Crandon, Wisconsin is a magical place for short course racing fans. The “Big House” is where legends are made, and this Labor Day weekend more than 40,000 people gathered at Crandon International Raceway and honored one of those legends. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink’s Rob MacCachren is scheduled to be inducted into the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame next month in conjunction with the Off Road Expo in Pomona; however he did not know that he would be the center of attention at Crandon last Thursday night. The tribute to Rob Mac’s illustrious career included colorful stories from racing legend Curt LeDuc and fellow Rough Rider Scott Taylor, as well as Crandon Raceway owner, Cliff Flannery.
BFGoodrich Tires, Impact by MasterCraft Safety, and Crandon Raceway sponsored the dinner, which was eloquently presided over by another fellow Rough Rider, Bob Bower. Despite turning several shades of red throughout the evening, it was apparent that the normally reserved Rob Mac was truly honored and overwhelmed by the homage paid to him by his teammates and competitors from his past three decades of racing. When the sun rose over Crandon on Friday morning it was back to business as usual and time for Rob Mac to put his race face back on.
Rob MacCachren and his RAM truck came into Crandon first in points in Traxxas’ The Off Road Championship (TORC) premier Pro 2WD class. He was at a disadvantage to the competition on Labor Day weekend though as he broke his left clavicle at Glen Helen Raceway last month and was using his right hand not only to shift his RAM truck, but also to steer and operate his race radio. Yet as a winner of three consecutive Borg Warner Cup races MacCachren could not resist the allure of Crandon, regardless of the circumstances.
Friday’s Pro 2WD race started fast and furious during another of Crandon’s legendary land rush starts, and even with his injury MacCachren was in the thick of the action. He started in the second position and was battling with Scott Taylor for third place half way through the race when contact between the two caused Rob to spin out, pushing him toward the back of the pack. On Saturday, Rob was once again at the front of the field early on and was in third place when his driveshaft let loose right before the mandatory caution at the mid-point of the race, resulting in a rare DNF.
The skies opened up on Sunday and the rain provided a fitting backdrop to the somber MacCachren / MOPAR / Traxxas camp. The wet and muddy conditions meant that Rob’s busy right hand had to clean his helmet in addition to shifting, steering, and operating the radio. Still, Rob Mac was undeterred and managed to sneak past Jeff Kincaid on the final turn to finish in 3rd place. MacCachren now sits in second place in TORC Pro 2WD points with four rounds of racing remaining, behind former protégé Bryce Menzies. “If I gave up every time I faced adversity I wouldn’t make a very successful racer,” MacCachren commented at the end of the weekend. “My shoulder is getting better by the day and while I am honored that the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame recognizes my past achievements, I still have plenty of racing left to do in the future.”
ROCKSTAR Energy’s Rob MacCachren now heads to the Tecate SCORE San Felipe Challenge of Champions on September 9-11. This is the same brutal course where MacCachren claimed the overall victory in his ROCKSTAR Energy Drink / MasterCraft Safety Trophy Truck earlier this season and with a number one starting position clean air is certain to help Rob pilot the No. 20 Jimco Trophy Truck to another victory. MacCachren has his sights set on the SCORE Trophy Truck season championship; he is currently second in SCORE season points with only Bryce Menzies standing in his way. Straight from San Felipe, Rob will head to Las Vegas for a live taping of SPEED Channel’s Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain. Tune in to SPEED on Sunday night at 9 PM Eastern, 6 PM Pacific to catch Rob on the air.
Rob MacCachren’s TORC race effort is sponsored by:
RAM Truck • MOPAR • TRAXXAS
BFGoodrich Tires • Impact by MasterCraft Safety
MasterCraft Racing is sponsored by:
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink • BFGoodrich • Gargoyles Eyewear • Jimco
Fox Shox • Walker Evans • Rancho Drivetrain • MSD Ignition
Palomar Communications • Hyperco • KC HiLites