Cenni Wins Wild Pro 4 at ERX, Kyle Greaves Picks Up First Pro 2 Victory
Elk River, Minn. ~ Under the scorching sun in Elk River, MN, the sixth round of the heart-pounding AMSOIL Championship Off-Road series unfolded at ERX Motor Park. The track was a battleground of challenges and exhilarating racing action, with drivers engaging in intense, door-to-door battles.
The competition has reached a fever pitch as the season reaches its midpoint. Several classes, including Pro 2 and Pro 4, have leaders within just 10 points of each other.
Friday at ERX Motor Park was a day to be remembered in the annals of off-road racing history. Every class brought fans to the edge of their seats, and it was all topped off with a pair of wild wins in the top Pro contests.
No Wildness Needed in Cenni’s Pro 4 Victory
Friday’s Pro 4 race might have looked like a game of Hot Potato, but it was a potato that everyone wanted to hold onto as long as possible.
RJ Anderson made his season debut in Crandon, and his driving style is a great fit for ERX. He showcased his speed and ability for the race's first half, driving through clean air and holding off a determined Jimmy Henderson for the first seven laps.
But something gave way for Anderson, and Henderson looked unstoppable as he started to stretch out his lead. However, one lap after the restart, Henderson tilted to two wheels and was pulled off the track.
Cenni, who worked his way from fourth to second off the restart, jumped straight through the opening created by Henderson. Cenni, who didn’t force the action earlier in the race, continued to push through the deteriorating track, ran smooth lines, and held off Kainan Baker for his second win of the season.
“It was a very rough racetrack, and you had to get back to consistency once everything settled down because everybody's going for broke,” said Cenni. “With this track, it just doesn't play. You basically have to be there at the end.”
Baker ran an equally clean run and kept finding opportunities to catch Cenni, finishing a close second for his best finish this season. Points leader CJ Greaves pushed his podium streak to four as he moved up and down the leaderboard on Friday before finishing third.
Greaves Gets Career First in Pro 2
Much like the Pro 4 race that would follow, the Pro 2 contest was best described as a continuous deck of cards shuffle.
The starting laps were a chaotic symphony, with trucks roaring in different directions and Ryan Beat holding the right cards. But a flat tire gave a hard-charging Mickey Thomas the lead, forcing Beat to make a pit stop for new rubber.
But Thomas’ reign would last six laps when he was forced to pull off the track. Kyle Greaves had worked into the runner-up spot and pounced to the front of the field in Thomas’ absence. The rookie Greaves began to pull away from an ever-changing pack and drove to his first Pro 2 victory on a track that has played a significant role during his career.
“This is the track that I got my first win in the side by side, and then we came out in the Pro Lite and got our first win here, and now we basically got our first Pro 2 class win here. So, ERX, I absolutely love this place, and I think it loves me,” said Greaves.
There were many positional changes behind the race winner, and much of it didn’t get settled until the final lap. Keegan Kincaid, who was buried as far back as tenth, slipped past Johnny Holtger on the final lap for second. With Holtger slowing, Beat continued his charge from the back of the line and into third, picking up his fifth straight podium and swapping a nine-point deficit to Thomas for a two-point advantage.
Parrish Prevails In Pro Lite
Five drivers held the lead in Friday’s Pro Lite showdown, and several more knocked on the door.
Michael Funk was the first in line before Carson Parrish slipped by on the second lap. Parrish, fresh off his best finish of the year in Crandon (second), was in control as chaos started falling behind him. But Parrish would relinquish the lead on lap eight when round one winner Johnny Holtger moved into a brief lead.
Matt Wood then took control when Holtger slowed and was able to keep Parrish in the runner-up spot. But Wood had to pit, which put Parrish back into a lead he didn’t relinquish, driving to his first win of the season.
Gibbs, who came into ERX on a four-race heater, had to fight through the field twice on Friday. He started outside the top group but then had to pit after officials deemed he had applied heavy contact. But Gibbs stormed back, driving from eighth to second, picking up his sixth podium. Travis Milhausen also worked his way through the field, driving to a third-place finish in his best race of the year.
Van Den Elzen Wins Wild Pro Spec Showdown
Dylan Parsons was locked in early on Friday and was on pace for his second Pro Spec win of the season. Chris Van Den Elzen was equally focused and got the advantage for his first win in 2024.
Parson and Van Den Elzen set a fast pace throughout the contest's first half, pushing away from the crowd in a tight battle. But Van Den Elzen got the advantage after the restart when Parsons dropped to fourth. From there, Van Den Elzen drove away from the field to win number one.
Nick Visser also moved up a spot after the restart, jumping from third to his final finishing position of second. Parsons got back on the throttle and into third two laps after the restart.
Mason wins as Bernloehr Closes Pro Buggy Points Gap
After three straight wins and four podiums, Lorenzo Bonacci had a firm grip on the Pro Buggy points. But the ERX track can change things up in a hurry, as Bonacci’s 25-point lead is now down to one.
Dave Mason, Jr. ended Bonacci’s three-race win streak in Crandon and started his own winning streak by taking a wire-to-wire win at ERX. Mason jumped out to the early lead and was challenged late by Jordan Bernloehr, who kept getting close to Mason’s rear bumper over the second half of the contest.
Bernloehr couldn’t find the opening he needed, but he did pick up second-place points to close the gap to Bonacci. Chad Minder ran second before Bernloehr snuck past just before the mid-race caution, and then he held off Billy Buth for his second straight podium.
