Antigo, Wis. ~ After a thrilling opening day of racing for the 2023 AMSOIL Championship Off-Road, presented by the U.S. Air Force season, the nearly 300 competitors hit the horseshoe track at the Antigo Lions Roaring Raceway for round two action.
The world’s best short-course, off-road racers worked tirelessly overnight to prepare for the second straight day of competition. Even with a lot of racing left on the 2023 Champ schedule, early success in Antigo has become a benchmark for championship contenders. Sunday proved pivotal as several drivers looked to replicate Saturday’s success, and many more looked to find momentum moving into the summer months.
Greaves Sweeps AMSOIL Pro Turbo SxS
CJ Greaves has doubled his 2022 Pro Turbo SxS output in just one weekend. He eclipsed his single-win mark from last season after completing the weekend sweep on Sunday.
Greaves started eighth but moved through the traffic and was the official race leader on lap three. He didn’t miss the mark, pulling away for his second straight win.
Kyle Chaney exorcised the demons overnight. The past class champion ran into issues with a turbo hose on Saturday, but he was on a mission Sunday, keeping pace with Greaves on his way to the runner-up spot. Owen VanEperen also worked his way up from a mid-pack start to pick up his second podium of the weekend.
VanEperen Vaults to Pro Stock SxS Win.
CJ Greaves was looking for the weekend sweep in Pro Stock SxS. Instead, it was a redemption run for Owen VanEperen.
Greaves led until lap ten, when he slowed to the side of the track (he would get back underway but dropped out of the top 10). That gave an opportunistic VanEperen a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. The Yamaha driver took his first win since round four last year. It also came one day after he got caught up in traffic while running third, dropping down to 16th at the final counter.
Jeb Bootle ran alone in second, his first Pro Stock podium. Jack LeTourneau held off heavy pressure from Andrew Carlson, crossing the line .05 of a second for third.
Pro-AM SxS: Kolton Krajicek’s success in snocross is paying off in his SxS debut season. Krajicek, who races with AMSOIL Championship Snocross, backed up his opening-round win with a weekend sweep of the Pro-AM SxS class in Antigo.
Krajicek immediately got the lead and pulled away from the field late in the race. Behind him, it took the final lap to sort everything out. Derek Liebergen moved into second on the final circuit, and Kyle Sharkey earned his first podium in Championship Off-Road.
170/200 SxS: Kody Krantz started sixth, but the five-time winner from 2022 took the lead on lap three and cruised to his first win of the season. Adalyn Lylte finished second, and William Holtger was third.
570 SxS: Hudson Houle had a lot of get-up-and-go early in Sunday’s 570 SxS final. He started ninth but was into third by lap three. He would go door-to-door for the lead and took hold of the top spot with three laps left.
A three-car race between Kody Krantz, Jayden Dickman, and Corbyn Wassenberg didn’t sort itself out until the final turn when Dickman and Wassenberg could sneak past Krantz, who hit a rut and spun off the track.
Sportsman SxS: On Sunday, it was a three-way battle for supremacy in the Sportsman SxS race, with Benjamin Heiting getting his first win. Heiting, who finished second on Saturday, could break away from a tight pack on lap four. It was a lead he never gave back, finishing just ahead of Bryce Carlson finished second, and Erik Hill was third for the second time this weekend.
Youth SxS: Libby Nielsen backed up Saturday’s runner-up finish with a win in Youth SxS on Sunday. Nielsen grabbed the holeshot and had an early battle with Saturday’s winner Ryker Remington. But Remington flipped his SxS, leaving Nielsen all alone up front. Livy Hentges made it two for two on podium visits in Antigo, and Connor LaCasse finished third.
Up next for AMSOIL Championship Off-Road, presented by the U.S. Air Force: The Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run in Crandon, Wis. June 24-24.
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