What are your plans for the rest of the winter?
Right now, just keep working and saving my money. Ride on the weekends with all the usual suspects around home. Names like Doug Blackwell, Thad Duvall, Brady Myers, Braden Henthorn, and Sam Evans are just a few of the more known guys from the nationals that live here. We have no shortage of woods racing talent, that's for sure.

So tell us how your 2014 season went.
Wow, what an up and down year, honestly. After winning the championship last year in Open-A, I suppose I came in as the guy to beat, but I sure didn't ride like that. My fitness wasn't there, and neither was my riding, or my enthusiasm for that matter. But as the year went on, even though we got better and better, I was never exactly where I needed to be. Mostly because I was basically a Sunday rider (laughs) I did about 70 hours of racing this season between the nationals and the locals, and I have 94 hours on my bike right now, so that's nowhere near the riding I needed to have done to be competitive.

Even getting edged out for the class championship, it was still a good season though!
I wish I would’ve had the same consistency that led me to the title last year, but I just had too many bad races. I rode badly in Florida and Georgia, and then I was really sick with a cold at a gnarly Snowshoe. I missed a golden opportunity for the driver’s seat at Powerline when both of my competitors broke, but my fuel pump died, so that really put a damper on my chances. But it was still a good season, even though I lost in the end. Most of the problem this year was with my confidence and enthusiasm. Deep down I knew all year that I wasn't where I needed to be physically and it showed up in my endurance, obviously, and it translated to poor enthusiasm about the races. I didn't really want to race as bad as I did the year before because I wasn't in the physical condition required to be successful. The sad part is I won it last year so I knew what I had to do, and I knew what it took. It was sort of a double edged sword in a way. They say it's harder to defend a championship than it is to win, and that couldn't be truer!

What was the biggest highlight of the season for you?
The biggest highlight of the year for me since I got beat at the nationals was winning the Pro Am class championship and finishing 3rd overall at the WEXCR series. It's a great series with a lot of stiff competition from the GNCCs so it's something to be proud of. Another highlight for me personally is finishing second at the nationals on what little riding and training I did. Yes, I worked out, but not near as hard as I should have, and nothing beats seat time! At the end of the day, I have to hold my head up high and look at how far I've come. My first GNCC was Powerline Park 2007 and I finished 14th in 4 Stroke C Lites and 119th Overall. I think about that a lot and it's hard to believe we've came that far, to winning the Open-A National Championship and finishing second the next year by just a few points. It's something that I like to hang my hat on!

So do you have any plans for 2015 yet?
I have no plans for racing in 2015. Honestly I am going to say that retirement is my plan! I may end up racing the WEXCR series, but I doubt I will be seen at the nationals, except for the close ones to home. I want to save my money and buy a house, among other things. I love racing and I'm sure I'll wish I decided to do it again, but unless someone offers me a lot of help for next year, I'd say I'll just try to terrorize the locals!

Wow! Hate to hear that but I understand. So even with that, what do you hope to do in 2015?
Since I'm not racing full time in 2015, I hope to buy a house in Morgantown where my fiancé goes to school. She’ll be up there for a while, so we are looking to settle down somewhere while she's doing her schooling. As far as the WEXCR series goes, if I do decide to do the whole series, I'll try to win my class and finish in the top 5 overall. Also I'd like to win a morning overall at the nationals. I've yet to do that so it's on my retirement to-do's!

What's it going to take to make that happen?
To succeed in my racing goals, it will take at least some riding and training, which I'm not going to quit doing. I enjoy riding more than ever and I like being in decent shape, so hopefully I can sprint for two hours. If I was to be talked into racing the nationals, it'll take lots more help, riding, and training. Trust me, I've learned my lesson on going at it half-heartedly. You might as well not even waste the time!

What about beyond 2015?
As of right now, just taking it one year at a time, so who knows what I'll be into then. Hopefully more hunting and fishing and spending time with family and friends!

And I heard that you also recently got engaged!
You heard right! My fine little lady Miss Chelsea Sammons has agreed to be my wife! We’ve been together for a long time, so I figured I better lock her down before someone else tries to (laughs) I told her the ring was the most money I had ever spent on something I couldn't race.