Welcome to Quick Fill.

After traveling all over the US weekend after weekend, it’s always exciting to have a race somewhat close to home. While the all-new Car-Mate Gusher GNCC is still about two and a half hours from the Racer Productions HQ in Morgantown, it sure is nice to know that the trip to and from the track can be made in one quick sweep.

This morning I made the trip up to Seneca, Pa., along with Racer TV video man Andrew “Gloop” Mahey and XC2 Pro Lites riders Layne Michael and Ryan Lojak, along with XC1 Pro ATV rider Johnny Gallagher for a visit with the students of Cranberry Middle and High School to talk a little bit about racing and a lot about life. As part of our “Keeping Students on the Right Track” program, the riders and I spoke to the kids about anti-bullying, perseverance and ATV/motorcycle safety equipment.

It was quite interesting to see the reaction the younger boys got from the middle school girls, you would have thought Justin Bieber was in the building! After the presentation was finished, the riders stuck around for at least 45 minutes taking pictures and signing autographs for the, eh, mostly female crowd. All in all, I think it was one of the best presentations we’ve had all season and the reaction from the students, faculty and staff showed that the GNCC Racers really made an impression this morning and that’s definitely one of the coolest parts about this job.

Tomorrow morning we’re heading to Clarion High School with Robert Smith, Adam McGill, Braden Henthorn, Rick Proctor, Brandon Rumbaugh and Layne Michael for round two of school visits and then off to A/C Valley High School in the afternoon with Layne, Rick, Brandon, Josh Strang, Luke and Ben Parsons and Michael Swift. It should be an awesome group of guys and I’m really looking forward to meeting more of the folks in the Oil Region community.

I have to mention that none of these school visits would have been possible without the help of the Oil Region Alliance group, who has really played an integral role in bringing GNCC to Foxburg in the first place. Mary, John and the entire group at the Oil Region Alliance have been awesome to work with and we’re looking forward to making a home in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

As I mentioned above, Vigilant Vet Racing’s Rick Proctor and Brandon Rumbaugh will be joining us tomorrow for the school visits, which I believe will be a great addition to the program. For those of you who don’t know Brandon’s story, Brandon is a veteran of the US Marines. During a deployment in Afghanistan, Brandon’s life changed dramatically as he was working to help a fellow wounded marine when he triggered a secondary IED that took both of his legs. After spending almost two years recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., Brandon moved to his hometown of Uniontown, Pa and came into contact with Rick Proctor of Vigilant Vet Racing. This is where his story begins and how he became involved with ATV XC racing. Rick told us, “They exchanged emails daily and began working on a plan to get an adapted quad and to get Brandon out on the track. Rick then contacted Brian Vasko of Waynesburg Yamaha to take point on this project. Without Brian and his list of contacts this would not have been possible. Lone Star Racing, Custom Axis Suspension, Faast Co Flexx Bars, Vigilant Vet Racing and Waynesburg Yamaha put his specially adapted quad together in less than 5 months. After running a few local races and having the help of Mike Sroka a former pro rider who now follows Brandon in each race to ensure his safety he is finally making his first attempt at a GNCC race this weekend!”

We’re very happy and proud to provide a platform for Rick, Brandon and many other veterans to take part in something as welcoming and fun as GNCC Racing. We wish Brandon the best of luck in his first GNCC race and if you see the VVR folks out and about, be sure to stop by and thank them for their heroic service to our country!

That’s about it for me this week. Be sure to pay attention if you’re using GPS to get to this one, as Exit 45 is the best way to get there using a big rig. For turn-by-turn directions, you can visit the Gusher Event Page HERE.

Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

@JaredBolton:

I’ve heard a lot of buzz recently about the new round we’re heading to this weekend in PA. There were rumors circulating around Unadilla but once those were found to be un-true, everyone seemed to be excited once again. The thing about a new venue is that you can’t completely pick a clear favorite - there’s no history to look back on. So in a way, it almost becomes “anyone’s race”, which could definitely lend a hand in making the already amazing story of the 2013 season we’ve seen unfold thus far, become even more interesting.

Unadilla was also an excellent precursor to this “unknown” event as the top three overall riders finished wheel to wheel-to-wheel at the end of the day. Most people have been saying that Unadilla was one of the best races they’ve seen in quite some time (and personally, I’ll agree. Still hard to top the Hawk vs Kearney battle at Steele Creek in 07, but that’s just me!)

Obviously the two favorites are those gunning for the championship. Kailub Russell and Charlie Mullins are just a mere two points apart in the overall standings (which, once again as a reminder, will determine the national champion) so right now those are the guys to beat. KR has been on a roll winning the last four rounds, but you can never count out Mullins as he seems to shine in just about any terrain.

