June 8-9, 2024 (Antigo, WI)–The Greaves Duo headed to Antigo, Wisconsin for the Antigo Off-Road National and rounds 3 and 4 of the Championship Off Road Series. The weekend’s races also included a Pro-4 vs Pro-2 Memorial Cup Race in honor of the late Kyle LeDuc. CJ came back strong from his struggles in Dirt City sweeping two classes: Pro Stock SXS and Pro-4, continuing his undefeated streak and collected his 100th truck win. CJ also was the first of the Pro-4’s in the Memorial Cup race however his cousin, Kyle Greaves took the win in his Pro-2. CJ’s 2nd place finish in Pro SXS on Sunday edged him closer to the top into 2nd place in the points standings. Johnny Greaves also put on a stellar performance by landing podiums in both Pro-4 races with 2nd and 3rd place finishes.
Pro Stock SXS
Saturday: CJ lined up his Monster Energy Polaris SXS on the front row of the, smaller than normal, 12 car field for round 3. He was looking to rebound from his Dirt City results. CJ quickly took the lead which he held until a red flag stopped racing due to a rollover. When racing resumed, he powered ahead, stretching his lead with every lap. Greaves had a more than 2 second lead at the competition caution.
CJ led the single file field to the green flag and picked up where he left off in the first half of the race. He led wire to wire. Taking the checked with a more than 3 second lead.
Sunday: CJ started on the 2nd row in Sunday’s Pro Stock SXS action. He was in 3rd by the end of the 1st lap with Bootle behind him. CJ got a great run and powered his Monster Energy Toyo Tire Polaris past both of the front runners. The Polaris and Toyo tires were on rails and he checked out from the field in the second half of the race to complete the weekend sweep.
Pro SXS
Saturday: An afternoon rain shower soaked the track making for muddy track conditions for Saturday’s Pro SXS race. CJ Greaves was 5th on the 17 car grid. As the rain continued to fall, the cars were almost unrecognizable before they took the green flag. The spray of mud made it difficult to see as the field slid through the first few turns. CJ made it up to 5th at the competition caution.
The second half did not produce better results. With 2 laps to go, CJ was losing ground and ended up 9th.
Sunday: CJ started deep in the field on row 6 for Sunday’s Pro SXS racing action. CJ was determined to get to the front as quickly as possible and began to make his move as soon as the green flag flew. VanEperen’s machine broke while he was in the lead which allowed Carlson to take the lead. CJ’s Polaris was not far behind as he battle Owen VanEperen for the number 2 spot. CJ was able to make the pass and the two Polaris side-by-sides of Carlson and Greaves as they took the yellow competition caution.
The track was gnarly with plenty of holes to go with the many jumps. CJ was able to maneuver through them with no trouble. The top 2 checked out from the field. Carlson tangled with some lap traffic late in the race but CJ was not able to capitalize. His Monster Energy Polaris came in second, a great improvement over Saturday’s race. In spite of the tough day on Saturday, the 2nd place finish on Sunday moved him into the runner up spot in the points standings.
Pro 4
Saturday: CJ had a lot to prove as the Pro-4’s took to the red clay of Antigo. He found himself off the podium in Dirt City and was eager to prove he was still contending for another championship. He also had an undefeated streak and his 100th win on the line. Johnny also had a lot to prove. Last year, he had a very serious crash in Antigo and was ready to put that behind him with a great race. The Greaves Duo lined up side-by-side on row 2 for the rolling start. CJ quickly passed Cenni to go into second as the 12 car field hit turn one. Henderson, who was leading at the time, had a flat and CJ took the lead.
Following the competition caution, Johnny Greaves and Kyle Chaney put on a show. The two went side-by-side several times, but Johnny was able to fend him off each time and remained in third. Adrian Cenni spun-out in one of the turns moving Johnny into second. Meanwhile, CJ checked out and extended his lead to more than 10 seconds. The Greaves Duo went one and two, with CJ taking his first win of the season.
Sunday: CJ started on the front row for Sunday’s Pro-4 race while Johnny rolled off from the third row. CJ took the lead early and Johnny made some slick moves to jump to 4th. A pileup in turn 1 allowed him to get to second behind CJ. The field began to settle down and spread out until Jimmy Henderson began to apply pressure to the elder Greaves. Greaves and Henderson went door-to-door but Johnny held him off until the competition caution.
On the restart, CJ pulled away once again. Johnny and Henderson continued to do battle. Johnny held him off for another lap but eventually Henderson was able to make the pass stick. He remained sandwiched between the two Greaves with two laps to go. That is the way race ended. CJ completed the weekend sweep and kept his Antigo streak alive. It was his 100th win, a milestone only a few drivers have achieved. Johnny finished the race in 3rd.
Kyle LeDuc Memorial Cup
Antigo hosted the first Kyle LeDuc Memorial Cup race. The race was created to honor the late Kyle LeDuc who lost his battle with cancer. The cup race pitted Pro-4’s against Pro-2’s with a few catches. There was a “joker” lane for the Pro-2’s. This provided a way to level the playing field.
CJ, in his Pro-4, wasted no time getting to the lead. The lead he thought would carry him to the finish line. Unbeknownst to him, his cousin, Kyle Greaves, had taken the joker lane and was in the lead. He claimed the win in the first Memorial Cup race with CJ coming in second.
The team will head to Crandon International Raceway for the next rounds of the Championship Off Road Series on June 22-23.
Photos by Jeffrey Keeble
