The 2016 Stadium Super Trucks Series was the fourth season of the Stadium Super Trucks series. After two seasons as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, the name was quietly phased out in series branding by 2016 as it became the Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks presented by Traxxas. ^[1]

2015 champion Sheldon Creed defended his title when he recorded twelve wins. Matthew Brabham finished second in the championship with 570 points, a 75-point differential between him and Creed, while Robby Gordon took third. ^[1]

Drivers

No.	Driver	Races
1	Sheldon Creed	1–8, 10–21
	Robby Gordon	9
2	Matt Mingay	1–3, 8
	Robby Gordon	10–12, 19–21
5	E. J. Viso	10–12
6	Tyler McQuarrie	4–7, 9, 17–18
	Scotty Steele	8
7	Robby Gordon	1–7, 13–18
	Matthew Brabham	8–9
9	Max Papis	13–14
11	Rob Whyte	10–12
12	Shaun Richardson	10–12, 19–21
14	Pat O'Keefe	4–7
15	Brian Ickler	15–16
20	Dustin Scott	4–9, 13–14
	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	15–16
21	Matt Nolan	19–21
25	Travis Milburn	1, 3
	Rob Cowie	2
	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	8–9
30	Robbie Pierce	1–3, 15–16
	Augie Lerch	4–5
	Davey Hamilton	6–7
	Burt Jenner	8
	Scotty Steele	9
	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	10–12, 17–18
	Paul Tracy	13–14
	P. J. Jones	19–21
33	Todd Romano	10–12
36	Kenny Wallace	15
	Jessie Johnson	16
45	Craig Dontas	19–21
50	Burt Jenner	1–3
57	Bill Hynes	1–9, 13–18
67	Paul Morris	1–12, 15–21
75	Erik Davis	6–7, 10–12
76	Bill Hynes	10–12, 19–21
78	Sara Price	13–21
83	Matthew Brabham	1–7, 10–21
	E. J. Viso	8–9
87	Toby Price	1–3, 13–14, 19–21
	Aaron Bambach	8–9
93	Russell Boyle	13–14
99	Kyle LeDuc	17–18
441	Troy Diede	17–18
500	Greg Gartner	1–3
888	Khaled Al Mudhaf	6–7
Sources: [a]

Schedule

Round	Track	Location	Date	Supporting
1	Adelaide Street Circuit	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia	March 4–6	Clipsal 500 Adelaide
2	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Florida	March 12–13	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
3	Streets of Long Beach	Long Beach, California	April 16–17	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
4	The Raceway on Belle Isle	Detroit, Michigan	June 3–5	Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix
5	Townsville Street Circuit	Townsville, Queensland, Australia	July 8–10	Castrol Edge Townsville 400
6	Exhibition Place	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	July 16–17	Honda Indy Toronto
7	Charlotte Motor Speedway Dirt Track	Concord, North Carolina	August 19–20	TORC: The Off Road Championship
8	OC Fair & Event Center	Costa Mesa, California	September 16–17	Sand Sports Super Show
9	Surfers Paradise Street Circuit	Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia	October 21–23	Castrol Gold Coast 600

Season summary

The 2016 season began at Adelaide Street Circuit. Indianapolis 500 driver Matthew Brabham, who ran the SST round at Toronto in 2015, returned to the series for Adelaide, ^[23] while local driver Travis Milburn made his SST debut in the race weekend; ^[24] other Australians in the field included Paul Morris, Rob Cowie, Matt Mingay, Greg Gartner, and 2016 Dakar Rally winner Toby Price. ^[25] Defending champion Sheldon Creed started eleventh in the twelve-driver grid but drove his way through the field. In front, Price led the race until lap six, when he collided into the wall. Morris inherited the lead and dueled with Creed for the position. As the two entered the final ramps, Morris went sideways and missed the second jump, enabling Creed to take the win. ^[26] On the first lap of the second race, Mingay rolled his truck as he entered turn fourteen. Mingay nearly landed on Burt Jenner, but he was able to avoid Mingay's truck. Jenner battled with Price for much of the race before passing him on lap six, holding off Gordon to win. ^[27] Mingay's struggles continued in the third race when he was spun by Price on lap three as he entered the ramp. Creed won the round. ^[28]

The series returned to the United States with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the third consecutive season that the trucks raced at the street course. ^[29] Traxxas drivers swept the weekend's two races with Creed winning the first and Keegan Kincaid the second; Tyler McQuarrie joined the two on the podium in both races. Dustin Scott ran his first SST race at St. Petersburg, finishing sixth in his debut round. ^[30]

Creed swept the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach's two races. ^[31] On the final lap of the second race, Pat O'Keefe landed off a jump erratically, causing his truck to slide over the second ramp before hitting the catchfence dividing the track from pit road. The wreck ended the race as Creed was declared the winner. ^[32] Dubai 24 Hour driver Khaled Al Mudhaf made his SST debut over the weekend, ^[33] finishing tenth and eighth. ^{[7] [8]}

At the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, series veteran Arie Luyendyk Jr. made his season debut. ^[34] Brabham recorded a weekend sweep as he won the two official races. ^{[35] [36]} The slate originally featured three races, but the second round saw Mingay's truck flip on lap three, prompting a red flag and suspending the race. Mingay was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital for facial injuries, ^[37] and was eventually placed under a coma for five days as he underwent jaw and brain surgeries. ^[38] Mingay returned to Australia after he recovered, but lost three weeks' worth of memories. ^[39] Officially, Race 2 is not included in the series' records.

