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MESQUITE, NEVADA – Curt LeDuc, driver of the Rockstar/Makita/Kal Gard Lubricants/Toyo Tires® Ford F-150 truck, won Class 8000 of the Bilek Racing Silver State 300 this past weekend while driving on Toyo® Open Country M/T® tires. With only one event remaining in 2008 in the Best In The Desert off-road racing series, LeDuc’s 100-percent win streak means his truck will only have to start the Henderson’s Fabtech Desert Classic in December to win the Class 8000 championship. This will be the second consecutive Best In The Desert Class 8000 championship for Team LeDuc and Toyo Tires.
Still healing from a broken leg which occurred on Labor Day weekend during a short course race in Crandon; the determined LeDuc, from Cherry Valley, California, drove the first 200-miles of the race. During the second pit stop, he handed his truck over to son, Kyle LeDuc of Beaumont, California, to drive the final 100-miles. Macrae Glass of Kingman, Arizona, remained in the co-driver’s seat during the entire race.
“This was an all new race course which was a single lane with not much wind and a lot of dust,” said Curt LeDuc. “The silt beds were huge, but our Toyo Open Country M/T tires never got stuck and we never had a flat during the race.”
Finishing Second Overall in the Bilek Racing Silver State 300 was the duo of Chuck Dempsey and John Hearder driving their Speed Technologies/Toyo Tires/HMS Class 1500 open wheel racer equipped with 35X13.50R15 off-the-shelf Toyo Open Country M/T tires. Hearder brought the Chevrolet LS-7 powered-car in for the half-way driver change with a move toward the top, but the car had lost its brakes during the stint. Dempsey drove the remainder of the race without brakes, taking it to second overall for the race.
“The course had deep sand and was tight, our Toyo Open Country M/T tires didn’t have any flats and worked really well,” said Dempsey. “This course favored the open wheel cars over the bigger trucks. We feel we could have won overall if we didn’t have brake problems.”
“We are excited to see Curt LeDuc having a perfect season in desert racing for 2008, and congratulate Team LeDuc on a job well done,” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “We also congratulate Chuck Dempsey and John Hearder for a great second overall finish in the race. Our Team Toyo Off-Road drivers have proven the toughness and winning capabilities of our Open Country M/T tire.”