Then one rider that will be sticking out in everyone’s mind after Unadilla will be Josh Strang. Strang currently sits fourth in the overall points but had a very impressive ride at Unadilla, finishing third just three seconds out of the lead. Strang has been finding his groove again more and more as this season wears on, and it’s only a matter of time before he returns to the top step of the podium.

Chris Bach sits third in the overall points. He had some struggles at Unadilla but has still been one of the most consistent riders all season, and hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 overall. After racing a 450 at Unadilla, Bach will be back on a KTM 350 this weekend and will finish out the season on it as well. The 350 treated Bach exceptionally well in the first part of the season, so it will be interesting to see how much of a difference switching back to the 350 will make.

The XC2 class is heating up as well. Andrew Delong has fully recovered from the injury he had earlier in the year and that became obvious when he took the class win at Unadilla. Unfortunately he’s out of the championship chase at this point but we could still see a race on our hands between Grant Baylor and Jason Thomas. Baylor does hold a pretty significant lead, but the always-confident Thomas knows that it’s Baylor’s title to lose. Keep an eye on these guys too!

Well I hate to cut myself short but there’s so much to be done before the weekend and so little time! Until next time, Bolt-On out!

@HotRodney22:

If you haven't noticed or even had time to think about it, this weekend’s inaugural Car-Mate Gusher GNCC should hold some of the most significant weight a first-time event location has ever yielded. 

First off, it is obviously the first time we will have visited the Foxburg facility, which could possibly be one of the most perfect race tracks we have seen in some time with it's great soil and terrain combined. It is basically a virgin trail system and riders of all backgrounds and skill levels should find something to enjoy. 

Second, or maybe first, for any true blooded ATV GNCC fan, is the fact that Chris Borich has an opportunity to wrap up his 5th consecutive XC1 Pro and Overall GNCC championship and at the same time, tie the all-time GNCC ATV win record currently held by 9-Time GNCC Champion Bill Ballance.

Any fan of our ATV Superman Chris Borich has to be excited that he has a great chance of accomplishing this feet in his home state of Pennsylvania. And you also know that if he wins the Gusher GNCC, and then goes on to take the ITP Power Line Park GNCC, he will break that record while at the same time tying the Great Barry Hawk at 68 All Time Wins. Then, if he wins the Amsoil Ironman GNCC, he will hold the record all on his own and every win after that will only add to a win count that may never be matched. 

Taking all this into consideration and actually how monumental the next few rounds could be, definitely makes for one of the most exciting wrap-ups to a race season I can ever remember being a part of. Add to that the Sunday championship battle between Mullins and Russell and the next three rounds are certainly rounds you don't want to miss a moment of the action. If you can't be there, at least catch in on RacerTV.com live at 1:00 pm local time, which is Eastern for the remainder of the season.

Third, there is an extremely historical and monumental championship battle taking place in the AM ATV race overall. As it sits now, Cody Collier, whom was featured in this week's Tuesday Toolbox, currently leads the overall points standings according to calculations by Mike "Super" Trapp who has done so for several years with QuadZone.com. Trapp says his calculations are not official but have been spot on over the years and anyone who follows can be pretty confident the in his estimations.

According to the current points estimations, Cody Collier from the Schoolboy 13-15 leads 4x4 Open class leader Bryan Buckhannon by 23 points heading into the final three rounds. 11 rounds count toward the overall and it looks like Collier who has not finished outside the top 10 overall this season could lock up the #201 plate if things go his way. However, classmate Westley Wolfe plus Buckhannon, Robert Smith, Sam Williams, Kevin Trantham and a few others from the 4x4 ATVs are hoping to stop him somehow. 

The fact that Collier could possibly be the youngest rider to ever win the #201 in the morning ATV competition is historical and exciting. It ushers in a whole new era for the illustrious honors. Now there are several classes that hold contenders for the spot and next season could introduce the Women’s class back to the podium on a consistent basis as we are seeing Kylie Ahart, Kara Merritt and Quincy Cunningham consistently working their way through the ranks in the overall this season. The future is looking bright...you may want to grab your shades.

One last thing I wanted to mention was the new title sponsor of the Gusher GNCC. Car-Mate Trailers has joined the GNCC team in 2013 and we are glad to welcome them on as one of our sponsors. Car-Mate has been around for a long time and has been a huge part of our racing for as long as I can remember and to have them back supporting the off road racing world at it's grass roots is something worth mentioning. Thanks Car Mate! And thanks to all GNCC Racin' Nation sponsors for helping make this yet another epic season of championship racing.

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