Round three at the Stockton half mile was on May 11, 2013. The track was a banked car track; it didn’t have any banking down the strait, but had some in the turns. I figured we would run the high line all the way around the track, but they sent the twins out before us and surprisingly they ran the low line.

During qualifying and practice I was the fifth one out on the track each time. The track was kind of awkward going into the turns because you would enter low and kind of float high then cut it down on the exit. Then surprisingly I ran off the groove a little and there was still pretty good traction. After practice and combine time qualifying I was third fastest over all.

In my heat race the track was a little tackier in some places do to the fact that they watered it. My heat seemed pretty stacked with some top competitors. My heat race I tried a second gear start and kind of lugged on me and got an okay start. I came out of turn two in fourth place. I tried to just roll the turns and stay smooth, but when you were in traffic it became difficult because you knew everyone would enter kind of low and then float up a little in the turns, knowing that I would try and cut down under on the exit and get a good drive down the strait. After doing that for the whole heat race I decided to try to rail around the outside on the last lap and I was able to finally get by Shayna on the last corner to take second in my heat behind Rodney Spencer Jr.

In between the heat and main my dad and I changed one thing on the bike and that was gearing. When we walked out on the track to push the bike to the starting line the high line above the groove felt just as tacky if not more tacky than the groove. We got one warm up lap, so of course I instantly jump about ten feet above the groove and gave it a try. The high line on my warm up lap felt really, so I knew I would jump up there as soon as possible. Since I started in second gear in my heat and motor kind of lugged on me I decided to try a first gear start. My practice start was really good so I felt like it would work perfect and I would get a good start. Not sure what changed from my practice start to the actually start of the main, but I spun it up. Once I stopped spinning and was able to get traction under myself I went straight to the high line and came out of turn two around fifth place. I drove it in high and deep going into two three probably about 15 feet off the groove and I was able to come out of turn three in third. I stayed about 15 feet off the groove until I came into turn three and almost low sided on some loose marble dirt. Once that happened I came down around where Rodney was running about five feet off the groove and it felt about the same as my high line. On about the third lap I was able to pass Rodney in the middle of turn one and two. This put me in second place behind Shayna. Surprisingly I was able to pass Shayna on the exit of turn four on the same lap. After I got in the lead I just tried to stay smooth and rail around the turns. I stayed smooth and very easy on and off the gas. This made it easy for me to just keep my wheels in line and keep my momentum going. Before I knew it we had five laps to go and I stretched out a good lead, that I had no Idea that I had. I thought Shayna was still right behind me. Once I saw the white flag I felt more pressure than I did in the whole race because I knew this was it, don’t mess up on this lap. Once I came around there was the checkered and I was able to win my first ever Grand National Pro Singles race in Stockton California.

The day was almost perfect. We didn’t have to change anything all day, but gearing before the main and maybe add or let out a little air in the tires throughout the day. Everything went as plan and it was a great night in Stockton for us.

Big thanks to:
Kirkland Racing, Pro1racingheads.com, Bell helmets, Motorcycle superstore, Axo, Urban custom bikes, Short block Charles, Moto Concepts, Light shoe, Rase, Moto optics, crank works, Moto Graphics, Motorcycle accessory shop, Gaerne boot company, Motion Pro, G2 ergonomics, K&N Filters, Secrets to speed, maxxima racing oils, Rekluse, Chicken Hawk, Liberty Tire, Allsport, Pruczinski Family, Lenz Family, Mom and Dad