#9 Brandon Ballance kept the Ballance team on the podium with his 3rd overall finish at Yadkinville, and he remained focused on the starting line this weekend.
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#9 Brandon Ballance kept the Ballance team on the podium with his 3rd overall finish at Yadkinville, and he remained focused on the starting line this weekend.
Bill Ballance wouldn't have an opportunity to relax on the starting line like his brother as he was greeted by many fellow riders and fans giving him their best wishes, and Bill spent some time talking with future Pro riders, #66 Adam McGill and #706 Duane Johnson who both are currently running in the top 20 overall in points.
#8 Jeremy Rice and #7 Chris Jenks exchange wishes of good luck and good old handshake before the race, which is a good example of the friendship shared amongst the Pros and amateurs in GNCC racing.
#59 Bryan Hulsey made his return to Pro Racing at Yadkinville, NC and finished 14th and 21st Overall, which isn't a bad overall finish, but it wasn't anywhere near his season best finish of 13th overall and 2nd in Pro Am Class at the Orange Crush, so Bryan was back in hopes of improving upon his finish Pro finish at Yadkinville.
#152 Brent Sturdivant has only missed one race this season, and has had a sling of bad luck this season until the last round where he finished 3rd in Pro Am and 16th Overall, which was his best finish since the opening round in Texas.
#66 Adam McGill giving Brent the smell down in the photo was hoping to make the move to Pro this weekend, but according to the rules he needed 11 races in Pro Am to be eligible for the Pro Am Championship, so regardless of his finish at Unadilla, he will have the Championship wrapped up and move on to Pro at Powerline Park.
The runner up position in the Pro Am Class is still up for grabs with Missouri rider Duane Johnson currently holding down the second spot, but Scott Barron, Chris Bithell, and Joshua Ribley remain with in striking distance of Johnson and besides the Adam McGill the remaining top 5 positions are yet to be decided at the points race in Pro Am will come down to the final race of the season.
Scott Samuels was excited to finally have a GNCC race within a short drive of his home in Massachusetts, but it didn’t come without complications. Once he arrived at the track, his Honda 450R wouldn’t even kick over, so he was forced to tear down the engine and try to find the problem, and in the process he cracked his water pump cover, which would have ended his racing weekend. #14 Pro Rider, Andy Lagzdins; found out about his dilemma and lent him a water pump cover, so he could still race this weekend, and Scott couldn’t thank Andy enough for his generosity.
The battle for the Championship in 4 Stroke A is once again up for grabs between Todd Rothermel and Taylor Kiser. Rothermel looked to be on his way to wrapping up the Championship heading into the summer break with three consecutive wins, but he finished 6th at Yadkvinville with Kiser finishing 3rd, which brings them within a few points of each other, so Kiser wouldn't have the luxury of skipping the long drive from Florida this weekend if he wanted his chance at the Championship.
The battle for 3rd spot is just as intense with New York resident Cory Vickerd in a tight points battle with Travis Styles.
To make things even more interesting in the 4 Stroke A Class, #784 Brandon Sommers has wrapped up the 4 Stroke B Class Championship and has made the move to 4 Stroke A Class, and he is very capable of winning a race.
Brandon and his father Laz Sommers
Tyler Lenig finished runner up to Brandon, and also decided to move up to A Class, which will really make things interesting out front with these two talented riders thrown into the mix.