2024 UNLTD Championship Chase: UTV Pro and Pro Open
The 2024 UNLTD Off-Road Racing season concludes on October 2-6 with the return of the California 300. As we prepare for an epic finish to this year’s campaign, we’re going to take a look each week at the top racers across the dozens of classes that make up a typical UNLTD entry list.
This week, our deep dive into the Pro classes continues with the top two UTV classes, Pro and Pro Open:
UTV Pro Open
A single point separates Sierra Romo and Larry Heidler for the top spot in Pro Open points heading into Barstow. Heidler struck first in the championship by winning this year’s Parker 400, beating Romo by just under seven minutes there, but her consistency—second place in Parker, followed by third at the Mint 400—have given her the edge.
15-year-old Chase Mankin sits third in the standings on the strength of a fourth place finish in Parker, despite a DNF at the Mint. The always fast Brayden Baker and Mint 400 winner Ronnie Anderson complete the top five.
In last year’s California 300, Baker and Romo finished first and second overall as the top racers in the Pro Open class, trading the lead on corrected time on the final lap. Their respective fastest laps were separated by just two seconds during the three-lap race.
UTV Pro
While more than 40 drivers have taken on the UTV Pro class so far this season, it’s been consistency among a handful of drivers that shapes the points chase. Sometimes, just making it to the finish in every race can be the difference between contending for the title and falling out of the hunt.
Steve Allen’s eight-point championship lead in UTV Pro is a great example. Allen opened the season with a third place finish in Parker, and his 10th place finish at the Mint was enough to take the lead thanks to the DNFs of drivers like Terry Diedrick and Bruce Binnquist. Sitting second is 16-year-old Cruz Birchard, who finished seventh and 11th in the two races so far.
Binnquist was last year’s top overall qualifier at the California 300, but second-lap struggles knocked him from the top spot; he’d recover to finish fourth in class and 10th overall. Two-time defending Mint 400 class winner Joe Terrana also won in last year’s visit to Barstow, giving him victories in his last three UNLTD starts as he missed the Parker race.
Catch up on all of the 2024 UNLTD Championship Chase posts:
July 18: UTV Modified/UTV Stock/Youth
July 25: Limited Truck
August 1: Limited Car, Vintage, and Military
August 8: Motorcycles
August 15: UTV Pro NA and Pro Stock