SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas to kick off season this weekend

SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas Series is set to kick off their second season of competition this weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida, as they’ll compete on the same track that hosts the IndyCar season opener this weekend.

IndyCar and NASCAR star Robby Gordon debuted the series last year in an effort to bring something back to the fans that resembled the Mickey Thompson Off-Road. Mickey Thompson, an off-road racing legend, formed the series 1979, hosting events in stadiums. Gordon ran in the series alongside Thompson, winning a championship in 1988. In 1988, Thompson and his wife were murdered, and the series only survived a short time after that.

In an effort to bring back that type of series, Gordon introduced fans to the stadium super trucks with events across the country.

“Fan reaction has been tremendous,” Gordon said in a series press release. “Jimmie Johnson (six-time NASCAR champion), Casey Mears (NASCAR) and I all got our start driving trucks like these and we’ve reinvented the series and are bringing their former popularity back to the fans.”

Last year marked a successful debut season for the series as fans everywhere were surprised and thrilled by the on-track competition that the series brought. With drivers pushing the trucks to the edge in each corner and the height off the jumps, there was nothing sort of excitement last year.

Trying to help build their fanbase, Gordon set up events alongside the IndyCars, joining them at Long Beach and Toronto. The result was IndyCar fans falling in love with the stadium super trucks, and catching the eyes of the St. Petersburg track officials. The pieces were then put together and this weekend, St. Petersburg will feature a pair of races – one on Saturday and one on Sunday – from the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas Series.

“Not only is it one of the most awesome forms a racing in the world, for drivers and teams it’s about the most affordable professional racing series you can be involved with,” Gordon said. “In 2014 we will race in front of something like 750,000 people, have eight hours of exposure on NBC Sports Network and will race live on ESPN at X Games Austin.”

One of the unique features of the series is each truck is built identically at Gordon’s shop, with the drivers only allowed to make a couple adjustments at the track so it fits their liking.

“The goal is to provide equal equipment to all the drivers and let driver skill and not engineering budgets determine the winner,” Gordon said. “This is what racing should be. The trucks are amazing but it’s about skill and not money that puts on a great show for the fans.

Last year, Robby Gordon won the series championship through a dramatic finale, seven points ahead of Rob MacCachren. Both Gordon and MacCachren will be back behind the wheel this year to battle it out, though will be joined by a slew of veterans ready to take them on – including Honda Indy Toronto Day 2 winner Sheldon Creed, Justin Lofton and more.

Find out more details about the series at http://stadiumsupertrucks.com.

About the Author

Ashley McCubbin

Joining OnPitRoad.com mid-2013 season, Ashley McCubbin is now the Managing Editor and contributes to each racing division as needed. Since studying journalism at the University of Guelph-Humber, Ashley has published articles on a couple of different websites, while serving as a public relations representative for different short track teams. Born in North York, Ontario, Ashley currently lives in Bradford, Ontario and spends her weekend at the local short tracks in the area. She has spent her entire life at the short track level, falling in love with the sport at the age of five. Beyond her love of short track racing, she also has grown an interest for both NASCAR and the IndyCar Racing Series. She also enjoys taking photos and working on websites, while playing a couple rounds of Candy Crush afterwards.

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