Greaves Wins in Windy City, Regains Points Lead

McGrath: Pair of Fifths, Clings to 3rd Place Points Position, Inducted into Motorsports Hall of Fame

CJ Greaves Dominates the Super Buggy Exhibition Races

Joliet, IL (August 26, 2010)—The Traxxas TORC Series converged on Route 66 Raceway located adjacent to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL, for rare mid-week races. USAC scheduled the Rt 66 race in an effort to hitchhike on NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series race that would take place on Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway. The racing complex features Chicagoland Speedway, a drag strip, and the dirt track—all nestled in thousands of acres of corn fields.

As the season winds down, rounds 9 and 10 would present another defining moment in the very tight points race for the Monster Energy/ Toyota/ BFG/ MasterCraft team of Johnny Greaves. With only 2 points separating 1st and 2nd place, and 7 points to the 3rd place position, the stage is set for an exciting season finale in the upcoming Labor Day weekend races at Crandon International Raceway.

Johnny had a tough night on Wednesday, but would rebound for an exciting win on Thursday. Jeremy McGrath took two fifth place finishes from a very close and competitive field. This weeks races saw the additions of two other veteran Pro 2 drivers including Todd LeDuc and Kevin Probst. Also, making a cameo appearance in the Traxxas TORC Series was NASCAR's Kyle Busch, making his off-road debut in the Pro 2WD class.

As if the fierce fender banging action of TORC series short-course racing, Kyle Busch's appearance, and the entire Chicagoland experience weren't enough, 7-time Supercross Champion, Jeremy McGrath was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame on Thursday evening. Jeremy accepted his induction live via remote webcast using USAC's streaming capabilities while standing just outside of the Greaves Motorsports pit area among a bevy of cameras and reporters.

In a last minute decision, USAC allowed the Super Buggies to race in an exhibition before the pro drivers hit the track each night. CJ Greaves continues to make his presence known in his rookie year by winning both races in dominating form.

Wednesday Night Smackdown

Johnny Greaves pulled the fastest time in qualifying, giving him the coveted pole position. The FoxShox shocks and BFG tires were getting a workout. The knarley and technical track had a rhythm section that was brutal. The converted oval track had a couple of whoops at the entrance to the infield section of the track that cost a number of drivers their race. The tabletop sent the trucks hurling 125 feet through the air.

When the green flag flew, Johnny powered ahead to take the lead early. By lap 2, fellow Monster Energy/ Toyota/ BFG driver, Rick Huseman, battled all the way from the back to set up the familiar nose-to-tail battle between the two. Huseman managed to take the lead in lap 4, but Johnny was able to battle back to retake it before the competition caution. Johnny, realizing he had a bent wheel, wisely decided to take advantage of the caution and relinquished his lead to change the tire. He hit the hot pits for a quick tire change. Johnny rejoined the field at the rear before the green flag flew. Due to some track confusion, Johnny picked up the field at the exit of the hot pit without going around the track. USAC officials issued him a Black Flag which effectively put him out of contention for the comeback and finished a disappointing 6th.

Jeremy McGrath rolled off his Monster Energy Toyota from row 4 in the very competitive Pro 2WD class for the final race of the evening. Once the field established its racing order on the track, there were very few changes with Jeremy's number 2 settling into the sixth position. Ricky Johnson and Rob MacCachren battled up front until the last lap. MacCachren suffered some type of mechanical problem allowing everyone to move up a position and putting Jeremy in the 5th place.

Earlier in the evening, the Super Buggies had an exhibition race. CJ Greaves earned the pole position with a time almost a full second faster than the next competitor. When the green flag flew, CJ took the lead right away and never looked back, stretching his lead with each passing lap. He would take the win by a very comfortable margin.

Monster Moon Thursday

The incredible weather was refreshing as the teams prepared their racing machines for the evening's races. Crew Chief, Curt Greaves and Chief Mechanic, Brad Marty along with the TRD technicians tweaked the two Toyotas and had them in top running condition.

The full moon rose above the track symbolizing the calm before the storm, as the aggressive driving still loomed in the minds of everyone from the Bark River races. Johnny started from the pole position once again—this time due to the 6 car inversion in a field of 9 PRO 4X4 trucks. As the Traxxas Pace Truck pulled off the track, the roar of the 800 horsepower trucks hurled all nine trucks, nose to tail into turn one. Greaves got the holeshot but Curt LeDuc tried to stick the nose of his machine inside of Greaves but hit the barrier and rolled hard in a cloud of dust in the middle of turn one.

On lap 3, Kyle LeDuc rolled bringing out a full-course caution. He was able to continue in the race and would get himself back into contention later in the race. As the restart ensued, points leader, Rick Huseman began to slow and eventually pulled off the track with a broken suspension due to early contact with Steve Barlow.

Greaves led the rest of the race, fighting off a challenge by Scott Douglas. He ended the race by a comfortable margin, taking the win and the points lead by 2 points. Douglas squeezed out a second place finish after several near disastrous close calls, edging him closer to the points leaders and only 7 points out of first. With the tight points race, the 2010 championship will be determined in both races in Crandon on September 4th and 5th.

"This is going to go down to the wire," said Greaves following his victory and assuming the points lead. "Rick is strong and Douglas is right there too. It is going to be a very exciting Crandon."

Jeremy McGrath also found himself starting from the pole position in the Pro 2 race. McGrath got off to a great start and took the lead on the back stretch as the field emerged from the holeshot. He was able to hold the lead until lap 5. Ricky Johnson was charging through the field and eventually overtook Jeremy for the lead at the end of the whoop section.

At the competition caution, Rob MacCachren got a run on the front runners and jumped all the way up to 3rd, shuffling Jeremy back to the 4th spot. Todd LeDuc also passed Jeremy who would end the race with his sixth top five of the season. Jeremy maintained his third place points position going into the final race weekend in Crandon.

Earlier in the evening, Jeremy was honored by being inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America along with 7 other legends. While the black-tie gala was taking place in Detroit, MI, Jeremy appeared from the Route 66 Raceway via TORC/USAC's live webcast. The 7-time Supercross Champion, also known as "King of Supercross" and "Showtime" has a list of motocross accomplishments a mile long.

CJ swept the Super Buggy class with another convincing win on Thursday evening. Even though the races were not for points, he put on a great performance, giving him a lot of momentum and confidence going into the final rounds. He currently sits 1 point out of first place.

Greaves Motorsports will make the quick turnaround and get ready for the races in Crandon, WI. Along with the close points races, the annual BorgWarner Shootout will be the highlight of the weekend and climax to an exciting season of Traxxas TORC Series racing.

Replays of the Chicagoland races can be seen on JohnnyGreaves.com via TORC/ USAC's USTREAM feed or by going to TORCseries.com.

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