Podium Finish
Ellstrom/Oberto Racing team owner Erick Ellstrom called it, "A great race and a great way to end the season."
Driver Sven Ellstrom and co-driver Chazz Arenibas were the seventh team off the line of the 31 entries in the Pro UTV Turbo Class in the Pahrump Nugget 250 at 8:48 am Saturday. Four hours and thirty five minutes later, the youngest team in the field finished a strong run with a second place finish behind race winner Phil Blurton of Loomis, California.
The 20 year-old Ellstrom had the Oberto sponsored UTV among the front runners by the mid point of the race and battled Blurton and Pete Libby of Bethel, Maine for the elapsed time lead the rest of the way. Libby came all the way from the 26th spot on the grid to join the race leaders and posted the quickest elapsed time in the field up to the 228 mile mark. With just 22 miles to go, Libby crashed out and saw apparent victory slip away. With Libby out, Blurton moved into first place in elapsed time with Ellstrom second and Dustin Jones of Bossier City, Louisiana third.
Sven Ellstrom commented, "It was a great course. Really fast in some areas and tough in others. Except for changing a couple of clutch belts, we ran great all day. We got around everyone who started ahead of us except Blurton and he was super fast as always. Pete Libby got by when we were in Pit 5 changing a belt and topping the fuel. Then we were catching him when he rolled. Chazz and I stopped to make sure those guys were okay. Then it was an easy run to the finish and 2nd place in the last race of the season feels great!"
Erick Ellstrom added, "For a new team, it's great to end the season with such a strong finish. Going into 2019, we know we can run with the best guys in the sport. I'm really proud of Sven and the way he has earned the respect of the other drivers. With the experience we gained and the support we have from Oberto and other sponsors, next season should be a good one for us. BF Goodrich, Sonic Tools, Baja Desgins and AZ West were all great additions to our program this season and each one of them made a difference in our performance. With all of them on board and the continued support of Walker Evans and Holz Racing, Ellstrom/Oberto Racing should be a front runner again in 2019."