The Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (usually abbreviated as SODA) was a

short course In swimming, the term short course (abbreviated SC) is used to identify a pool that is in length. The term is also often included in meet names when conducted in a short course pool. "Short course" is the second type of pool configuration curren ...

off-road racing Off-road racing is a form of motorsports consisting of specially-modified vehicles including cars, SUVs, trucks, motorbikes, quadbikes and buggies racing in off-road environments (e.g. snow, dirt, mud, etc.). North America Desert racing ...

sanctioning body in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

History

SODA began as a

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

off-road racing series in the early 1970s. Most races were held in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

but a few were held in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The crown jewel of the series was the off-road championship event held at the

Crandon International Off-Road Raceway The Crandon International Off-Road Raceway is a short course off-road racing racetrack, located near Crandon, Wisconsin, United States on U.S. Route 8. The course hosts the World Championship Off-Road Races, Red Bull World Cup, Forest County P ...

- the "home of the world championship off-road race". The vehicles used were primarily

Trophy trucks A trophy truck, also known as a Baja truck or trick truck, is a vehicle used in high-speed off-road racing. This is an open production class and all components are considered legal unless specifically restricted. Although any truck that meets t ...

, buggies (which were based on the original

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

called Baja Bug),

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

s, and a few stock cars. All vehicles had heavily modified suspension. Most drivers from SODA moved to CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing) after the 1997 season, which basically ended SODA's existence. A greatly diminished series continued on for at least a few years afterwards.

Classes

*Class 1-1600, 1600 cc engine buggies with driver only *Class 2-1600, 1600 cc engine buggies with driver plus co-pilot (Sometimes run with class 1-1600) *Class 3, 4-wheel-drive Short Wheelbase vehicles (Jeep CJ, Ford Bronco, etc.) *Class 4, 4-wheel-drive full-size trucks *Class 5-1600, buggies with driver only *Class 6 Modified passenger cars, and later 2wd SUV's *Class 7s, 2-wheel-drive four-cylinder trucks *Class 8, 2-wheel-drive full-size trucks *Class 8s 2-wheel-drive full-size trucks (nearly stock vehicles, with restrictor plate V8 engines) *Class 9, Modified Buggies with up to 1914 cc Air-cooled engines, or 1600 cc engines water-cooled *Class 10, Class 9 with co-pilot *Class 11, Stock 1600 cc engine buggies with driver only *Class 12, Stock 1600 cc engine buggies with driver plus co-pilot (Sometimes run with Class 11) *Class 13, 2-wheel-drive full-sized trucks with more restrictions than Class 8 *Heavy Metal, combined race with Class 3, Class 4 and Class 8 trucks *SODA Light A small single-seat short-wheelbase buggy with a small CC snowmobile engine

Television

The series was televised in starting with Crandon's race in 1989 on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. Series races appeared tape delayed on

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...

, Retrieved from August 27, 2007 Google cache but no longer accessible; Douglas scored double win at Lake Geneva Race; July 13, 1997; Retrieved September 29, 2007 (often during the winter months). ESPN covered the two trophy truck classes (4 and 8) along with 7S. ESPN2 started covering races in 1995. It covered Classes 13, 9/10, and 1600. The ESPN2 races featured

Marty Reid Martin Reid "Marty" Klingeman (born February 3, 1953), known professionally as Marty Reid, is an American television sportscaster who worked for ESPN from 1982 to 2013, covering motorsports for the network. Reid served as the network's lead Ind ...

as the lead announcer,

Ivan Stewart Ivan "Ironman" Stewart (born June 4, 1945) is an American professional off road racing driver. Racing career In 1973, Stewart was scheduled to co-drive (navigate) in the Ensenada 300 in a Class 1-2 dune buggy. His driver broke his leg, so Stew ...

as color commentator, and

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

as pit reporter. In late 1996, SODA sanctioned the Chevrolet Off-Road Winter Series; drivers traveled across the country in the

Glen Helen Raceway Glen Helen Regional Park is a county park located in San Bernardino, California, United States adjacent to the Cajon Pass. It was the site of both US Festivals of the early 1980s. It is also home to the Glen Helen Amphitheater, the largest outdoo ...

in California.

