Welcome to Quick Fill. 

It seems like we should be getting back to GNCC Racing once again this weekend, but there’s still another off weekend before we return. For some, this might come as a welcome relief as you have a little extra time to get everything in order and ready to roll. For others, you might be pulling your hair out and counting down the minutes until it’s time to go racing. Either way, we’ve still got another week but time flies and we’ll be going racing in no time. 

Of course, on our end things are still running wide open. Just because there’s no GNCC event this past weekend or this upcoming weekend doesn’t mean we’ve been waiting around for The John Penton. No, we’ve been knee-deep in other events including the Loretta Lynn’s Area Qualifier at High Point Raceway last weekend, and now we’re turning around and getting ready for another High Point event this weekend as the ATV Motocross series is set to go racing. 

It’s been a few years since the ATVMX guys have raced at High Point, so it will be pretty cool to see them all back on the track. So, if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, come check out the race. Whether you’re a GNCC ATV racer looking to ride something a little different, or even just come out to watch, it’s worth the trip out to High Point. The Pro guys are on a whole other level, and even if you’re a hardcore bike racer you have to respect what the Pro ATV guys are able to do; they’re pretty impressive. 

Obviously next up we have The John Penton. Next week we’ll have the lowdown on what to expect out on the racetrack, as usual. However, as an early heads up expect big changes to the facility. Obviously we know parking is always a bit of a challenge at any event, and with The Penton being the oldest event still on the schedule, it can be even more challenging. Jeff Russell and the folks from Mathews Farms (yes, the farm we race the Mason-Dixon at) have been out to the facility several times in the last month or so and have moved a lot of dirt to work on making more room for parking and some other changes. 

Things are shaping up to be pretty interesting when racing gets underway at the Penton as there’s a lot of riders looking to make big statements as the series crests it’s halfway mark of the season. On the ATV side, Brycen Neal is carrying momentum into this round with two wins in a row. However, Brycen has also suffered two races that left him outside of the top 20 overall and scoring zero points towards the ATV National Championship. At the same time, Walker Fowler will be looking to rebound and take the win. 

There has actually only been 2 instances since 2014 where Walker has gone more than two races without winning. And both times it was only a total of three races in between wins, so Walker absolutely knows how to rebound. At the same time, not only is Brycen Neal on a roll but he also The John Penton last year, as well as the Burr Oak, which is held at the same venue… Oh, and he won The John Penton in 2019 as well. So, while Walker is hungry, Brycen really appears to be the man to beat coming into this round. 

At the same time you can’t leave out guys like Hunter Hart and Cole Richardson who have both run up at the front of the pack this season but just haven’t been able to snag a win. On top of that, Jarrod McClure and Adam McGill have also found their way on the podium in 2021, and you can never, ever count out Chris Borich. While 2021 may not have gone the way he’s hoped so far, he’s still consistently hanging around the top five and you never know when he may sneak in there as well. 

On the bike side, obviously the favorite right now is Steward Baylor. By now you probably already know that he went on a tear at the end of 2020 to win four of the last five races. He missed round one of 2021 waiting for an injury to heal, then ran inside the top three at round two until a clutch issue dropped him to 14^th overall. Since then, he’s not been beaten. Stu has been the overall winner for the last four rounds and comes into The John Penton as the favorite. 

Steward also will be looking to further improve his point standings as he’s climbed to within just five points of National Championship points leader, Ben Kelley. While Stu is looking to take over that lead, Ben Kelley knows that Stu is knocking on his back door and will be looking to hold that lead. Grant Baylor is the only other one besides Steward and Ben to snag a race win in 2021, and as he sits third overall Jordan Ashburn and Josh Strang are both within a reasonable striking distance, and Ricky Russell isn’t too far behind either. 

All three of those guys have landed on the podium so far this season, as has Josh Toth and Thad Duvall. All of those guys have the speed and experience to contend for race wins and these next few rounds could be really exciting as each of them will be looking to make a statement as the series heads into summer break. Sure, there’s still three rounds standing between us and that summer break at this point, but those three rounds will tick by so quickly that we’ll be finishing Snowshoe before we know what hit us!

Speaking of Snowshoe, don’t forget that GNCC University is back this year! This is your opportunity to learn from some of the top riders on both the bike and ATV side. Tuition, room and board, including meals throughout the school, is $500 per student, with other non-lodging packages available. To reserve a spot, call Snowshoe Reservations at 1-877-441-4386. There’s still a number of spots available for both ATV and bike riders. So, jump on it now because we’re sure those spots will begin to fill up quickly! You can get even more details HERE. 

That’s actually all I have for this week, but our buddy Ken Hill is back this week with his own contribution to Quick Fill. Until next time, enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you back here next week for the latest info on The Penton!