SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 25, 2013) - The time has come. Round 5 on AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles' calendar is set to commence this Saturday, July 27, 2013, at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, Calif. with gates opening as early as 1:30 p.m. local time. Riders and fans alike have been waiting for this highly anticipated weekend for quite some time now as the Sacramento Mile is always one of the most intriguing races on the schedule every year.

No. 12 Dodge Bros Racing/Harley-Davidson rider Brad Baker (Dryad, Wash.) has been the talk of the town, and rightfully so, ever since his complete domination at Hagerstown during Round 4. Baker won his heat race, the Dash for Cash, and went on to maul the competition by over six full seconds in the main event to seal his first career victory at the Grand National Expert level. Now that the elephant has left the room and the criticism about when he might get that first win has come to a sudden halt, the potential for Baker to rip off several wins in the near future seems very real at this point.

In all things sports, one man's success is usually another man's failure. Brandon Robinson (Oxford, Penn.) will be looking to bounce back at the Sacramento Mile after a lackluster performance at Hagerstown left him with a 17th place finish and knocked him out of the lead in this year's Overall Grand National Championship current point standings. The good news for Robinson is he did manage to finish in the top ten in last season's main event at the Cal Expo.

Arguably the biggest favorite to claim the coveted Sacramento Mile checkered flag this weekend is No. 42 Crosley Radio Kawasaki rider Bryan Smith (Flushing, Mich.). Though Smith has yet to find victory lane thus far in 2013, the Michigan product is licking his chops thinking about the mile-long course. Smith is notorious for using the power of his Kawasaki to pull away on the back and front stretches and is last season's victor of the prestigious race.

Another significant headline leading up to the weekend is the return of Jared Mees (Clio, Mich.). The defending Grand National Champion was forced to watch Round 4 at Hagerstown from the sidelines because of an injury to his arm but has recently been cleared by doctors to compete this weekend. Expect the No. 1 Rogers Racing/Harley-Davidson pilot to be in his usual championship caliber form come this Saturday when the lights go green.

AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles

No. 18M Kirkland Racing Yamaha YZ 450F rider Wyatt Maguire currently sits atop the 2013 AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles point standings and looked sharp last round with a second-place finish at Hagerstown. With a top-ten finish under his belt at last year's Sacramento Mile, the Mead, Wash. native should be feeling pretty confident heading into the weekend.

There's no denying that defending J&P Cycles Pro Singles champion Stephen Vanderkuur (Parkinson Brothers Racing/Honda CRF450R)hasn't had the kind of year he's hoped for at this point in the season. The Davison, Mich. rider started 2013 with an 18th place finish at Daytona and even though he has a couple of top-five finishes to his credit so far, Vanderkuur is certainly hungry to turn his season around at Sacramento this weekend and improve on his current 7th place position in the points.

Additional Contingency Available to Riders

As if there needed to be any added components to help build up the already prestigious event, it was recently announced that an additional contingency payout will be granted to raise the stakes even higher for this weekend's festivities. More information on this can be found by visiting http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/news/index.cfm?cid=57372.

AMA Pro Live - Live Streaming Video

Fans can catch basic free live streaming of the Sacramento Mile beginning with the first practice round scheduled to run at 5:15 p.m. ET/ 2:15 p.m. PT through the end of the Opening Ceremonies at 9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 p.m. PT. The streaming will include PA audio feed from Barry Boone and Scottie Deubler as well as one to three static cameras spread out across the venue.

At the end of Opening Ceremonies at approximately 9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 p.m. PT, premier access featuring television-like coverage of the races will be available for $4.99. Viewers can log on to AMA Pro Live at www.amaprolive.com/ft/ during the event for access and more information regarding the live streaming coverage.