The first thing that sticks out in my mind for this past Independence Weekend in Millville was the weather. It was possibly about as perfect that you could ever imagine. There was no humidity and the temps were in the 70s and maybe low 80s at its peak but absolutely the most comfortable conditions to ride or watch in. It was the kind of days that you could rank as near perfect from a weather standpoint.

The track offered a mixture of the rough sand, hard pack, to some softer loam and even had some big elevation changes. It offered some great racing opportunities as the race went on and seemed to bring some riders to new and exciting levels. AMA Pro ATV racing was exciting but the amateur and youth had a lot of excitement of its own.

It was good to see the D-23 riders out as they ran a program in conjunction with the national series. This isn’t the first year they have been a part of the program but there were several more in attendance this year which was a hopeful sign of racing on a local level. It showed there might be some signs of life in the district and hopefully that bodes well eventually on a national level. It is a hopeful sign too that there may be some new life coming in our little ATV Racin’ Nation.

I can’t help but once again be impressed with the battles in the B classes this weekend. The Open B class has been kind of dominated by Noah Mickelson. He has actually become the benchmark in the class to gage your speed. This weekend it appears that one rider in the class may have reached that benchmark. The no. 55 of Logan Stanfield actually took his second straight win in the class head to head with Noah and won which all of a sudden has put him in a situation of what looked like another race or two and we wrap up the title and move to the A class to where the next races are critical to win the title.

Logan Stanfield like many of the riders has basically been working his way through the ranks and was a rather impressive youth rider. Like others though, moving to the bigger quads has elevated them to new levels. It’s almost as if the smaller bikes were holding them back and now they able to stretch their legs and let it roll. Coupled with that and the fact that Stanfield is a product of Travis Moore’s 969 Motorsports program and you get the results we are seeing. Logan was noticed early in the season and has begun to see the fruits of all his labor.

The 450 B class was another exciting one. And not to be picking on Noah Mickelson but he once again is at the center of this heated battle. Like in the Open B class Noah has been the benchmark in this class as well. Even though the players in this class are different they have the same goals. Beat Noah! So that’s what they have been working to do. The No. 52 of Cody Ford reached a pinnacle this weekend as he and Noah battled for the top honors. It was especially sweet for Cody because he knew he was on Noah’s home turf and it also meant all his hard work was paying off as well. Ford was expected to be excelling this season and he like many are doing just that chasing riders like Noah Mickelson.

The interesting thing about the Production B class is that is that it pits both of these weeks’ eye-catching riders in the same class head to head with not only them but also many more talents in this class. However as it was anticipated, the two showed amazing talents and speeds, as Cody was able to take the moto one win after getting out to the lead early. There was about a five or so second gap that Logan behind at the end of the first lap but from that point on they ran nearly identical lap times showing me that these two are very evenly matched for speed. Then in moto two the two ran less than a half second apart, pushing each other the entire way until a slight mistake took Cody back to second and about ten seconds behind at the checkers. Logan won the overall on the moto splits and above everything it was a remarkable race for both and heralds the coming of both riders and some great battles in the near future.

That’s about it from me for now. Let’s check in with Gloop’s Loop and with Ken “Armed for Independence” Hill. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.

In The Loop with Gloop:

It was awesome seeing everyone letting loose in the qualifying sessions!

Upperman had a great weekend and finished one spot away from the box!

Keeping up with Ken Hill:

Who ever ordered that weather at Spring Creek, thank you! Wow, was that almost perfect or what? The lighting was all over the place as far as taking pictures but not to warm, not too humid, no rain and being July it was almost perfect and such a change from last year. The track sure seemed like a different track than I’ve seen before. Gone were the mini quads, swallowing breaking bumps and deep ruts that really put a hammering on many riders last year. The track seemed to run in really good and offered just enough of the rough stuff to keep riders challenged without it becoming a super speedway. I was fully expecting another rumble tumble weekend with everyone on edge and talking about how bad or rough the track was but instead, all I heard was good things except from those who love it rough and nasty!

After the first pro practice I cruised through the pro pits to get a feel on how things were shaping up and wasn’t surprised when Chad Weinen spoke of how the track was not to his liking based on the fact he loves a gnarly rough track, but that he felt he could do what he needed to do to get a win this round. When the gate dropped in the first moto and I saw his bad start I was thinking he was going to have a very long weekend, but he quickly moved through the pack and was soon running second and indeed did what he needed to get him in position for the win come moto two. The bad part for me was that most of his hustle came in the section I couldn’t see but RacerTV captured it all so I will get to see it soon enough! 

The opposite was when I chatted with Joel Hetrick and he was really laid back, seemed like there was no pressure and just enjoying the weekend. Moto one was all his and he showed everyone why he has earned the right to be where he is. The season isn’t over and no matter the outcome no one can deny what Hetrick has been able to do this season. Moto two saw Hetrick giving chase to Weinen, which has become the norm as the pair has been swapping moto wins nonstop. A few times I saw Joel pull up on Chads grab bar, but the opportunity to make something happen never opened up; however, you can bet Weinen knew he was being shadowed and any mistake could open the door to Hetrick ripping the win away from him. I saw Hetrick’s pit board late in the race and it simply stated “ Be smart, Win the war” which is what is really at stake so those words ring true to not just Joel but Chad as well. 

So we are now in a duel of two gunfighters in which neither can afford to take a hit. I don’t think the pressure will get to either one unless a bobble happens in the remaining rounds, so we can and should expect some great racing as we head to some huge tracks where these guys can open up and go for it all. When the roost settles on the 2016 season, no matter who claims the number one plate, Joel Hetrick in my eyes has shown he has everything needed to be a champion which has been a long time coming. Not only has he changed as a rider and racer, but he has changed as a person as well. It has been a wild ride watching him grow in so many ways and I am very excited for the climax of the 2016 season to play out.