AMSOIL Arenacross‰Ûª Race to the Championship Begins This Weekend

The third seed is a surging Jeff Gibson. The Team Faith/FLY Racing KTM rider has stepped up his efforts since the birth of his first child just a few weeks ago. Despite missing one round of action to be there for his daughter‰Ûªs arrival, Gibson has still maintained a strong position in the standings.

Just last weekend, Gibson broke through for this first overall win of the season to go along with his pair of Main Event wins. That performance cemented his seeding for the Race to the Championship.

Gibson will sit just ahead of his team-mate Kelly Smith, the fourth seed, as the Race to the Championship gets underway. Smith has yet to break through with a victory in 2013, but he‰Ûªs been a fixture at the front of the field more often than not.

As the most experienced rider in the AMSOIL Arenacross field, Smith could hold the advantage over the course of the final four rounds as he know what it takes to win. A championship is the only thing missing from Smith‰Ûªs illustrious rÌ©sumÌ© in the sport and he will surely come out firing on Saturday.

Motosport.com/JBR/Spinechillers Racing KTM‰Ûªs Nathan Skaggs rounds out the top five seeds in the Race to the Championship. Skaggs is a veteran contender in AMSOIL Arenacross and he has showed an impressive consistency in recent weeks. Along with Bowers and Gibson, Skaggs is one of the hottest riders in the championship and his recent podium performances are the ideal stepping-stone to possibly break into the win column.

The sixth seed is Mosites Motorsports Kawasaki‰Ûªs Michael McDade. The up-and-coming rider has emerged as the breakout star of the 2013 season, challenging both Bowers and Ames head on atop the standings for most of the opening six rounds. Unfortunately, a recent wrist injury suffered just a couple weeks ago has slowed McDade‰Ûªs progress considerably and even forced him to miss one night of action.

However, he returned last weekend to show he‰Ûªs ready for the Race to the Championship. As the fourth different rider to claim an overall victory this season, in addition to his three Main Event wins, McDade has the speed to challenge for the title if his injury is not a factor.

The final four seeds have been engaged in heated competition for their spot in the Race to the Championship since the opening round. Each rider has proven they can run at the front of the field and there is definitely a chance for any of them to play the role of a wild card heading into the final four rounds.

Motosport.com/JBR/Spinechillers Racing KTM‰Ûªs Willy Browning enters the Race to the Championship as the seventh seed, followed by eighth seed Gared Steinke. Advocare Suzuki‰Ûªs Daniel Blair occupies the ninth seed, while KMS KTM‰Ûªs Dave Ginolfi earned the 10th seed with a strong outing last weekend.

‰ÛÏI think the Race to the Championship is awesome,‰Û