Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede has claimed victory at the 2026 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) season finale, the Buckwheat 100, securing second overall in the WXC standings following a closely contested championship battle. Teammate Ryder LeBlond also continued his podium form this weekend, finishing third at Round 4 of the AMA EnduroCross Championship in Salt Lake City.

Grand National Cross Country Series – Round 13

Korie Steede entered Round 13 of the GNCC series targeting victory as she looked to defend her WXC Class title, and delivered the round win in style aboard her Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition, recording a wire-to-wire victory.

Despite doing all she could to retain the number-one plate, strong results from her title rival Brandy Richards ultimately saw the 25-year-old fall just seven points short of the championship, following a determined campaign throughout the 2026 season.

Steede posted her first victory of the season at Round 3 in Talladega before claiming back-to-back wins at Rounds 9 and 10 at Snowshoe and the John Penton GNCCs. Combined with her season-finale victory, she recorded four wins alongside an additional eight podium finishes, remarkably never finishing outside the top three throughout the 2026 campaign.

“I got off to a solid start at the Buckwheat 100, and led every lap – just as planned,” recalled Steede. “I’m disapointed to come up short in the championship, but we went out with a win and have momentum on our side for next season, so that’s all we can really ask for. Thank you to the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for a great year.”

Former GNCC champion Craig DeLong wrapped up his season with a solid fourth-place finish in the XC1 Open Pro Class, earning fourth overall in the championship standings.

Consistency defined DeLong’s 2026 campaign, with podium finishes at Rounds 5 and 7 among the highlights. He added a further four top-four results across the 13-round series, completing a strong season for the 29-year-old aboard the Husqvarna FX 350.

“It was a decent day,” commented DeLong. “Another come-from-behind ride after being a little slow in the beginning, but we made some solid passes to ride up into fifth place. Overall, happy that the season is over as it has been a challenging one, but we’ll reset and come out swinging next year.”

XC1 Open Pro Class Results
1. Kailub Russell, Yamaha
2. Liam Draper, Yamaha
3. Grant Davis, KTM
4. Craig DeLong, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
8. Ben Kelley, KTM
12. Johnny Girroir, KTM

WXC Class Results
1. Korie Steede, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
2. Danielle McDonald, Yamaha
3. Brandy Richards, KTM