The King of Lucas Oil Off Road series reached its halfway point with a wild VW Beetle Lite RallyCross round at ‘s Dirt Road layout, and the third event of the season delivered a little bit of everything. A dramatic opening lap, a breakout first-career win, the return of a 13-time ICL winner, and another quietly efficient podium from the championship leader combined to reshape the points picture with just two races left to run. When the chaos settled after eight laps, it was Dusty Fincher who stood tall with his first-ever ICL victory, while Robert Heath2 extended his advantage in the overall standings.

Qualifying set up an early twist in the story. Matthew Linde grabbed the -important fast time award, banking the extra point that comes with it and earning pole position for the main event. That bonus could still prove valuable down the stretch, but his race unraveled almost immediately. On the opening lap, Linde barrel rolled in the rollers section, and that same stretch of the course claimed roughly half the field. Front-running starters including Linde, TJ Staver, Richard Watkins3, Justin Pierce7, and others were all scored with zero laps completed, turning the first complex into the defining obstacle of the night and leaving several strong cars on the sidelines before they could properly settle in.

Up front, the race for the win quickly became a showcase for Fincher. Starting fifth, he moved forward early, took control from fellow title contender Robert Heath2, and never looked back. Fincher led six of the eight laps and backed up his run by setting the fastest lap of the race at 1:15.557 on lap two, showing he had both track position and outright speed. The performance not only secured him 12 points for the win but also marked his first career ICL victory, following up his truck podium from the previous round with an even bigger result. Heath2, who led two laps himself and brought the car home third, once again showed the same steady form that has defined his season so far.

The drive of the night for position gains belonged to the pair of Aidan Strawberry and Alex A Bergeron, who each advanced nine spots from where they took the green. Strawberry started 11th and charged his way to second place by the finish, using a clean, methodical approach to move through what was left of the field after the opening-lap trouble. That runner-up result is another strong mark on his King of Lucas Oil card, bouncing back sharply from his Pro Lite struggle and complementing his Crosskart win from the opener. Bergeron, a 13-time ICL winner making his first series start since 2023, rolled off from 14th and climbed all the way to fifth. His run was cut short after just two laps completed, but the combination of early progress and attrition still left him with a top five in his comeback outing.

Just off the podium, this RallyCross round also became a turning point for several drivers who needed a big night. Brenden McGlothlin turned a ninth-place starting spot into a fourth-place finish and his best result of the series so far, improving on his earlier ninths in both the Crosskart and Pro Lite events. Deeper in the order, several drivers who were swept up in the lap-one rollers chaos still show up in the results as part of the story of the night: Staver, Crista Vogler, Brenda Doell, Watkins3, and Pierce7 were all classified outside the top five after disconnects or incidents left them multiple laps down or out entirely. Their tough evening underscores how punishing the Lucas Oil rollers can be when a full field of RallyCross Beetle Lites attacks them on cold tires.

With three of the five King of Lucas Oil Off Road events now complete, the points standings tell a clear story at the top. Each race continues to pay 12 points to the winner, 11 for second, then one point less per position down the order, plus a single point for qualifying fast time. On that foundation, Heath2’s consistency has become the benchmark: three straight podium finishes have carried him to 30 points and the championship lead. Strawberry’s second-place run lifts him to 24 points and second in the standings, while Fincher’s first career win vaults him from eighth to third overall on 21 points. Behind them, early-season standouts Jace Law (19 points) and Seth Gregory (17 points, including a Crosskart quick time) remain firmly in contention, with Lawson Williams close behind on 16. Debut winner and Pro Lite specialist Zach Amspacher sits on 13 points alongside McGlothlin, and with a maximum of 26 points still available over the final two races, the battle for the crown remains far from settled.

Race Results – King of Lucas Oil Off Road – VW Beetle Lite RallyCross – Lucas Oil Speedway (Dirt Road)

  1. Dusty Fincher, 2) Aidan Strawberry, 3) Robert Heath2, 4) Brenden McGlothlin, 5) Alex A Bergeron, 6) Matthew Linde, 7) TJ Staver, 8) Crista Vogler, 9) Brenda Doell, 10) Richard Watkins3, 11) Justin Pierce7

Points Standings – King of Lucas Oil Off Road (After 3 of 5 Races, Including Qualifying Fast Time Bonuses) – Top 20

  1. Robert Heath2 – 30 pts, 2) Aidan Strawberry – 24 pts, 3) Dusty Fincher – 21 pts, 4) Jace Law – 19 pts, 5) Seth Gregory – 17 pts, 6) Lawson Williams – 16 pts, 7) Zach Amspacher – 13 pts, 8) Brenden McGlothlin – 13 pts, 9) Doug Welch – 10 pts, 10) Matthew Linde – 8 pts, 11) Alex A Bergeron – 8 pts, 12) Ben Joly – 8 pts, 13) TJ Staver – 6 pts, 14) Arthur Hess – 6 pts, 15) Mario Dinatale – 6 pts, 16) Crista Vogler – 5 pts, 17) Jeffery Martin – 5 pts, 18) Brenda Doell – 4 pts, 19) Dennis Holley – 4 pts, 20) Richard Watkins3 – 3 pts

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