Off Road

America's favorite short course racer, Johnny Greaves, faced off against the nation's toughest competition seen in years as the elite Pro4WD class battled fiercely under the bright lights of Perris Auto Speedway. Greaves charged his Monster Energy/ Toyota/ Potawatomi/ BFGoodrich sponsored race truck, while team Jeremy McGrath buckled up his Mastercraft Safety gear in his #2 Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/BFGoodrich two-wheel drive machine. Both Greaves and McGrath were the favorite among the legions of fans at the TORC Autograph sessions both nights.

Jeremy McGrath battled not only the scorching elements of Mother Nature, but he also battled flu-like symptoms all weekend long. Greaves, on the other hand, was focused on the task of working on every angle of his race truck in order to be as fast as he could be on the track.

One thing for sure, the Monster Energy/ Toyota/ Potawatomi/ BFGoodrich/ PIT & FAN ZONE was packed both nights as the Southern California fans flocked to the Greaves Motorsports pit to get an inside look at what makes Greaves and McGrath tick.

Friday Night Racing - TORC Round 13

The #22 Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/BFGoodrich Pro 4x4 had a solid practice run amid the incredibly hot weather conditions. By the time the lights came on and the temperatures fell, Greaves was more than ready to race. As the green flag dropped, the #22 Toyota Tundra catapulted towards the front of the pack early, demonstrating why Johnny Greaves has won 6-short course championships in his career. The crowd cheered loudly as the #22 Pro4WD railed sideways around each turn.

Greaves drove the Toyota Tundra hard in multiple attempts to fend off Douglas as the two off road racing veterans rubbed doors in nearly every turn. Douglas and Greaves entertained the crowds with some of the most intense racing action seen this season, while some of the wildest drama of the season unfolded behind them.

After a wild 20-laps of racing, Greaves earned his 8th top three finish of the season claiming the final spot on the podium.

"The #22 worked great all night long. We have been working closely with BFGoodrich Tires and we had a great groove for the track tonight. Toyota TRD gave us a great motor package and we were right there up until we lost some track position in turn four after contact with Douglas. Things are bound to happen when we are racing on a tight course like here at Perris Speedway and we were on the wrong end of the ‘lucky stick' tonight. But of course, there's always tomorrow night," said Greaves.

Jeremy McGrath started the race from the pole position and charged his #2 Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/BFGoodrich backed Tundra race truck to an impressive hole shot taking the early lead. McGrath was all business as he raced fiercely and put his #2 Pro2WD in position for a podium position heading into the second half of the race. Poised for a final run in the last 10-laps of Friday night racing under the lights, McGrath bobbed and weaved through the carnage on the track while dicing it up with MacCachren and Johnson. McGrath dueled with Johnson right down to the final turn of the last lap where he finished on the podium in the third spot.

"I felt real good all race long and then towards the end of the race, we had a slight mechanical failure with a brake rotor that slowed the #2 Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/BFGoodrich truck down. Racing under the lights on a Friday night in Southern California reminds of the old days and I'm stoked to be representing the Monster Energy/ Toyota/ Potawatomi/ BFGoodrich Johnny Greaves Motorsports team here in So Cal. We'll be back here tomorrow night, ready to get it done," commented McGrath.

Saturday Night Racing TORC Round 14

Mother Nature spared no mercy on the racing community Saturday. The California heat wave baked even the toughest off road racers on the planet as teams tried to stay cool. Temperatures soared into the triple-digits beneath the Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/BFGoodrich race awning, as the crew prepped the two Johnny Greaves Motorsports trucks for TORC Round 14 racing.

By nightfall, as blistering temperatures gave way, a relaxed Johnny Greaves and Jeremy McGrath mingled with hundreds of fans on the track. An hour later, Greaves slid on his Monster Energy branded race helmet and took to the track in his #22 Toyota Tundra. As the fans rose to their feet for the start of the race, the #22 raced down the front stretch and took a high line up on the left hand steep banked turn one. The truck was completely hooked up as the Toyota TRD motor revved high churning the 35" BFGoodrich Tires on the dirt track allowing Greaves to pick any line he wanted for the exit of the first turn. Greaves hit the first of many jumps with his FOX Racing Shox tuned suspension at speed and railed on the outside of the backstretch.

While Greaves once again became embattled in a race war with his archrival, Scott Douglas, the other Monster Energy backed Pro4WD began to slip away from Douglas and Greaves. After the first half of the race, both Douglas and Greaves, still in the midst of an epic race, had to then deal with charges from the #99 truck of Kyle LeDuc. As the race progressed towards lap 15 of the 20-lap main event, it was evident that Huseman was in a league of his own on Saturday night. Greaves continued mashing the pedal through each turn, but it wasn't meant to be as the Wisconsin-native rallied early pushing to the ragged edge before finishing in the 4th position overall.

Greaves commented, "We needed to finish ahead of Rick to have a chance at the championship and although it's not over mathematically, we've got to go into the final race weekend and win two races. It's not over yet."

The field of TORC Pro2WD race trucks rolled onto the track as everyone in the grandstands stood on there feet for the start of the race. Jeremy McGrath jumped to an early lead in front of MacCachren, Taylor, Vanden Heuvel and LeDuc. As the race progressed, McGrath and Todd LeDuc banged doors in nearly each turn as the Rockstar Pro2WD did everything he could to try to get around the faster Monster Energy #2 Pro2WD driven by McGrath. All the while, Vanden Heuvel stretched out a modest lead while MacCachren and point's leader, Ricky Johnson swapped positions several times.

After 10 laps around the Perris Auto Speedway, McGrath was in a great position for the final charge. As the race resumed to green flag racing the battle was on between McGrath, LeDuc, Johnson, MacCachren and VandenHeuvel. All five Pro2WD trucks came into turn 3 and only two came out unscathed. The chaos in turn three caught McGrath in the middle of it and he slid back several positions. With 6 laps to go, McGrath could do nothing but race for the series championship points. as the leaders were well out of reach.

McGrath later commented, "That was unfortunate. We all went into turn 3 and by the time it was over, I was all caught up in a big mess. The #2 Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/ BFGoodrich truck was once again fantastic tonight and we've just got to move on to the next race in Las Vegas."

After 14 rounds of the 2009 TORC Series, Johnny Greaves has earned 261 total points in the PRO4WD class. Greaves is a mere two points behind the third place position and 45 points off the point's leader, his Monster Energy teammate, Rick Huseman.

Among the competitive PRO 2WD class, Jeremy McGrath has a 14 race combined total of 226 season points and climbed one position to the fourth spot. McGrath is 61 total points out of the top spot with two races to go.

Tune into ESPN2 on Sunday, October 4 at 11:00pm EST (8:00pm Pacific) and watch all the race action from TORC Rounds 13-14. Check your local listings for broadcast times on ESPN2 in your region.

Monster Energy/Toyota/Potawatomi/BFGoodrich sponsored Johnny Greaves Motorsports returns to racing action in the final TORC Series race weekend of the year on October 24-25, 2009 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Please visit www.JohnnyGreaves.com for the latest news, photos and videos of all the action from the TORC Series at the Perris Auto Speedway.