NORTH STONINGTON, Conn. (May 27, 2008) -- Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Josh Creamer is fresh off his second podium finish in the ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA/ATVA National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited. Creamer came out swinging for the ATV Stampede at High Point Raceway. He earned the Ti-Lube Fast Qualifier Award, then backed up his quick lap with two strong motos and a third-place overall finish. With five rounds remaining, Creamer has reinserted himself into fourth in points and is concentrating on using the remaining events to land on the podium in the title chase. We caught up with Creamer and spoke with him about the weekend and his plans to stay at the top.

That was a strong showing for you at High Point. You won the Ti-Lube Fast Qualifier and finished on the podium. That had to feel good.

It was a good weekend. We got some good weather for once [laughs]. Practice went well on Saturday and that's about how fast I’ve been in practice every race so far. I don’t let myself get too pumped up about being fast in practice, but it feels good to know I have the speed to run up front.

The big talk this weekend surrounded how important the set up was and how difficult it was to find the right combination. How did this affect you and your team?

We made quite a few suspension changes on Saturday. I think we could have gotten it a little bit better with more time, but we did the best with what we had.

You had an exciting first moto. Talk to us about that start.

I got a great jump off the gate and I didn’t see anyone out of the corner of my eye, so I was pumped up. Then I went to make the turn and I bobbled a little in the first corner and Dustin Wimmer ducked inside of me. I followed him around for a couple laps, but I made a little mistake in one of the pro sections and Jeremy Lawson got by me. He and I battled it out for a few laps then he charged away a little bit. I thought I was pretty safe in third, but Joe Byrd began charging behind me. I was trying to protect the inside line on that last uphill in the back. It wasn’t the best line, and sure enough, he swept around me on the outside.

It was a good, solid day for you. Your teammates have suffered some bad luck in the last couple rounds and you have been carrying the flag for Monster Energy Kawasaki. Have you been feeling some added pressure because of this?

Yes, I have felt a little pressure, but most of it is me putting pressure on myself. I’ve had more time on the bike than my teammates have, so I think I should be the better rider on the team. Every week, I know I can get on the podium and every time we come back from practice the sheets don’t lie. I should be on the podium. It was nice to make good on the fast practice time and get another top-three finish.

How is your machine working for you? Have you stayed with a base set up or is it a work in progress?

We’ve been working on the quad the whole time. It was great to begin with, and we’re just trying to make it better. We switched over to Fox Shocks at round three, and that was a big help. I’m still getting myself familiar with them, and they are helping us a ton at the track, but I’d like to get some more testing.

Unadilla is up next. That track shares some of the same characteristics as High Point with the many up and down hills. How are you feeling about Unadilla?

I’m definitely looking forward to it. We’ve been dealing with a lot of rain here on the East Coast and I haven’t been able to ride and practice as much as I’ve needed to. Plus, I had my knee injury before the season began and I haven’t been able to do much off the bike training. The weather has dried out and I’m almost back to 100%, so I’m looking forward to putting in some hard work and coming into Unadilla strong and finish higher on the podium, if not a victory.

Right on, you have moved back into fourth in the points. Like we saw in that second moto, anything can happen.

That’s right, this is motocross and anything can happen. I’m not too far behind Byrd and I’d really like to get myself and my team into the top three in series points. I’d just like to thank Monster Energy Kawasaki and (Team Manager) Jimmy White for all of the support.