Title Contenders Begin to Emerge in Race to the Championship as AMSOIL Arenacross Field Heads to Fresno - Speedway Digest

The days are beginning to wind down before AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, crowns a champion. After yet another thrilling night of racing in the Pacific Northwest this past weekend, the Race to the Championship now travels to the Golden State of California for the second-to-last round of the 2015 season in Fresno. Current points leader Kyle Regal and his Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing machine will lead the 10-rider Race to the Championship field into Save Mart Center this Saturday, April 25. Racing kicks off at 10 p.m. EDT/ 7 p.m. PDT.

Race to the Championship Broadcast Alert:

Tacoma round will premiere on FOX Sports 1

this Sunday, April 26, at 12:00 Noon EDT/9:00 a.m. PDT

Tacoma Race Photos

Tacoma Race Highlights

Interview with Tacoma Winner Jacob Hayes

The points reset that took place amongst the top 10 Arenacross Class riders heading into the Race to the Championship provided a platform for consistent change amongst the title contenders from week to week. While Regal has been able to maintain a top two position throughout the first four rounds of the Race to the Championship, the bulk of his rivals have had ups and downs. However, the nature of the Race to the Championship means there is a consistent opportunity for any rider to get back into title contention with a strong outing. That is exactly the case for Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki teammates Jacob Hayes and Matt Goerke.

Last weekend in Tacoma, Washington, Hayes was dominant and posted 1-1 Main Event results to claim his first overall win in the Race to the Championship. Hayes led the Arenacross Class standings for most of the season, but after a somewhat slow start in the Race to the Championship he finally had the breakout ride he needed to get back into title contention. Hayes never doubted himself and his patience paid off with one of his most impressive efforts of the season. As a result, he vaulted from fourth to second, just eight points behind Regal.

The same can be said for Goerke, who has also been a mainstay in the championship battle this season. Goerke does have a Main Event win in the Race to the Championship, but hasn’t been a podium threat since finishing second at the first of the final six rounds in New Orleans. Tacoma provided the opportunity Goerke needed to get himself back into the top three, following his teammate across the line in second in each Main Event to give Babbitt’s Kawasaki its second 1-2 finish in the Race to the Championship. Like Hayes, Goerke made up big ground in the championship standings, moving from fifth to third, now only 11 points from the lead.

While both Hayes and Goerke are resurging, third Babbitt’s Kawasaki rider Chris Blose is in need of a rebound. The main threat to Regal thus far in the Race to the Championship appeared to be on his way to another big night in Tacoma, but a crash in the first Main Event set the tone for a difficult night in which he posted his worst finish of the Race to the Championship in ninth. Prior to Tacoma, Blose had finished on the overall podium in two of the three Race to the Championship rounds, including a win in New Orleans. While he now faces a bit of an uphill battle in falling from second to fourth in the championship standings, looking at a 15-point deficit, Blose is one of the most experienced competitors in AMSOIL Arenacross, despite this being his first full season of competition in the discipline.

Also lurking in the championship, sitting in a tie with Blose for fourth, is Regal’s Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing teammate Gavin Faith. While Faith has yet to put himself at the front of the field in the Race to the Championship, he has quietly been consistent, amassed solid results and could be ready to break through as another serious threat to the title.

While Regal remains on top, thanks largely to three straight overall podium finishes and two overall wins, he has some familiar foes breathing down his neck with just two rounds remaining until AMSOIL Arenacross crowns a new champion in Las Vegas on May 1.

The 14^th round of AMSOIL Arenacross and the penultimate weekend in the Race to the Championship gets underway this Saturday, April 25^th, inside Save Mart Center. Racing begins at 10 p.m. EDT/ 7 p.m. PDT .

Author
Recent Posts

Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.