DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 8, 2013) - Following a quick swing up the west coast, AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles heads into the second half of the 2013 season. The return to the Midwest and the venerable Peoria TT will mark race seven of the 13 race series.

The Peoria Motorcycle Club has hosted Grand National motorcycle races on their club grounds, PMC Race Park, since 1947. To say Winn, Michigan's Henry Wiles has taken a liking to the .6 mile track would be a serious understatement, as the 27-year-old Don's Kawasaki rider has won the last eight races in dominating fashion at the historic venue.

Wiles comes into the event sitting third in the overall point standings and will look to improve on that lead with another big performance at PMC Race Park.

Though Wiles is the clear-cut favorite to nine-peat this weekend, winning will be no easy task. Dryad, Washington's Brad Baker has been in rare form all season long and looks to be a man on a mission in 2013. Baker, who hasn't finished outside the top five in any of the season's first six main events, will be looking to build on his already strong lead in the point standings at Peoria.

Baker won't be the only rider aiming to knock Wiles off of his impressive streak of victories, as Clio, Michigan native and defending Grand National Champion Jared Mees looked very stout on his 450cc Honda CRF450R last weekend at Castle Rock. Mees comes into the weekend with back-to-back podium finishes after starting off the season fairly slow and will be looking to give Wiles all he can handle.

Another intriguing storyline heading into this weekend's event is Coatesville, New Jersey's Jake Johnson's recent signing with Lloyd Brothers Racing. Johnson, who won two Grand National Championships with Zanotti Racing, parted ways with the team just before the Castle Rock TT last weekend where he finished 17th on Salinas, Califnornia's Briar Bauman's backup bike. Johnson currently sits sixth in the overall point standings and could use a strong effort at Peoria to get him back into championship contention.

Quite possibly the most unpredictable rider thus far in 2013 has to be Oxford, Pennsylvania's Brandon Robinson. The 23-year-old has shown us glimpses of tremendous ability and talent - for example, when he won at Daytona and was the current points leader for the first three rounds. However, Robinson has also bewildered us on several occasions - for example, when he failed to qualify for the Castle Rock TT main event last weekend. It will be interesting to see which Brandon Robinson will show up this Saturday at Peoria as his current fourth place position in the overall points is certainly within striking distance of Baker's grip of first.

AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles

The AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles class is led by Mead, Washington's Wyatt Maguire (Kirkland Racing/Yamaha YZ 450F). Maguire, who finished sixth in the points last season, will be looking to build on his 12 point lead in the standings at Peoria after not having raced in the main event here last year.

Coming off a big win at the Castle Rock TT, Brisbane, Califnornia's Dominic Colindres is primed for another strong effort at Peoria this year after having won the Pro Singles race here a year ago. After getting off to a slow start, Colindres has gotten hot as of late and looks to roll over that momentum into this weekend's showdown at Peoria.

Another rider who got off to a slow start but is beginning to heat up again is Davison, Michigan native and defending AMA Pro J&P Cycles Pro Singles Champion Stephen Vanderkuur.Vanderkuur has finished in the top five in three of the last four races and with a second-place finish here a year ago, the 21-year-old looks to be hitting his stride at just the right time.

About AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles

AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2013 schedule consists of rounds on the country's finest flat track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.