Carlson Excites Hometown Crowd With Pro SXS Win
Andrew Carlson is in the mix of every Pro SXS race this season. When the white flag comes out for the final lap, one of two or three drivers fighting for the win has been Carlson, and the points leader proved his frontrunning status again on Friday.
Carlson, who hails from ERX’s hometown of Elk River, was powerful on Friday. He pulled out of turns faster than a majority of the field, and as the laps ticked away, only CJ Greaves was keeping pace.
The final few laps saw Greaves pull alongside Carlson on several occasions, but Carlson never lifted away from the momentum and kept the charges at bay. He would win his third race in the past four rounds and extend his points to 48.
At one point, Greaves had spun while trying to get to the front and dropped to ninth. But he quickly slipped through the field to challenge for the win and earned his third podium of the season, finishing a close second to Carlson. Kainan Baker finished third.
Greaves Bests Bootle on Last Lap for Pro Stock SxS Win
After a disappointing opening round in May, CJ Greaves is determined to claw his way back into the Pro Stock SxS points race.
On Friday, Greaves had to fight through traffic after getting buried in what seemed a distant sixth. But Greaves was patient throughout and pushed hard at the most opportune times late to earn his third win in the past four races.
Greaves used a pair of clean, physical moves over the final three laps to get past Collin Truett for second and then race leader Jeb Bootle on the last lap for the top spot. Bootle and Greaves would drag race through the final four turns, with Greaves holding on for a narrow victory.
Bootle, the round two winner, earned his fifth straight podium finish, and Truett had his most successful day of racing this season, finishing third.
Pro-AM SXS: Someone had to snap David Gay’s four-race win streak in Pro-AM SXS, and that person happened to be Benjamin Heiting.
Heiting has been close this season to finding the top spot on the box, and he broke through with a strong race on Friday. He sat second behind Eli Kramer for most of the contest, but Heiting found an opening and snuck past the race leader with three laps to go. The pair would cross the line less than half a second apart, but with Heiting winning his first race of the season.
While Kramer finished behind Heiting, officials docked his points and position post-race. That officially put Cody Jones in second place and Rory Navin in third.
Sportsman SxS: Joel Steinbrecher took advantage of an opening on lap six to get around Bryce Carlson and into the lead of Friday’s Sportsman SxS race. Steinbrecher would move into the lead and hold on for his first win of the season, besting Ben Berger by .858 of a second at the line.
Berger notched his second straight podium, finishing second, one spot ahead of Brayden Kernz.
Stock Truck: Tyler Hoffman had a pair of podiums heading into ERX and sat third overall in Stock Truck.
Hoffman is still third overall, but he picked up a big midseason win on Friday. He drove past Kirk Graff on lap five for the lead and didn’t give up any ground on his way to the victory. Graff didn’t relinquish the runner-up spot despite heavy pressure from round three winner Nick Axelsen, who crossed the line two-tenths of a second behind Graff in third
Super Stock Truck: The deeply talented Super Stock Truck class didn’t disappoint on Friday, and Joe Maciosek led the charge.
Maciosek worked through heavy traffic early but found the top position on lap seven. He then gained a bit of breathing room and drove to his third win of the season.
Cory Holtger is beginning to get in a groove, driving to his second straight podium. He finished just ahead of points leader Nick Byng, who moved into the final podium spot with two laps remaining.
1600 Light Buggy: Starting on the pole or deep in a crowded field of 1600 Light Buggies doesn’t seem to matter for Connor Schulz. The point leader came through the pack again on Friday, driving from ninth for his sixth straight win.
Schulz stays undefeated in 2024, while Jake Schilleman notches his second podium finish. Schilleman led for the first eight laps before giving way to Schulz and dropping to third. He rebounded and passed Kyle Patenaude on the final lap for the runner-up spot.
1600 Single Buggy: Coming into ERX, only four points separated John Fitzgerald and Connor Schulz in the 1600 Single Buggy standings. Points leader Fitzgerald has two wins, including round five in Crandon, and was in line for his third. Schulz again played the late spoiler role, taking the lead from Fitzgerald with two laps to go and holding on by less than half a second for his third win.
Fitzgerald is still up two points over Schulz thanks to his runner-up finish on Friday. Travis Trelsted finished third, his first podium run of the season.
570 SXS: Points leader Ellah Holtger extended her overall lead in the standings thanks to her third 570 SXS win.
Holtger started fifth and worked into the lead with three laps to go, getting past eventual runner-up Logan Fritzinger for the win. Fritizinger followed his win in Crandon with his fourth podium of the season. Kody Krantz, who is just 14 points behind Holtger, finished second.
170/200 SxS: Ashton Dreher has found himself on a winning streak after winning Friday’s 170/200 SxS race. Dreher won his third straight contest, holding off Brixton Wirt, the 200 class winner. Raymond Deininger finished third overall.
Mod Kart: Gavin Plummer had control of Friday’s Mod Kart race, but Lincoln Mandsager played the role of spoiler with two laps to go.
Plummer led from the start of the contest, but Mandsager and Avery Hemmer kept in touch with the race leader and capitalized with the race running out. Mandsager would hold off Hemmer at the line by .178 of a second, with Plummer coming in third. It marked Mandsager’s first win of the year.
Youth SXS: Hudson Houle does it again, stretching his podium streak to six in a row and his winning streak to two after an impressive run in Youth SXS on Friday.
Houle grabbed the lead from Libby Nielsen on lap three and never looked back, earning his third win of the 2024 season. Nielsen found the podium for the second straight race, and Ryker Remington was credited with the third position.
Up next for AMSOIL Championship Off-Road: The seventh round of racing will be held on Saturday, July 13, at ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minn.
