The fourth round of the IHRA Offshore National Championship brought Team Dirt Legal to central Missouri for one of the most intense weekends of the season. Brad Christopher and Connor Langheim put the Velocity Punisher 22 through its paces in Class 700 and came home fifth by the narrowest of margins.
Class 700: Fifth Place, 1.865 Seconds Off the Lead
After a thrilling event at Cocoa Beach, the 2026 IHRA Shootout Offshore, held June 13–14 near Bagnell Dam at Lake of the Ozarks, drew 61 entries across eight classes. Team Dirt Legal ran Class 700, completing four laps in 23:25.639.
The class winner, Team Progression/Redrum, crossed the line in 23:23.774. That’s a gap of 1.865 seconds across a four-lap race on open water.
The Velocity Punisher 22 and its Mercury Racing 300R V8 ran clean all weekend. Brad and Connor had the pace, the margin between fifth and first in Class 700 was razor-thin, with boats stacked inside a tight window at the flag. Races like this are won and lost in transitions, positioning, and split-second calls on the throttle. The team will take that data into every round ahead.
| Pos | Team | Laps/Time | Behind |
| 1 | Team Progression/Redrum | 4/23:23.774 | — |
| 2 | Mad Max | — | — |
| 3 | Proven Marine | — | — |
| 4 | Pist’n Broke | — | — |
| 5 | Dirt Legal | 4/23:25.639 | +1.865 s |
| 6 | The Punisher | — | — |
Source: Powerboat News, 2026 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Results
A Weekend That Tested Everyone on the Water
Lake of the Ozarks 2026 was one of the most demanding rounds of the IHRA season, and not just for the racing itself.
Two serious accidents in Pro Class 1 on Saturday brought the day to a stop. Race 1 was cancelled after both incidents and rerun on Sunday morning. Both crews walked away without injury, but with a reminder of how seriously the IHRA Offshore series takes safety on the water.
The hardest moment came early on Saturday. On the first lap of Pro Class 1 Race 1, Bill Pyburn and Brit Lilly in the Dirty Money Racing 45-foot Victory catamaran went airborne and came down hard. Both crew members are confirmed safe.
The entire Dirt Legal Velocity program wishes Bill, Brit, and the Dirty Money Racing team a full recovery and a strong return to the circuit. That kind of moment puts everything else in perspective.
Ride Legal Velocity Sits This One Out With Eyes Set on Sheboygan
The Ride Legal Velocity was unable to race at Lake of the Ozarks this round. The team will be back on the water at the next event on the calendar.
Both Dirt Legal Velocity and Ride Legal Velocity are expected on the starting grid in Sheboygan. That race on Lake Michigan is shaping up to be a full-strength weekend for both programs.
Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge August 7–9 | Sheboygan, WI
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