It all starts with the 50cc class with the Kansan Dalton “Turbo” Turpin and the Lonestar state’s Cash Harsche have been battling relentlessly for wins and the points lead all season. As well in the class Tennessee’s Tummel brothers, Lincoln and Waylon and Ohio’s Tvergyak brothers, Kadin and Ethan have been battling for third through sixth. The battles in this class alone are exciting enough to keep a number of the upperclassman watching their younger peers lined against the fences watching the excitement unfold. 

This weekend will not only mark the next round of the national championship but also we begin our Independence Day celebrations. The fireworks we see on the track will only be a prelude to the celebrations that will be taking place on Saturday night. We are in Root River Racing’s home territory and like always teaming up with the folks at Millville are rolling out the red carpet for another stellar weekend of racing and entertainment.

I spoke with Rich Gillette last week and he told me that things were amping up and he was really excited for this year’s race. He said that they were holding press day again this year on Wednesday 10:30-Noon for the Pros and that they will also be visiting the Ronald McDonald House located at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester which is an extended stay place for patients and families who can't afford to stay at a hotel while there. The Pros are really busy this week promoting the race and spreading good cheer. Honestly who wouldn’t enjoy a visit from these guys whether you know anything about ATV racing or not. Their personalities bring such a positive light that they easily touch and inspire folks everywhere they go.

As far as entertainment goes, Friday nights have always been a classic at Millville. In the past we have had some of the most epic “Pit Bike Races” the series has ever seen. This year however the Pit Bike Racing has been replaced with one of the newest crazes sweeping the land. It’s “Bubble Ball Extreme Soccer” beginning at 6:00pm on Friday. This should be lot of fun and with the competitive nature of this new sport it should bring out the competitors in us all. You can check out what it is exactly by clicking this Bubble Ball Extreme Soccer - USA link. Get your teams together and be ready for some fun. Then later on Friday night there will be a band from 8:00 until 11:00 pm. 

Saturday’s AMA Pro battle will be another great battle with a few familiar faces running round. Nick DeNoble is set to make a return to the ATV Racin’ Nation this weekend and even though (right now) he will not be returning to racing he will be joining me in the tower to call some of the racing during the AMA Pro ATV and Pro Am battles on Saturday and Sunday. One familiar face we have not seen on the track this season, which plans to make a return racing this season, is 2-Time AMA Pro ATV Champ Joe Byrd. Joe told me he plans to return this weekend and will be running the qualifiers to see how he feels. If all goes well we will see him back in action. 

Joe Byrd actually had planned to race his final season this year at 43 years old. Due to illness from surgeries he had in the off-season and from overtraining, he has been unable to make a return thus far. It is unclear what Joe’s future plans are but he hopes to be in good enough form to make the show this week. He told me that he has been riding some the last couple of weeks with the “Jersey Boy” Nick Gennusa and was feeling pretty good. It will be a great opportunity for fans to get to see the “Old Number 7” back in action once more. Don’t be surprised if the “Old Byrd” isn’t still smooth as “Tennessee Whiskey.”

After the racing on Saturday the evening sky will explode with a variety of entertainment. Starting at 6:00pm the ATV Big Air Tour with Dereck Guetter, John Guetter and JR Hinze will light up the night with their explosive and amazing aerial ATV acrobatics. The troop will perform till around 7:00pm. Then from 7:00 to 11:00pm The Rave Party in the Pro Pits by Limelight will be in full force jamming the night away. Be ready for lots of fun and good times at this one.

Then to complete the night, the celebration of our nation’s independence will conclude the night with a major fireworks display that has been in the past some of the best displays I have ever seen personally. Make sure you have plenty of battery and memory for Saturday night, as there will be lots of great memories to capture.

I suppose that’s a lot to take in for this weekends event. One more thing to remember with this entire going on though is that there will be a race held as well. Don’t forget amateur racing kicks off on Saturday and Sunday Morning at 8:00 am.

That’s it for me for now. Let’s check into Gloop’s Loop and with Ken “Oh my back” Hill. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.     

In The Loop with Gloop:

Keeping up with Ken Hill:

For the past 10 years I have done and listened to everything from a doctor to a woman, who I am sure practices Voodoo, when it comes to my health. I have lost 75 pounds, do all I can to move non-stop and even think I may have tackled the latest health issue with regards to tearing my intercostal muscles. In that time, I have given up or scaled back on virtually all activities that would cause damage to my back and chest, until yesterday. I woke up hell bent on not living scared or allowing my issues to run my life and I doubled down and went and bought something I have wanted for 20 years, another Harley. A few hours at the dealership and I soon found myself sitting behind the bars as I rumbled towards home as I addressed head on a fear of not being able to properly control a street bike due again to health issues but also my balance issues that stem from a severe illness in 2005 that left me with some brain damage due to a high fever. The first few miles were spooky but I was quickly feeling the flow that riding brings and although I was taking it easy, I was also paying tons of attention to things so I did not find myself in trouble.

I was almost home after putting in nearly 50 miles after a few decades off a bike and feeling really good. The very last stop sign before I would make it home is where my day went bad as I set my left foot down the bike leaned enough that a very familiar pain shot up my leg and into my back which basically makes me loose any and all control of my lower back. I knew I was going to have to lay the bike down so I turned off the ignition and slowly let it come to rest on the crash bar. I stepped off the bike with zero pain and had to take stock in what was going on then did the most idiotic thing I’ve done in quite some time, I reached down and grabbed the bike and went to stand it back up, bad move. My back popped and down I went, rolling over on my back looking into the sky and in horrible pain. Luckily a few cars were behind me and everyone came to my assistance as I crawled off the pavement and they worked to get the bike upright and out of the road. The family was notified and came and drug me into the truck and my son rode the bike the last few miles home for me.  

It was a stupid thing to do all the way around. I should have had the wife following me or had my son ride with me on his Harley but dammit, I am so tired of having to depend on others that good judgment went out the window. So here I sit after a full night in agony flat on my back, looking out the window at what was supposed to be a dream fulfilled and not being able to enjoy it or even go sit on it! Now my biggest issue is trying to get the back in good enough haps to put in the 991 miles to Spring Creek for this weekends race and it’s killing me. Missing work is something I take very seriously and if it happens you can bet I have done everything in my power to make it be it snow, ice, hurricane or in this case, pride over ruling common sense. The next 24 hours will tell the tale.