the friends, fans, my crew and sponsors for their support this season.  Its been an unbelievable ride that is not over yet.
 
Robert Naughton Supporters include:
Maxxis Tire,
Ready Lift,
Posterhanger.com,
Fox Shox,
Schampa Technical Gear, K & N Filters, Precision Gear, Beard Seats, Action Auto Racing Gearboxes, KC Hilites, & Bell Helmets.
See you at the races.
- Rob 
 
www.robertnaughton.com

 

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