Corry Weller, the only female racer to tackle the rough and tumble Pro 4 class in the highly competitive Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series continued her streak of good luck at the Lucas Oil Off Road track in Las Vegas, NV with a solid third place finish in only her second weekend of the 2013 race season!
With a multitude of her sponsors present, such as Optima Batteries, Maxxis Tires, LoanMart, AIRAID, AED (all the way from Virginia), ADS Suspension, and FiberWerx, Weller wanted to be sure to give them a weekend to be proud of.
After struggling with a rough track in practice and qualifying, Weller turned up the heat in Round 3, and did what she needed to do to put her #18 Tilted Kilt/Optima Batteries Pro 4 truck on the podium. Fans watched anxiously when she bicycled hard early in the race, pulling off a great save, but putting her to the back of the field. With a hard charge, however, she found herself in third place before a late race caution flag bunched up the field.
“I knew I had Eric Barron right behind me, and I think Kyle LeDuc behind him, so on the final restart I just drove as hard as I could without making any mistakes.”
Weller proceeded to pace the two champion drivers ahead of her as she and Barron gave spectators quite a show in their late race battle for third. Despite some contact with the #32 on the final lap, she held her position and rocketed across the finish line to claim her first podium finish of the season, and her third podium since moving up to the Pro 4 class last year.
“I wanted it.” stated Weller, in a post-race interview. “It was right there in my hands, and I wanted it so badly for my team, for my sponsors, and for myself.” She added, “I am a very competitive person, and I think people are starting to see that more and more, as we get this truck dialed in and I get more experience in this class.”
Sunday’s Round 4 would give Weller another opportunity to show her competitive side, as she lined up on the front row for the final race of the weekend, after a three row inversion.
“I love being in the front,” Corry explained. “You don’t realize how much of an advantage it is to have clean air until you experience being midpack on the start in one of these races! The roost is insane, and you are pulling tear-off after tear-off, while driving as fast as you can and trying to steer clear of the chaos. Being on the front row allows you to concentrate 100% on your lines, and it’s a huge advantage.”
When the green flag dropped, Weller jumped immediately into first place and proceeded to lead the charging field of veteran drivers for 5 laps, until a cut right rear tire began to slow her progress. Not realizing she had a flat, Weller drove her heart out, continuing to throw her truck into the left hand turns, and finding herself struggling for control and traction.
It wasn’t until her tire blew completely apart that she realized what had happened, and after a quick stop in the hot pits for a tire change, she rejoined the last lap of the race and was able to salvage an 8th place finish.
“We had a great weekend,” said Weller. “We had so many sponsors out here that were so pumped to see us on the podium, and then in the lead on Sunday. My crew gave me a great truck every time I hit the track, and my husband has been dialing in my setup, has built me a great motor, and is making some really effective changes.
“We are showing some of the speed that I know we have, and it’s only going to get better as we progress through this season!”
Watch for Rounds 3 and 4 on CBS, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, SPEED and MavTv in the coming weeks, as Corry Weller and her team get the #18 ready for Rounds 5 and 6, to be held at Lake Elsinore, CA on May 18-19th! For weekend schedule and ticket information, visit www.lucasoiloffroad.com.
