Well, a lot of this should have been settled by now, but Mother Nature had other plans.

Had lightning and rain in Las Vegas a month ago not forced the postponement of Round 14 – for the pro classes, at least – of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, we could be talking about at least a couple of championships and figuring out what the drivers in the others needed to do to win. But with two points-paying rounds at Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park this weekend, followed by the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup on Saturday night, there’s a whole lot packed into two days.

There are 104 points available on Friday night and Saturday for things to change in the championships. For some classes, that’s probably not enough to change anything. In others, it’s a huge amount.

Pro 2 is one of those classes where it doesn’t really matter. Brian Deegan has a 77-point lead over Bryce Menzies, so all he really has to do is start both races, or have a solid finish in one and skip the other. Menzies, on the other hand, will have to have a good couple of races – about 15 hours apart – to hold off Rob MacCachren for second in the championship. Likewise, Carl Renezeder and RJ Anderson are neck-and-neck for fourth. Deegan may be able to cruise and save his truck for the Challenge Cup if he so desires, but no one else can.

Chad George can coast as well, thanks to his five victories, 11 podiums and 81-point gap to Dave Mason in Pro Buggy. But then only 21 total points separate second through fifth – Mason, Steve Greinke, Garrett George and Kevin McCullough – so those spots are definitely up for grabs among those four players.

While hardly a sure thing, things would have to go pretty disastrous for Kyle LeDuc for his 40-point gap to MacCachren in Pro 4 to disappear. Given the typical size of the Pro 4 fields – although a couple of additional entries are expected this weekend because of the Challenge Cup – it would be tough for LeDuc to finish 20 points behind MacCachren in both races. Behind MacCachren, it’s another 18 points to Ricky Johnson then another 18 to Doug Fortin. It would be quite possible for some place-swapping to happen among this three, plus Renezeder, who is only 11 points behind Fortin.

Pro Lite is the one class where thing could really change. Sheldon Creed has only a 14-point advantage over three-time champion Deegan, and Deegan has come from behind in the final races to win the class before, plus he’s always fast at Lake Elsinore –although Creed left there earlier in the season with more points. As big as the Pro Lite fields are, 14 points is nothing in two races. Deegan may have a distraction, though…word is he’s adding a Pro 4 to the stable this weekend. If there’s any consolation, it’s guaranteed that Creed and Deegan will finish first and second, in whatever order, in the championship, because RJ Anderson is a long way behind in third. Anderson he will have to fight Casey Currie to retain that spot, as there is also only 14 points between the two.

The kart classes got to run their races at las Vegas on the night the pro classes were cancelled – although the Modified Kart teams had a lot of cleanup to do afterward – so those championships are settled, or practically so. The Modifieds have one more race to run, but Brock Heger has a 47-point, virtually unassailable lead over Christopher Polvoorde. Dylan Plemons is the 2014 Junior 2 Kart champion, and Mason Prater has claimed the title in Junior 1 Karts.

Challenge Cup: Pro 4 vs. Pro 2

For some, the final stages of the 2014 championship are but a prelude to the Challenge Cup races. With two points races and the Challenge Cup races in the space of two days, it will make for a a very packed schedule and could spell real trouble for anyone that seriously damages a vehicle.

Each of the kart classes, Pro Buggy and Pro Lite will have their own big-prize Challenge Cup races. But the highlight will be the Pro 4 vs. Pro 2 battle that caps off Saturday night. Not only is it an all-out war between the two classes, with the Pro 4 drivers starting an appropriate distance behind, but each class is inverted based on points. If a Pro 4 driver wins the thing, it means he or she had to drive through not only all the Pro 4 competitors, but every last one of the Pro 2 racers as well. And it’s always interesting to see which truck those that race both classes will choose.

Last year it was all Pro 2 as the top Pro 4 competitors struck trouble. Deegan came away the winner, no surprise as he tends to do quite well at Lake Elsinore.

There will likely be some surprises. Two champions from the Midwest, Johnny and CJ Greaves, have been testing out at Lake Elsinore. And, of course, this is the time of year when many who are looking to change classes try to get a feel for what they’ll be running next year, so look for people in new trucks this weekend.

Gates open at 12 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday. Round 15 racing gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Friday, while the make-up races for Round 14 start at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. The Junior 2 Karts kick off the Challenge Cup races at 6 p.m. on Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. followed, by Mod Kart, Pro Lite, Pro Buggy and Pro 2 vs. Pro 4, which is scheduled for 9:45 p.m.