Video game

In 1997,

Sierra Entertainment Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher founded in 1979 by Ken Williams (game developer), Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is k ...

released a SODA-themed racing video game called '' SODA Off-Road Racing''.

Tracks that held races

Many Wisconsin and Michigan tracks held races, including: * Bark River Off-road Raceway,

Bark River, Michigan Bark River is an unincorporated community located in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Bark River Township near the Bark River, from which it is named. It is situated on U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 41 about 13 mile ...

Crandon, Wisconsin Crandon is a city in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States; it is in the northeastern part of the state, about north of Green Bay. The population was 1,713 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Forest County and is the only inco ...

* Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway,

Ionia, Michigan Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census. Every July it hosts what is said to be the world's largest free-admission fair. The city is mostly within ...

* I-96 Speedway,

Lake Odessa, Michigan Lake Odessa is a village in Ionia County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,018 at the 2010 census. It is located in the southern portion of the county in Odessa Township on the northeast shore of Jordan Lake, which is the bound ...

* Langlade County Speedway,

Antigo, Wisconsin Antigo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,100 at the 2020 census. Antigo is the center of a farming and lumbering district, and its manufactures consist principally of lumber, ...

Lake Geneva Raceway Lake Geneva Raceway (also LGR) was a motocross, demolition derby, off-road racing, stock car, and kart racing racetrack in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, US. It was billed as "Wisconsin's Busiest Racetrack." The track closed on December 31, 2006, a ...

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Lake Geneva is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Walworth County and situated on Geneva Lake, it is home to an estimated 8,105 people as of 2019, up from 7,651 at the 2010 census. It is located about 40 miles southwest of Mil ...

* Luxemburg Speedway,

Luxemburg, Wisconsin Luxemburg is a village in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,515 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is located within the town of Luxemburg. Geography Luxemb ...

* Milan Dragway,

Milan, Michigan Milan ( ) is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,079 at the 2020 census. The community was settled as early as 1831. Milan incorporated as a village in 1885 and much later as a city in ...

RedBud MX ''Cercis'' is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as redbuds. They are characterised b ...

Buchanan, Michigan Buchanan is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,456 at the 2010 census. The city is located at the southeast corner of Buchanan Township, about 5 miles (8 km) west of Niles. History The community ...

Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Ch ...

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, located within the northwestern part of the county within the Town of Rhine. The population was 967 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolit ...

* Sunnyview Expo Center,

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

* Memorial Total Off-Road Rally,

Dresser, Wisconsin Dresser is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 895 at the 2010 census. It is along Wisconsin Highway 35. History The community has the name of Samuel B. Dresser, an early settler. Geography Dresser is located a ...

Drivers

Scott Douglas Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

* Evan Evans, 1996 Class 13 Champion *

Walker Evans Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans' work fro ...

- 1994 and 1995 Class 4 champion *

Jack Flannery Jack Flannery (November 22, 1952 – April 6, 2010) was an American off-road racing driver who was active in the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Flannery won six short course off-road championships in Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) a ...

, 7-time series champion *

Brendan Gaughan William Brendan Gaughan (born July 10, 1975) is an American professional racing driver who has competed in off-road and stock cars. He is the grandson of Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and son of Michael Gaughan, a hotel and casino magnat ...

- 1995 Class 13 champion, 1996 Class 8 champion * Johnny Greaves *

Chad Hord Chad Hord (born August 21, 1976) is a professional American off-road racing driver from Felch, Michigan. As of 2012, he races a PRO 2 short course truck in the Traxxas TORC Series (TORC). In 1995, he began racing in Short-course Off-road Drivers ...

Jeff Kincaid Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes ...

Curt LeDuc Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and is ...

Rob MacCachren Rob MacCachren (born March 24, 1965) is an American off-road racer from Las Vegas, Nevada. MacCachren won over 200 off-road races including five editions of the Baja 1000. He raced the Mickey Thompson Stadium Series early in his career and w ...

, 1995 Class 4 champion * Scott Taylor

References

External links

1997 Crandon Spring results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soda Auto racing organizations in the United States Off-road racing Off-road racing series