XC2 250 Pro (16-24)

The Snowshoe GNCC had a unique live-engine start that seeded riders according to their position in the overall championship standings. DeLong began on the second row alongside the top XC1 Open Pro riders, while Michael began on Row 3 alongside his XC1 teammate Ryan Sipes.

DeLong was the first Coastal Racing Husqvarna team rider to take to the course, putting himself into a top five position after the opening lap. DeLong charged up to 3rd by lap two, where he then swapped positions back-and-forth for the remainder of the three-hour race.

Michael began the race just behind his teammate Delong in the overall time adjustment, where he finally broke into the top five by lap three. Michael continued to push his way into podium contention with one lap to go and on the final lap the West Virginia native put on a hard charge to better his position atop the box. Michael's calculated final lap was enough to surpass DeLong for the 2nd place position and finish only 11 seconds behind the leader of the class.

"I'm happy to put myself back on the podium, especially at a tough track like Snowshoe," Michael commented. "The track was really gnarly and it took me a while to get going but once I got into a groove I felt really good and was able to make up a lot of time in the second half of the race."

Despite stomach issues that took a toll on him in the final laps, DeLong was able to hold strong to finish 3rd place in the class behind his teammate Michael.

"I had a good start at Snowshoe," DeLong said. "I started off on row two with a bunch of good guys. I went into the woods in 4th place on my row and followed the other guys for the first six or seven miles until I got stuck on a hill. That put me back a bunch of positions. I fought back into the top ten and into a podium position in XC2. I was fighting stomach issues all race and it really affected my riding, but it ended up being not too bad of a day, finishing 3rd in the class." 

DeLong continues to hold the 2nd place position in the XC2 Championship Standings, with Michael on his heels for 3rd place as the series heads into the second half of its 13-race series this summer.

XC1 Open Pro

Sipes began on Row 3 alongside his XC2 teammate Michael, where he got off to a favorable start heading into the woods. However, Sipes had trouble staying on two wheels on lap one, where he checked in 12th place after one lap of racing. From there, Sipes charged ahead to make a few passes but a series of crashes once again held him back in the overall running. The Kentucky native was able to ultimately make his way up to the 9th place position on the final lap, securing a top-ten finish in the XC1 Open Pro class.