In support of the injured Mingay, Gordon drove his No. 2 Hot Wheels truck when the series raced in the Castrol Edge Townsville 400 for the first time. ^{[40] [41]} Creed, Gordon, and Viso won the three races, with Viso taking his first win of 2016; Creed, who finished second and fourth in the other two rounds, scored the weekend victory. ^[42] Despite his Race 2 win, Gordon finished at the back in Races 1 and 3 due to mechanical issues. ^{[40] [42]}

At Honda Indy Toronto, 17-time motocross champion Sara Price made her series debut, becoming the first female driver in SST history. ^[43] Also debuting in the series at Toronto was Champ Car and NASCAR driver Max Papis, while 2003 CART champion Paul Tracy, who last ran an SST race in 2014, returned to the series. ^[44] Traxxas teammates Brabham and Creed battled one another for the weekend's two wins, with the former winning Race 1 and the latter Race 2. ^[45]

In August, SST partnered with TORC: The Off Road Championship to race the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway; it was the series' first dirt track racing event since Valvoline Raceway in 2015. ^[46] To accommodate the stadium trucks, track officials added a 36-inch tall aluminum ramp to the start/finish line. ^[47] NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace and Brian Ickler made their series debuts, though Wallace was replaced by TORC driver Jessie Johnson for Race 2 as Wallace had television obligations with the NASCAR Cup Series; Johnson, who finished third, ran his first SST race since 2013. Creed won both rounds. ^{[48] [46] [49]}

Entering the series' Sand Sports Super Show weekend, tragedy took place when Gordon's parents were found dead in their nearby Orange, California home; ^[50] in a statement released the next day, Gordon announced the race weekend would go on as planned, but added that "to switch from what happened to a business mode really stinks." ^[51] Heat races were held before the two finals, with SST newcomer Troy Diede starting on the pole as a result. ^[52] In the first race, Brabham took the lead at the start, while Gordon moved his way up from the back of the field. Late in the race, Gordon took the Joker Lap to get past Brabham and claim the win. P. J. Jones, who was substituting for O'Keefe in the Safecraft Safety Equipment truck, was able to pass Brabham to take second. With six laps left in the race, Morris flipped his truck but was able to finish sixth. ^[53] Creed, who finished eighth in Race 1 after breaking an axle, dominated the second with Brabham tailing. ^[52]

On October 13–16, the series went to Baja California to run the inaugural Mike's Peak Hill Climb Challenge, held at Mike's Sky Rancho. The hillclimbing event featured 144 competitors across various vehicle classes including SST. ^[54] Held on a 19.5-mile (31.4 km) course with 203 turns, water crossings and cattle grids, it marked the first time a stadium truck raced on such a track. Gordon dedicated the hillclimb to his late father Bob Gordon; he remarked "if I would have stopped this event, he would have been mad at me." ^[55] Including Gordon and Creed, the field of competitors featured a variety of drivers like an eleven-year old racer with his father serving as co-driver, ^[55] and 2015 Baja 500 winner Apdaly Lopez, who won the SST gold medal at X Games Austin 2014 and entered the hillclimb in an unlimited truck. ^[56] Red Bull off-road racer Bryce Menzies was also an entrant but did not compete due to injury; in his place, he challenged the SST drivers to beat his time of 14:20. On Friday, Gordon recorded the fastest time of the 16-driver field with a time of 17:08, followed by Creed with 17:29. Gordon once again led the grid on Saturday with a time of 16:51, a 22-second advantage over second-placed Creed. ^[57]

The season came to a close with the Castrol Gold Coast 600 at Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. In practice for Friday's race, teammates Morris and Price collided as they entered a turn, causing the two to roll over as they went into the barrier. ^[58] Race 1 saw multiple wrecks, including Craig Dontas taking out the chicane barriers that forced the competition caution to be expedited to facilitate repairs, with Brabham also landing on Jones' truck as they raced to the finish for second; Creed won by 12.182 seconds, one of the widest margins in SST history. ^[59] Gordon, returning to the No. 2 truck, won Race 2 while Creed held off Brabham for Race 3. ^{[60] [61]} Gold Coast would not return to the schedule until 2019 when it also served as that year's finale. ^[62]

Creed concluded 2016 with a series-high twelve wins, quadruple that of the second-most (three apiece by Gordon and Brabham). With 645 total points, he scored his second SST championship ahead of Brabham's 570. ^[1]

