Welcome to Quick Fill.

This weekend marks the unofficial kick off to the summer racing season as the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season opener takes place this weekend in Sacramento for the Red Bull Hangtown Motocross Classic. Which, unfortunately, takes place at the same time as this weekend’s Dunlop Limestone 100 GNCC. So because of that, this week’s edition of QF actually comes to you from what I would love to say is sunny and hot California but it’s just an average day that happens to take place on the Pacific coast. I’m pretty bummed that this is the first GNCC I’ve missed in what seems like forever, or maybe Unadilla 2011, but either way I’m going to miss my GNCC Racing familia this weekend and I’ll be paying close attention to Live Timing & Scoring.

Given that, there may not be as much Twitter coverage as there usually is but we’re currently working on conning a certain handful of people to take over the social media duties for the weekend. Also, there will not be a #gncclive show this weekend since a few of our crew members won’t be able to make it and rather than trying to guess on what those folks do on site, we decided it would be best to forego this weekend’s show. However, we will use that airtime to broadcast both days of the GNCC Banquet from Morgantown, which will be pretty cool for family members who aren’t able to make it there.

Back to this weekend, it looks like there may be a chance of rain on Friday and Saturday but if that holds off, the weekend could turn out to be a beautiful one for racing. The Lawrence County Recreational Facility is always a great place to hold a race, especially since they run a riding park the other 360 some days that GNCC isn’t around. And riders usually love the Indiana terrain, which makes for an even more exciting weekend of racing if you ask me.

This weekend was supposed to host a fundraising auction for downed XC2 bike rider Mark Heresco but since Mark is planning to attend the Snowshoe event, the fundraiser has been moved to Saturday evening at the Team Faith rig. More information can be found on Facebook HERE.

I got a note from Shane Watts and the crew saying that defending XC2 champ Jason Thomas’ #1 jersey that was already auctioned off went for $375 toward Heresco’s recovery. Wow, that is awesome! Thomas and the team would like to extend a huge thanks to the GNCC community for being supporters of this cause.

And that’s what makes our GNCC family so very amazing. That’s going to have to do it for me this week. Good luck to all the racers this weekend! I’ll be following along from Hangtown!

We caught up with Mr. Chuck LeMaster for a quick bit on what’s happening extracurricular-ly this weekend in Indiana.

It's sure to be a busy weekend!  Donna Macan (the always smiling lady at registration) has baked cupcakes and they will be for sale at the Team Faith rig all weekend. The money will be to help XC2 downed rider Mark Heresco.  

Saturday evening will once again be "Team Faith Youth" and we will be introducing "9-Square" to the GNCC Racin' Nation! It's a fast-paced, highly competitive game suitable for all ages!  Since last week (our off-week) was Mother's Day, we will also be helping our youth recognize their Mothers.  KTM Pro Rider Steward Baylor will be on hand and giving our "Thought for the Day."  He suggests that having seen the movies "300" or "Troy" will help prepare for his topic!  (Wonder what he's up to?!)  

As always, non-denominational chapel services are Saturday and Sunday morning at 8:30am.  See you at the track! 

Thanks, Chuck! Sounds like there’s a lot of fun actin taking place on Saturday evening so be sure to head on over and take part in one of the things that makes GNCC Racing so special.

And here’s @JaredBolton:

You know, it seems like it’s every week that I say something about how the season is flying by. Well, it’s true. I really can’t believe that we’re already 5 rounds in and heading to the 6^th this weekend. It seems like it was just a few days ago that we were in Florida, and now we’re starting to creep up on the summer break. Think about it. Counting this weekend’s Limestone 100, there’s only 4 races until the summer break. Wow! Where has this season gone?

I will tell you where it’s gone though. Straight down Awesome Street, took a left on Epic Boulevard and ended up on Epic Awesomeness Highway because so far this season has shown us some pretty eventful races and we’ve still got half the season to go.

This is the point in the year, however, that we begin to see the championship battles start taking place. With 5 rounds in the books, some may be beginning to pull a points lead, while others are still keeping it tight. On the ATV side, as many expected, Chris Borich has already pulled a huge lead by winning every single race so far this year. It won’t be too much longer and people will start talking about a perfect season. Can he do it? Well, he’s definitely go some challengers as Walker Fowler has shown himself to be strong all season but there’s also Chris Bithell who has put in some great rides so far this season. Plus the other contenders like Adam McGill, who has proven he can win, Kevin Yoho, Jeff Pickens, Jarrod McClure, the ever popular Johnny Gallagher and more.

Then of course you’ve got the action on the bike side heating up as well. Kentucky proved to be “the great equalizer” as everyone always says about the mud as Thad Duvall broke through for his 2^nd ever win, and did it on a 250F as well. It also marked the first time all season that a guy with a name other than Mullins or Russell would finish in the top 2 positions. Josh Strang returned to the podium for the first time since Florida with his 2^nd place finish, and Chris Bach landed his 2^nd podium of the year as well.

With the Factory KTM duo running into bike issues, it made an impact on the points in a way but Charlie was still able to pull a little bit of a lead over Kailub Russell. Chris Bach still holds down the 3^rd place overall points position (based off top 20 points, NOT XC1 class points) but Thad Duvall’s win helped him close up the gap as he’s now only one point behind Bach.

