Joel Hetrick's win last week may have been a sign of things to come. If anyone has been watching the progression of the now seasoned pro you are seeing what everyone has been waiting. Joel has long been touted as the next big thing in our sport and though we have seen some good things out of him, last Saturdays win may have ben the game changer for his efforts. Race fans witnessed the crossing over of Joel from fast competitor to what now looks like a true championship contender. The maturity that Joel showed at this round may just be the signs of the times that he has finally figured the game out. Now if he can continue to think and ride as he did at the Spring ATV National at Muddy Creek a new championship and champion could be in the making.

As High Point's ATV Stampede approaches I would like to remind everyone that this event will be broadcast LIVE on Saturday featuring AMA Pro ATV racing and a lot of amateur racing as well. This is the second year for the live streaming of the event on RacerTV.com, and it looks like only the beginning. It was announced this past week that not only will the Stampede be live to watch, but also the all-new Ironman ATV National in Crawfordsville, Indiana for round five. This is an all-new venue for The ATV Racin' Nation and only its second year in existence as a motocross facility. It is a facility designed specifically for national racing events and should prove to be a fan and rider favorite. If the Ironman GNCC is any indication this may be the biggest ATVMX ever. 

There is so much to ponder on as this season develops, and even though we focus a lot on the Pro class there is also a lot brewing from an amateur standpoint. It seems like nearly every class is a must watch affair, and it is hard for folks to do anything but watch racing. It is hard to walk away from the fences when the gate drops each time. So with that thought I will let you know that there will be plenty to catch up on next week. We will look at some of the key riders and classes that have opened a few eyes this season. Right now it seems like nearly everyone. 

That'll do it for now. Let's check in with Gloop and Ken to see how things are from their point of view. Till next time, God Bless your Hearts and All Your Vital Organs.

In the Loop with Gloop:

I'd like to first start by giving a huge congrats to Cody Janssen on his first Pro Am podium of the year! Cody posted these message on Instagram showing his gratitude towards everyone for the messages after his podium. I'd like to wish him luck and hope to see more podiums to come. 

It seems to me that at every round the Koster Racing team’s pit and crew keeps looking better and better! Make sure you go and give these guys a follow! 

Catching up with Ken Hill:

It should have been the start to probably one of the best moto’s of the year and in the blink of an eye it turned into one of the worst for Pro rider John Natalie. From a distance, the wreck did not appear to be one that would sideline arguably the toughest racer to ever throw a leg over a quad, but it was. Broken bones will heal but Natalie's heart issue is the most concerning to me, and came as a huge shock when his wife released that he had suffered some form of heart issue en-route to the hospital. I do not know all the details; only that one of the biggest names in ATVMX is now down and for the foreseeable future, he is out of competition. I chatted briefly with John online, and he seemed in good spirits.

The crash immediately opened up the rumor mill as emotions ran high as Natalie fans instantly blamed Joel Hetrick for riding dirty, however this was not the case. Thankfully, Gloop was in the right spot to capture the entire thing and while contact was made earlier in the turn, the wreck was just a wreck and of no fault to anyone. I would hope that in the future cooler heads and responsibility will prevail as the blame game can do damage to a rider even when they are 100% in the clear. Let’s face it, racing gets dicey when they are wheel-to-wheel and things happen, but take a minute and think about things before going on a rant at the track or online before all the facts are known...

Ok, off the soapbox and on to the weekend! Aside from Natalie’s wreck, the weekend was brutal to many. I noticed right off that the dirt was different from years past and that mulch or a similar component had been added to the track. I can assume from what I was told this was done in an effort to slow down the racers and to combat the track from becoming hard packed that seemed to be a huge issue or complaint from the riders in years past. Whether it was better or worse is up to the riders and I heard the pros and cons from both aspects of the changes. I heard the same “slow them down” at round two and again, I will comment that you are not going to slow these guys down, you make it rough and they will just charge harder, you change the surface they are racing on and they will just find a way to go even faster. I am not sure what it will take to strike a balance between safety and giving the riders a track that doesn’t become dangerous. I would say it was an even 50/50 split which in reality I hear at every round regarding the track conditions so your mileage may vary on the subject.

The racing itself was pretty awesome. The pro event was good with Hetrick dominating in moto 1 and showing in moto 2 that he is learning quickly what it takes to race smart. When Joel took the track as a pro, I made the statement that he would have some learning to do before he was ready for a championship and he is getting so close he might want to start making a spot on the wall for some new trophies that sport champion on them. Chad Wienen is far from done and I still think that if things stay as they are he will more than likely claim the championship but we now have a full on race in every moto that has to be all or nothing. Chad had a horrible start in moto 1 that forced him to run through the pack to reach Hetrick and once he found him, he couldn’t do anything with him. Moto 2 was quite a bit better for Wienen and he admitted he took the lead too early allowing Hetrick to find lines and shadow him. The pass was clean; the racing was an epic and Hetrick roll out of Muddy Creek with the overall and monumental momentum heading into High Point. That momentum can help and it also can hurt his performance. The one thing they can not train for is the stress of running up front and being in a virtual points deadlock. That comes from experience and is the reason I still have my money on Chad. In any event, I expect to see some solid racing throughout the season as this pair of rider’s showcases why they are the absolute best in the world. A hard charging Thomas Brown joined Hetrick and Wienen after putting in two solid moto’s to claim 3rd overall. I’ll have more on the rest of the field in next week’s edition.