Off Road

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TORC FOCUS: BUSCH ADDS SPICE AT ROUTE 66

It’s a bold experiment for the Traxxas TORC short-course off-road racing series to host mid-week race at Route 66 Raceway. But the venue’s dragstrip and half-mile oval – which will have a few added twists, turns, tabletops and jumps for the 800hp-plus trucks – happens to be conveniently located across the street from Chicagoland Speedway. And that speedway is this weekend hosting the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and IZOD IndyCar Series along with various support races.

The TORC race nights on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 25-26, extend the racing weekend to five days. As an added bonus, NASCAR star Kyle Busch will be doing truck double duty in Chicago, driving a Traxxas-sponsored Pro 2WD truck in the TORC event in addition to tackling the Friday night NCWTS race in his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra. He’ll join TORC Toyota regulars Jeremy McGrath (Pro 2WD) and Rick Huseman and Johnny Greaves (Pro4x4) on the jumps and whoops at Route 66 Raceway.

“I’ve always wanted to try out one of the Traxxas TORC Series trucks, so being able to race one at Chicago is going to be a lot of fun,” says Busch. “Racing an off-road truck has been on my list of vehicles I wanted to try out before my racing career was over, so I have to thank Traxxas for giving me a chance to come out and race one of these short course trucks for the first time.”

Busch is fresh off winning the triple – Trucks, Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup – at Bristol, and testing his off-road ride at Crandon International Raceway earlier in the week. Not only has he proven fast on pavement (and unbeatable at Bristol this past weekend), but also he showed he’s a fast learner on dirt as well, turning lap times almost as quick as the experienced drivers testing alongside him.

Following the test, Busch posted on his Twitter account: “Was n Crandon, WI today testin the Traxxas TORC off road truck. What a blast to drive. Got pretty good I guess. As fast as the good guys.”

Busch’s presence should add a bit of excitement to what is already a major event, a short course off road race with some of the sports hottest stars in suburban Chicago.

“The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL is the premier short-course off-road series offering incredibly exciting racing at iconic venues, but it's the class of drivers that make our series so special,” says Kevin Miller, president of the series’ sanctioning body, USAC. “When you add someone like Kyle Busch into the field, not only does it draw new fans to our sport, but it raises the game of every driver in the field. No one wants the new guy to come in and win and I think anyone who knows Kyle knows he’s not coming into Chicago with the intent of just racing. He's there to take home a victory and leave with the trophy."

The Traxxas TORC races will run Wednesday and Thursday nights, with the gates opening to the public at 3 p.m. both days.

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