The XC2 class will also be interesting to watch this weekend as Andrew Delong will certainly be hoping to rebound from the Kentucky race and make his way back to the top spot on the podium. Jason Thomas was able to make up some ground in the points chase but it still wasn’t enough to take the lead. Grant Baylor would probably also like to forget the Kentucky round, and he’ll be another rider to keep an eye on as I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he snags his first XC2 class win. Speaking of first time XC2 winners, Zach Nolan will surely be looking to carry his momentum from Kentucky into Indiana. Nolan had a pretty impressive ride and grabbed his first ever XC2 class win in the Kentucky mud.

Kentucky also shook things up in the Women’s class! Maria Forsberg ran into bike issues as well and ended up dropping out of the race. However, Kacy Martinez already had a huge lead on the first lap. After finishing 2^nd in the first four rounds, Kacy broke through to snag her first win of the season in Kentucky.

Not only that but she was also able to take over the class points lead! There’s no doubt that the battle in that class will definitely start to heat up this weekend as Maria will definitely be looking for the opportunity to regain her lead in the points. However, there’s another round of World X Games Endurocross this week, which both Kacy and Maria are attending. Remember, Maria made the trip back from Brazil for the Big Buck round and came away with the win. Wonder what will happen this round?

Wow. I feel like I’ve covered a lot but at the same time we’ve barely scratched the surface of things going on. There’s still great battles taking place throughout the amateur and mini classes, and more. We’ll save that for the weeks to come. We’ve also got all summer to get through!

Anyway, that’s going to do it for me this week. Until next time, Bolt-On out!

Thanks, Jared. And last, but certainly not least, Rodney Tomblin.

As I sit to write this week’s contribution to Quick Fill rumbles of thunder roll through the atmosphere of an approaching storm and I think to myself, “Not again this weekend!” However, another thought enters my mind as I look at the forecast and it says only a 50% of showers on Saturday and this makes me feel better about what Mother Nature has in store and that the approaching storm could be metaphoric for what the racing has in store this weekend.

Anyone who has been following the series knows that as we head into the mid way point of the series that the championships are still wide open. Chris Borich is working on his 6^th straight and keeping a perfect season. A win will also bring his all time win tally to 65 and one step closer one of Bill Ballance’s most prestigious records as the ATV racer with the most over all wins in history with 67. The question is which means the most to each rider, 9 championships or the most wins in history?  

Another big question heading into this weekend is will anyone stop the Borich madness and slow down the momentum he is carrying at this point in the season. The intriguing thing about The Limestone 100 is that it is another course that lends itself to the possibility of anything happening and changing the course of championships. A mix of terrain will lend itself to nearly every rider on the course making for an exciting battle to the checkers.

As Borich defends himself physically this weekend against Chris Bithell, Adam McGill, Walker Fowler and the host of new podium contenders he is going to have to be keeping an eye on what is going on behind him in the XC2 Pro Am class. The battles waging in that class may very well position riders in that class to become a factor in the overall and this is one race we may see it happen in the ATV world. While the trio of Brycen Neal, Landon Wolfe and defending XC2 champ Pat McGuire rise to new levels of competition against each other they are stepping closer and closer to the over podium each round. And oh yeah, who is this Randy Hamilton who won in Kentucky 2 weeks ago scoring 4^th overall? Is he a new player? Time will tell. Speaking of new players in a sense, what about Taylor Kiser? What happens if he shows up? He nearly took the win in Kentucky and you know that has to have him fired up.

If you are watching amateur riders in the afternoon and wonder who the next up and comers are going to be, one does not have to look far to see the young Jay Shadron working his way through the ranks. Shadron, who is was a youth standout, has been making waves in the afternoon ATV race the last couple of seasons but you cannot deny the kid is rolling this season at a fever pitch. Marshall Goings is another to keep an eye on in the College A class. Goings has not had the best of luck but has shown impeccable speed. It is only a matter of time before he gets back up to speed and we see this kid battling with Shadron for top Amateur honors which may loft both even further into the overall standings.

As far as the youth and morning races are concerned, there should be amazing battles shaping up here again. The youth ranks have been dominated by Hunter Hart in 2013. Two other riders in the 90 Open 12-15 class showing great promise and speed this season include Brandon Frazier and John Glauda Jr. Aside from Florida, Frazier has finished 2^nd behind heart every round this season and Glauda has been on the podium every round himself except for the last round in the mud of Kentucky.

The Moring race at 10:00 am has so many classes and individuals to watch it is hard to pin point. The obvious is the great Dave Simmons. Simmons is like an older version of Borich is a way. It isn’t a fact most times of if he will be able to win, but more of how much can he win by or how far back can he work his way from to steal the win in the closing moments. The morning race like the youth is only a prelude to the race day but generally the mood set here carries into the afternoon. Simmons has been battling this year with a variety of competition. A good push has been coming from the Schoolboy class but another rider showing great promise this season is U2 Class point leader Robert Smith. Smith is a rider that has always been there but this year he is really here. Smith has only scored two podiums this season in the overall but has been a factor nearly every round is some shape or form. Look for “Smitty” to be force to reckon with as his confidence and speed builds. Smith’s classmate and well know Michael Swift has seen some struggles in the early part of the year but three straight class wins and the overall win in Kentucky may be a sign that he is ready to make a lot more noise as the season rolls on.

A huge factor in this weekend’s Limestone GNCC will be the weather. With only a 50% chance of showers though I feel that this is promising and either way the weekend promises to bring excitement to the series in a number of ways. I expect all racing to be exciting and maybe even some more surprises all the way around to keep things really interesting. If I have a dark horse pick this weekend like I have a couple of times this season, I feel on the ATV side of things that Krazy “K” Kevin Yoho may be ready to make some noise this week. Who knows?

That’s it for now. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.