Brooks Stays on Top After Wild West Showdown in Sparks!

It was the dual we’ve been waiting for all year. The Pro Lite showdown that’s been building for 8 rounds seemed to have finally intensified. After the points gap in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro Lite points championship tightened following rounds 7 & 8 in Wheatland, it became very clear.. it’s going to be a fight to the finish for the championship! And it’s a gap of a mere 4 points with defending champion Jerett Brooks on top ahead of Pro Lite rival Brock Heger entering rounds 9 & 10 at Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, NV.

Round 9
With the taste of an unfortunate 10th place finish still fresh, Jerett Brooks was focused on putting the #77 Rigid Industries Pro Lite back up front where it belongs. With a few practice sessions under his belt and a 3rd place qualifying run for round 9, he was in position to do just that. Championship rival Brock Heger would qualify 1st and gain the important bonus point narrowing the gap to just 3 points before the green flag would even drop. But once it did, Jerett would put everything on the line to regain the momentum.

Starting on the outside of the 2nd row, Jerett would make quick work of the lead pack and move up to 2nd behind Micky Thomas after turn 1. Heger would do the same and followed Jerett right to the front. He made a pass a lap later to get by Jerett and would eventually get by Thomas for 1st. This time it was Jerett would follow as he moved into 2nd. Much like the Pro Lite points championship, the two rivals checked out. Heger would hold the lead through the half-way mark, gaining another crucial point, and would hold on for the win while Jerett finished in 2nd place for his 7th podium of the season. Jerett would now hold a tie for the lead in the points championship with Heger going into round 10.

“It’s races like this that keep the championship hopes alive. We may not have won the race and lost a few points, but we kept the pressure on hoping Brock would make a mistake, and unfortunately he didn’t. But a 2nd place is huge for the championship and we’ll come back tomorrow to try and gain a few of those crucial points back”, said Jerett.

As if that showdown wasn’t enough, about a half-hour later Jerett would strap in to his 900 HP Pro 2 to battle with the big dogs. Starting on the inside of row 3, he would hold his position through turn 1 and settled into 5th. As positions shifted and carnage ensued, Jerett would find himself in podium position running 3rd behind RJ Anderson and Brian Deegan, two of Pro 2’s finest. He’d also feel the pressure of points leader, Jeremy McGrath right behind him. But he held his own and ran with the best for the remainder of the race and eventually took home a respectable 4th place finish.

After the race, Jerett had this to say.. “I can’t complain about a 4th place finish. This class is so competitive and I feel like every time we take the track we learn something. We might not have been the fastest today but another top 5 finish feels good and we’ll try and improve tomorrow.”

Round 10
On Sunday, Jerett would qualify and start 2nd only a couple hundredths of a second behind Christopher Polvoorde in the Pro Lite class. Brock Heger would start 3rd. As the green flag waived, Jerett would take over the inside line coming into turn 1 and held the lead upon exit. Only a couple of turns later, none other than Brock Heger would be right behind in 2nd place. Much like on Saturday, the two would check out and put on a show in yet another Pro Lite championship chess match.

Arguable one of the best Pro Lite races in recent memory, the two would hit their marks in every turn looking for any advantage over the other. With Jerett out front, and Brock applying pressure, Jerett would drive with everything he had to hold his position. He’d lead at the half-way mark gaining a point back, and would maintain position after the variety of attempts from Heger to get by. But it never happened. Jerett would hold on, putting together one of the most impressive performances of his career by holding off the relentless Heger, and taking home the win and 2 more points. With 3 rounds of racing to go, Jerett holds a 3 point lead over good buddy and championship rival Brock Heger.

As excited as he’s been all year, Jerett couldn’t contain himself.. “That was fun!”, as he climbed out of the truck at the podium grinning from ear to ear. “I just can’t thank my crew and sponsors enough for helping me put this truck on top today. That was one of the toughest races of the year and I just kept pushing it to it’s limits to hold Brock off. And I can’t thank him enough for such a clean battle. It was probably one of the most intense battles I’ve ever had and he never tried to take me out. Just good clean racing. My General Grabbers were hooking up and it feels so good to be back on top!”

In Pro 2, Jerett would start 7th, on the inside of row 4. He knew he’d have his work cut out for him starting deep in the field, but in Pro 2.. anything can happen. As the green flag waved, Jerett held his inside line but got hung up from a competitor who spun out ahead of him. He’d have to chip away at the lead pack and would eventually catch up.

After making a couple of passes, Jerett was running mid-pack at the half-way mark and had a podium position in sight. A nasty crash by Rodrigo Ampudia late in the race and Brian Deegan going a lap down allowed Jerett to move into 3rd, where he’d finish behind Bradley Morris in 2nd and Jeremy McGrath taking the win. It would be Jerett’s 4th podium of his rookie season and moved him up to 4th in the championship standings!

Jerett Brooks Racing is sponsored by General Tire , Rigid Industries , Bilstein Shocks , KMC Wheels , Maxima Racing Oils , Optima Batteries , FK Rod Ends , K2 Coolers , Black Rhino Performance , Magnaflow Exhaust , Factory Canopies , Fortin Racing , Casper’s Concrete Busters , Eibach Springs , Howe Performance , Kroyer Racing Engines , Jones Racing Performance , Camburg , NoGrady Racing Engines , Adidas Motorsport , Buggy Whips , and Impact Safety .

The Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series heads to San Bernardino, CA September 15-16 for rounds 11 & 12. For more information, visit www.lucasoiloffroad.com.

Follow Jerett Brooks on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter @Jerettbrooks77. Photos by Jerett Brooks Racing. For additional photos, please contact Brett Carpenter at brett@jerettbrooksracing.com