Let’s face it, long-time off-road driver Kevin Probst is unstoppable. During the opening race of the 2008 World Series of Off-Road Racing (WSORR), the E3 Spark Plugs Show-Me-State Showdown in Wheatland, Missouri last month, Kevin had a spectacular crash resulting in a series of flips causing damage to his Chevrolet truck. The team was able to get the truck going again for a second place finish in Round II of the action.
“There were lots of reasons that I wanted to run well,” said Kevin. “I was driving my new E3 tagged truck in the first E3 title race of the season, and I just felt like I could win. I was starting on the 4th row inside and wanted to get to the front of the pack right at the start. Once the race got going, I pulled a hole-shot and passed the first row of trucks immediately. My truck was drifting in the mud and I slid in front of another truck and made slight contact. It was enough to cause me to spin out of control and barrel roll 3-1/2 times. I’m glad the truck was new because that meant there was a new seat and neck restraint. Otherwise I might have gotten seriously hurt.”
Kevin Probst was driving his brand new Pro 2wd E3 Spark Plugs/Dixie Choppers/Lucas Oil/Toyo Tires Chevrolet Silverado for the first time in the practice laps on Friday evening. The truck ran great and pulled out the fastest lap of the day. On Saturday, intermittent rain forced the race to be cancelled. Sunday saw a shortened schedule to pack two days of action into one. The Pro 2wd Round I race was the last race of the morning.
“I didn’t feel a thing when it happened,” said Kevin. “But the truck looked really bad. After we got into it, we realized that the damage wasn’t as bad as we thought so we decided to try and make the second round later in the day. With help from the Uweld team and parts from Carl Renezeder, Ron Schreiner, Dan Vandenheuvel, and Jerry Daugherty, the #99 was ready to rock for Round II, only three hours after my crash!”
Kevin arrived just as round two of the Pro 2wd race was about to start. Except for the right side panels, most of the truck body was gone and there were no more body mounts left to use. Kevin started in last place. The truck seemed to handle well, so he increased the pace and started passing. With no bumper or body, the #99 looked like a vehicle from the famous Mel Gibson movie The Road Warrior. Lap after lap, Kevin gained on the leader. By the end of the race, he finished in second place with the crowd going nuts. No one believed that the truck, or the driver, would make the next race, let alone finish on the podium.
“This was a great effort from the team and I want to give a special thanks to those that helped us make the race,” said Kevin. “That’s what’s great about this sport and this series. Your fellow racers are always there to help you whenever you need it. I was also glad that I was able to pull through for the E3 guys. The race was titled the E3 Spark Plugs Show-Me-State Showdown and I was driving the E3 truck so I wanted to make them proud.”
The E3 colors will fly proudly once again this weekend as Kevin Probst climbs into the E3 Spark Plugs/Dixie Choppers/Lucas Oil/Toyo Tires Chevrolet Silverado to compete in the WSORR Round III and IV events at off-road racing’s BIG HOUSE, the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in Crandon, Wisconsin, for the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run Races (June 21-22). Kevin is one of the all-time winningest drivers in the history of Crandon International Off-Road Raceway.
Kevin is the owner of Probst Motorsports and has over 190 career victories and 16 Class Championships during his thirty year career. He finished third in the overall points championship in the Pro 2wd division in 2007. Kevin’s nephew, Jon, also a Probst Motorsports Driver, is driving under the E3 Spark Plugs logo this weekend and competing in his first full season in the PRO-Light division of the WSORR.
For more information or to purchase reserve seats for the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run Races online, go to www.wsorr.com or www.crandonoffroad.com. For more information about E3 Spark Plugs, including performance and emission test results, visit www.e3sparkplugs.com.
