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CORR: Frontier Truck a Favorite for Road Racing Championship

9 July 1999

Nissan Driver Schmitt Third in Points After Winning at Crandon

GARDENA, Calif.-After two Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) events, Nissan Frontier driver Art Schmitt, from Pittsburgh, Penn., stands third in the Exxon Superflo Pro Series championship. With one victory and two third place finishes under his belt, Schmitt feels good about his chances of winning the Pro-Lite's title for two-wheel drive, four cylinder light duty trucks.

"We built an all new Frontier off road racing truck for this season," said Schmitt, who finished second in the championship last year with the Frontier. "The first race was like a test session for us, but now that we've had some track time with the new truck it feels very good. At our last race in Crandon, we were very fast compared to the competition. We still have some improvements left to make so there is great potential with this truck."

The first venue for the 1999 CORR Exxon Superflo Pro Series was June 11 to 13 at Antigo County Fairgrounds in Antigo, Wis. The event included two 15-minute Pro-Lite division sprint races on the off-road course, which featured treacherous jumps and fast straight-aways.

Showing up with a brand new Frontier race truck and an engine prepared by Nissan Motorsports, Schmitt scored a disappointing 12th in the first round. The team turned things around the next day though, and placed third in the season's second race.

Before heading to the June 25 to 27 event at Crandon International Off Road Raceway in Crandon, Wis., Schmitt tested his Nissan Frontier for two weeks. The effort paid off for the team. Schmitt was unbeatable against the Toyota and Ford trucks in round three, winning the race after taking the lead at the first turn of the 1.75-mile course. In round four, he finished third, keeping the Nissan Frontier in the running for the championship battle.

Lee O'Donnell, from Bayonne, N.J., also fielded a Nissan Frontier in the first three rounds of the CORR series, finishing fifth in the first and third races. Running the same Frontier truck that won three races last year with Schmitt behind the wheel, O'Donnell currently ranks 10th in the championship.

The Championship Off Road Racing action continues with six more events this year including, the crown jewel of the series, the World Championships at Crandon International Off Road Raceway from Sept. 3 to 5. All eight of the CORR Exxon Superflo Pro Series events will be televised on ESPN 2.

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