Well, the Toyota National Arenacross Series is officially over. It was quite the year! It still really hasn’t sunk in that it is over. I probably won’t realize it until Thursday when I am not rushing to the airport to head to the next city. Being Miss Arenacross has been such a wonderful experience for me and I am sad it is over. The race and experience this weekend however, was the most exciting and memorable of the season. We made a journey across the United States and ended in Denver .
The races took place inside the Denver Coliseum just outside downtown Denver . The crowd on Friday was definitely a lively crowd, and set the mood just perfect. As you probably know, after last week the top two riders Brock Sellards and Chad Johnson were all tied up. These two boys were racing for the Championship title and a brand new Toyota truck. You could see it in their eyes that they were nervous, excited and definitely determined. They both have been riding their hearts and souls out for the last 5 months. It was a night to remember!
The Lites Class was full of a ton of local riders, more than usual, and the track was very technical. The Lites class gives the locals a chance to come out and race Arenacross with the pros. Shawn Clark has definitely dominated this class for the entire season, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him come out of the start gates and take off with the victory. He is an amazing rider with so much talent, as he rides both Lites and Arenacross classes twice a week, every week. It really takes a lot of dedication and strength to do what he does, and he does it all with a smile! Also on the podium were two local riders who definitely raced awesome, Mitch Carroll was up there on the podium coming in 2 nd giving a shout out to about 100 sponsors. Local boy Bobby Fitch received 3 rd even though his bike blew up in the second to last corner of the track, he was laughing and smiling in amazement. It was so nice to see some new faces on the podium who worked for their trophies!
Everyone was on the edge of their seat, biting their fingernails anticipating the Arenacross Class Main event. Both Brock and Chad looked really good during their qualifiers. The 10 second board went up and they were off. Kevin Johnson got the holeshot bringing home a check for $500 from Weekend Warrior Trailers. Kevin was off to a great start, putting in some really fast laps. Jeff Northrop and Greg Schnell were not too far behind. Brock was in 4 th and Chad was in 6 th, but it didn’t last long. They were both passing through the crowd easily. Kevin led the entire race with hardly any pressure, until Brock came up and they began to battle. Chad was just behind Brock in 3 rd place. Brock was the only racer jumping a quad in the rhythm section, so he crept up on Kevin several times. Brock went for the pass on Kevin and didn’t get him, but it did however make it possible for Chad to be right on his rear tire. It was the last lap and Chad went for the pass, and got it! Unfortunately Brock tipped over the berm and crashed. Kevin took his 4 th win, Chad Johnson ended up 2 nd and Greg Schnell finished in 3 rd. It was an amazing race! So with Brock not getting a podium and Chad getting 2 nd, Chad was now leading by 6 points, giving him a little cushion but not much.
Saturday was an even better crowd than Friday‘s, and there was hardly an empty seat in the house, and they were die hard dirt bike fans. It was awesome! Everyone was curious if Chad could pull off this Championship. If Brock was able to take 1 st all Chad would have to do is get 3 rd or better. The stadium was packed, the lights went out and we began the final Opening Ceremonies for the 2006 Toyota National Arenacross Series. I got a little sad, but didn’t let it show. I had a line for autographs from the moment Opening Ceremonies ended until the beginning of the 65cc main event. I did not even have one chance to watch the qualifiers so I had no idea who was running the fastest lap time. The dirt was really hard, making the track really slick; riders were sliding out left and right.
The Lites main event took off out of the start gate, and they flew to the first turn. Shawn Clark did not get the holeshot, but he was only back about two people. But the track was slick and his bike slide out around the turn and he crashed. It was a tough break because once he got back up he was in last place. He put his head down and raced his race. It must have been discouraging for him to look up and see 14 riders in front of him. Somehow, someway he made an amazing comeback and got into the 3 rd place position. It was unbelievable. But it would have sucked if he did not podium on the last race of the season. He did it went from last to 3 rd and took home a trophy. Local boy Bobby Fitch was on the gas and pulled off a win, it was hysterical because his bike blew up again just about in the last lap. What kind of luck does it take to have two bikes blow up in two days, and still podium at the National Arenacross Series. Roy Horton really wanted to leave the series with a win, but it just didn’t come together for him. But he did end up in 2 nd place, which put a smile on his face anyway. It was a fun race to watch!
Now it was time for the final Arenacross Class race of 2006. I was nervous, I am not sure why, but I was. Most of the stadium was on their feet waiting to see who would get the holeshot, and who would be ahead, Brock or Chad . It was intense! Zach Ames was able to pull off the holeshot and lead the race for a while. Right behind him was Greg Schnell, and he was riding amazing. Zach slowed down a little and Greg got the perfect pass and took over the first place position. Just behind Greg and Zach was Brock and just behind Brock was Chad . It was going to be an intense race. Zach slowly faded back to 5 th place. Greg lead the race for a really long time. I thought that he had it and was going to get his first win of the season. Then Brock inched up to Schnell and took over. Chad remained in 3 rd while Brock led the race. It was a race to the end for sure! They flew over the catapult and the checkered flag came out. Brock won the race, but it wasn’t enough to win the championship. The 2006 Toyota National Arenacross Champion was Chad Johnson. It was the closest race for the championship in the history of Arenacross and Chad Johnson took it by 1 point. It was unbelievable!
Sunday night was our banquet, and I must complement everyone who put it together! They worked really hard at it and it showed. I loved the décor, food and the DJ was awesome! I brought my sis Tiffany as my lovely date for the evening, we had a wonderful time! Throughout the night we recognized some people who deserved a little extra recognition for their work and accomplishments this series. The most touching moment of the evening was when we gave the 100% award to Greg Schnell, he came up to except it and called Brock up and gave it to him. It was such a genuine and admirable speech and giveaway by Greg! The night was ended with hours of dancing and hanging out one last time as a family. I really got along well with Greg Schnell’s girl Melissa and her friend Sara, we tore up the dance floor, and danced the night away! I had such a good time with everyone and I didn’t want it to end!
Now it is all over, and I am not sure what I am going to do with my life! I just can’t believe it is over! I am so grateful to have been a part of the Arenacross family this year. I met some friends that will be friends for a lifetime. The series has taught me so much this year! I would like to thank all of you for embracing me and excepting me into the world of Arenacross. I had a better time than I ever imagined it would be. I hope to keep in touch with everyone and if anyone wants to e-mail me or keep in contact please do! Thank you for the wonderful season, I will miss it!
XOX
Ashley Miss Arenacross
Ashbelle28@sbcglobal.net