Results and standings

Race results

Round	Race	Event	Fastest qualifier	Pole position	Most laps led	Winning driver	Ref
1	1	Adelaide	Robby Gordon	Robbie Pierce	Burt Jenner	Sheldon Creed	[2]
	2			Toby Price	Toby Price	Burt Jenner	[3]
	3			Matt Mingay	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[4]
2	4	St. Petersburg		Pat O'Keefe	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[5]
	5			Pat O'Keefe	Keegan Kincaid	Keegan Kincaid	[6]
3	6	Long Beach	Robby Gordon	Matthew Brabham	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[7]
	7			Bill Hynes	Robby Gordon	Sheldon Creed	[8]
4	8	Detroit	Sheldon Creed	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	Matthew Brabham	[9]
	C			Suspended after Matt Mingay's accident on lap 3			[37]
	9			Scotty Steele	Matthew Brabham	Matthew Brabham	[10]
5	10	Townsville	Sheldon Creed	E. J. Viso	E. J. Viso	Sheldon Creed	[11]
	11			Rob Whyte	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon	[12]
	12			Rob Whyte	E. J. Viso	E. J. Viso	[13]
6	13	Toronto	Matthew Brabham	Bill Hynes	Paul Tracy	Matthew Brabham	[14]
	14			Bill Hynes	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[15]
7	15	Charlotte	Sheldon Creed	Bill Hynes	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[16]
	16			Arie Luyendyk Jr.	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[17]
8	17	Costa Mesa	Sheldon Creed	Troy Diede	Matthew Brabham	Robby Gordon	[18]
	18			Troy Diede	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[19]
9	19	Surfers Paradise	Matthew Brabham	Bill Hynes	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[20]
	20			Paul Morris	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon	[21]
	21			Craig Dontas	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[22]

Drivers' championship

Rank Driver ADE STP LBH DET TOW TOR CLT OCF SRF Points 1 Sheldon Creed 1 4 1* 1* 2 1* 1 7 C 1 2 4 2 1* 1* 1* 8 1* 1* 6 1* 645 2 Matthew Brabham 5 5 3 2 5 2 3 1 C 1* 3 4 2 1 2 2 4 3* 2 3 2 2 570 3 Robby Gordon 4 3 2 5 9 11 2* 6 11 1* 10 4 3 3 10 1 5 5 1* 4 444 4 Paul Morris 2 7 9 6 4 4 10 4 C 3 2 3 12 4 5 6 11 12 10 5 386 5 Bill Hynes 10 10 10 9 7 9 7 11 C 7 7 12 8 12 11 9 9 9 7 7 5 11 255 6 Arie Luyendyk Jr. 2* C 8 4 5 3 10 2 5 9 173 7 Toby Price 12 2* 7 5 4 6 4 3 150 8 Keegan Kincaid 3 6 4 4 1* 12 12 10 C 147 9 Greg Gartner 6 11 6 5 6 6 4 9 7 138 10 Tyler McQuarrie 3 3 3 5 C 5 11 10 132 11 Sara Price 8 9 5 6 4 6 9 11 6 130 12 P. J. Jones 7 8 2 4 2 8 12 129 13 Dustin Scott 8 6 5 6 6 C 9 6 6 120 14 E. J. Viso 8 C 2 10* 7 1* 99 15 Shaun Richardson 9 10 9 8 3 8 83 16 Erik Davis 6 4 8 9 5 78 17 Burt Jenner 8* 1 5 12 73 18 Robbie Pierce 9 9 11 7 7 62 19 Pat O'Keefe 10 8 7 9 50 20 Matt Mingay 11 12 8 9 C† 44 21 Aaron Bambach 3 C 4 41 22 Todd Romano 6 11 7 39 23 Matt Nolan 10 7 9 37 24 Kyle LeDuc 7 3 35 25 Craig Dontas 11 12 10 30 26 Brian Ickler 6 8 28 27 Rob Whyte 12 8 11 28 28 Scotty Steele 5 C 10 27 29 Augie Lerch 7 10 25 30 Max Papis 11 7 24 31 Troy Diede 10 8 24 32 Khaled Al Mudhaf 10 8 24 33 Paul Tracy 9* 12 24 34 Travis Milburn 7 12 23 35 Davey Hamilton 8 11 23 36 Russell Boyle 10 10 22 37 Jessie Johnson 3 20 38 Kenny Wallace 8 15 39 Rob Cowie 8 13 Source: [63] † Race suspended after Matt Mingay's crash and injury on lap 3. The event was not resumed and ultimately struck from series records.

Legend Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th–5th place (Top 5) Light Blue 6th–10th place (Top 10) Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish (DNF) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrew (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled or abandoned (C) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Driver replacement (Rpl) Race not held (NH) Not competing In-Line Notation Bold Pole position Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps miscellaneous notation

Notes

References