First things first, heck of a ride in the opening round of the 2024 season. Capturing the XC2 win and finishing 13^th in the overall. Did the win come as a surprise to you, or is that where you’re expecting to see yourself this year, battling for podiums and wins?

The first round was a bit of a surprise coming in to this season I was unsure if I was going to be able to race with lots of things going on. I didn’t get to train like I would have liked to in the off season, but I just went out there and fun all day. 

The XC2, as always, is very stacked this year. With Steven Harrell jumping into the XC1, we know one thing for certain, we will have a new champion in the XC2 this year. As I looked at the results, there are easily 8+ guys who all have a chance at grabbing a win this year. I’ll put a little pressure on you, when you look down through the riders in the XC2 who are some names that stand out to you? As in, who do you need to be making sure you’re finishing in front of race after race to maintain a points lead? 

This class is very competitive and a few that stand out to me are Grayson Eller, James, Tavon , Dalton, Tanner Walker, and Kenny Shick. 

Let back up a bit. You’re the 2023 College A champion. How did last year’s performance and championship help you prepare for this season? 

Last year definitely gave me confidence coming into this season, but every year is different and we take it one round at a time. 

What did training look like for you during the off-season to prepare for the 2024 season? 

During the winter I would ride Honda ranchers with my buddies, I also went to the gym at least 3 days a week doing my outlier performance workouts. 

Florida is up next. This is one all the guys kind of smirk and shrug when I ask them about how they feel about racing in the sand. Coming off the win, I know your confidence will be high. But the great equalizer that is sand and palmetto roots has a way of humbling a man. How are you feeling heading into Palatka this weekend?

I am confident coming into Florida, but the sand whoops and palmetto roots are definitely a struggle when trying to push that second hour of the race. I have been training at my local sand out to help prepare so hopefully we can have a good finish. 

You, like many of our riders, have one of those pesky day jobs to support your racing career. A Diesel Mechanic if I’m not mistaken. What’s the day job like and how to do accommodate a demanding racing and travel schedule, as well as training? 

I get up in the morning, head to work 7-4:30 spend most of the day working on semis trucks doing clutch jobs, brake jobs, removing rear axles, pulling out motors and over hauling them, my boss if very nice and allows me to get Fridays off to allow me to attend the races. When I get off work I go home and turn wrench’s on the race machines, getting them ready to go, I try to get to the gym 3 days a week.