I found the Crandon slip-and-slide this weekend, race fans.
Don’t worry, I didn’t go on it. But, in all my years covering #TeamAMSOIL, it’s been my goal to find it at Crandon. Known as the spot Crandon race fans gather to blow off steam after a long day of racing (and beer drinking), Crandon’s giant slip-and-slide is a popular destination during the Labor Day weekend races. So, when I learned I was making the trek out there for the 50th running of the World Championships, checking out the slip-and-slide was right up there alongside watching the carnage of 900-hp trucks taking turn one.
Crandon’s 50th World Championship weekend welcomed upward of 60,000 fans as well as racers from both the Midwest and West series. Some hadn’t set foot on the historic track in more than 20 years, but came back just to partake in the 50th event. After kicking off the weekend with a parade downtown, the crowd migrated to the track for a concert from Kid Rock.
Capping off a 40-year career
Among them was off-road veteran (and three-time AMSOIL Cup winner) Scott Douglas. Capping off nearly four decades of racing, Douglas took to the famed track for the final race of his career. See how he felt about his final weekend of racing below.
After a weekend of super-fast qualifying, Douglas hit a few bumps on the way to the Cup on Sunday afternoon. His crew had been up past midnight on Friday working on his truck. They managed to unwind the carnage from a crash during his World Championship race Sunday morning just in time to line up for the Cup race that same afternoon. Douglas took to the land-rush start for the last race of his career Sunday, starting in the last position. After working his way up to fourth, he was poised to take over the third spot when a rear trailing arm broke, ending his podium hopes.
Hometown boy takes the crown
Going into the race weekend, hometown boy Keegan Kincaid had been flawless on the season at Crandon, sweeping the podium during the June event. Showing he was no stranger to turn one, Kincaid leaped out of the gate during Saturday’s series race, taking the lead and never looking back. A win solidified his Pro 2wd championship on the season.
Sunday required a little more work from the Pro 2wd champion. In his morning World Championship race, Kincaid battled hard to earn his way up from fifth to third only to launch past Jeremy McGrath over the finish line and ultimately take second. During the Cup race Kincaid earned the number-two qualifying spot and led for the better part of the race. In the end, though, RJ Anderson’s Pro 4×4 proved too powerful as he squeaked by Kincaid to take the Cup and the $50,000 purse.
Other notes from the weekend:
- Kid Rock’s guitar player’s brother used to race at Crandon back in the day.
- Besides Douglas, many other legendary racers turned out to participate in this historic weekend. Baja legend Curt Leduc, Brian and Halie Deegan, seven-time Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath and NASCAR racer Brendan Gaughan were part of the field of racers.
- 2019 marked the third year of Ultra 4 racing at Crandon. Trucks started on the infamous land-rush start and, after taking a lap around the short-course track, took to the woods.
- With trucks from both coasts lined up, there was no shortage of rivalries. Case in point, during the Pro 4×4 final on Sunday, Andrew Carlson nosed Kyle Leduc at the finish line, sending Leduc’s truck into a barrel roll. Tempers flared as Leduc climbed out of his truck ready to confront Carlson.
Weren’t able to make it to Crandon? You can watch a replay of the World Championships here. We’ll see you at the races!
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