As the green flag dropped for XC1 Pro ATV racing, it was RacingPowersports.com/CST Tires/PirateMX.com’s Adam McGill who claimed the $250 Twin Air/DeRisi Racing XC1 Holeshot Award and led the pack into the opening lap of racing. The track conditions were very dusty so McGill’s holeshot allowed him to pull away from the group on the first lap, but Fowler was looming close behind. Fowler admittedly sat a ways back from McGill in the beginning to avoid the mass dust clouds that followed each racer.

While McGill and Fowler had put nearly one-minute on the rest of the field by the end of lap one, Dave Bayless Motorsports/Dirtworks/DC Cycles Brycen Neal assumed the third place position right away. Neal was followed by Maxxis-backed Chris Borich, who came through the first lap in fourth, as well as GT Thunder’s Brian Wolf and Precision/Maxxis Tires Chris Bithell.

As the race wore on, several different battles formed on the racetrack, making the two-hour race an exciting one for the fans all the way through. Perhaps one of the most exciting moments of the race came on lap two when Fowler decided to forego his pit stop in order to take the opportunity to pass McGill without dusty conditions. However, as Fowler moved into the lead, his pit crew questioned whether or not he would make it another lap on fuel.

Meanwhile, Borich ran into a slight issue that ultimately interfered with his rear brakes, and the five-time champion was forced to come in for a brief adjustment to the rotor during his first pit stop. Things didn’t seem to improve for Borich, as he slipped back into the fifth place position pretty quickly.

Fowler was able to make it back to his pits for a successful fuel stop, where he maintained his lead ahead of McGill for the remainder of the race.

“There were a few times I wasn’t sure the ATV was going to make it any further,” Fowler said. “It was overheating from all the dust so it kept getting hot and shutting off but I just want to thank the good lord for keeping us safe and allowing us to make it through.”

Fowler is making all the right moves at exactly the right time, as the young gun has secured four of the last five victories late in the season. Fowler’s recent hot streak has allowed him to make up a substantial amount of points on Borich’s lead in the championship standings, where the duo sits only five points apart heading into the final two rounds of the season.

While Borich holds the advantage in championship points, the five-time champ is looking to gain back some momentum in the final two rounds as he heads in with only two podium finishes in the last five rounds.

McGill’s second place finish allowed the West Virginia native to stay within striking distance of the championship battle as they head into the final rounds. XC1 Pro class rookie Brycen Neal was able to hold on for a career-best third place finish and his first appearance on the overall podium this season.

Bithell finished fourth overall for the day, followed by Borich in fifth, Wolf in sixth and Waynesburg Yamaha/GT Thunder’s Jay Shadron finished seventh. DWT Racing’s Jarrod McClure finished eighth, while GT Thunder/Maxxis/Howser Racing Josh Merritt took ninth and XC2 Pro Am winner Marshal Goings rounded out the top 10 overall.

Goings tightened up the XC2 Pro Am Championship after a big win at the 11th round, bringing himself within five points of N-Fab AmPro Yamaha/Lonestar/MXP/Maxxis-backed Cole Richardson in the standings. Aftger capturing the $100 All Balls Racing XC2 Holeshot Award, Richardson had a tough day in the dusty conditions, where he was forced to stop in the pits to change his air filter. The Ohio native was able to salvage points with a second place finish, where he holds the points lead heading into the final two rounds.

New York’s Marty Christofferson captured yet another solid podium finish with third place in the class, where he sits third in the championship standings.

College A (16-21) winner Kenny Shick took the Top Amateur honors, finishing 19th overall for the day.

The 4x4 Pro class swept the overall podium with BNR/Loctite/Can-Am’s Rob Smith at the head of the pack. Smith’s performance not only earned him a class-win but the Pennsylvania native also topped the entire morning overall with his second career 4x4 Pro victory. ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am’s Bryan Buckhannon finished second overall, with Factory Polaris/Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift rounding out the top three overall. Buckhannon maintains the points lead in the 4x4 Pro class over Can-Am X-Team’s Kevin Trantham.