Nathan Skaggs Grabs Win Number Three

AURORA, Ill. – After 25 laps of intense bar-to-bar action, Spinechillers/Storm Lake Honda’s Nathan Skaggs, of Chillicothe, Ohio, earned his third AMA Arenacross Series win of the season to close the gap on current series points leader Jeff Gibson, of Westerville, Ohio. The race marked the AMA Arenacross Series’ first visit to Tulsa, Okla. and the first race at the brand new BOK Center. In the always exciting AMA Arenacross Lites class, Foremost Insurance Suzuki’s Michael McDade, of Raleigh, N.C. held on for his first career victory.

After getting off to a fast start in the early part of the season, Skaggs settled into a groove and has held down second place in the standings throughout 2009. Tonight, he was the class of the field and in the end, held off Mahindra Tractors/Tuf Honda’s Josh Demuth, of North Richland Hills, Texas, for the victory.

“This feels great,” explained Skaggs. “It’s been a few races since I was on top (of the podium) so it’s nice to get another win under my belt. I just need to keep taking things race by race. I’d like to thank my team Spinechillers/Storm Lake Honda and all the fans here in Tulsa.”

Triple Effect Kawasaki’s Gray Davenport, of Lehi, Utah, rounded out the AMA Arenacross class podium. After falling in the first corner, points leader Gibson recovered to bring home a disappointing 11th-place finish aboard his Mahindra Tractors/Tuf Honda.

The Tulsa round also marked the conclusion of the AMA Arenacross Lites Central Regional Championship. The three-round, five-race championship kicked off in Des Moines, Iowa back in November and had a nearly three-month break before returning to action in Louisville, Ky. Despite not winning any of the rounds, Storm Lake/GPS Honda’s Kurtis McCabe, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa proved consistency is key and claimed the title after a fifth place finish tonight.

McDade made it to the top stand of the podium after a consistently strong season. The Suzuki rider also competed in the premier AMA Arenacross class, battling for the holeshot and the lead early on before experiencing misfortune.

Gibson currently holds a 24-point lead in the standings over Skaggs, while reigning champion Chad Johnson, of Rhinelander, Wis., trails by 37 points in third.

The AMA Arenacross Series heads to its inaugural round in Fresno, Calif. from the Save Mart Center next weekend. Action kicks off on Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m.

AMA Arenacross Class Results, (Tulsa, Okla.)

1. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
2. Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Honda
3. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki
4. Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki
5. Brock Sellards, Sherodsville, Ohio, Kawasaki
6. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Honda
7. Tyler Bright, Lexington, N.C., Suzuki
8. Keith Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha
9. Justin Berry, Edmond, Okla., Kawasaki
10. Codi Adams, Batavia, Ohio, Yamaha

AMA Arenacross Class Lites Results (Tulsa, Okla.)

1.       Michael McDade, Raleigh, N.C., Suzuki
2.       Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatlong, N.J., Suzuki
3.       Jim Neese, Julian, N.C., Suzuki
4.       Justin Berry, Edmond, Okla., Kawasaki
5.       Kurtis McCabe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Honda
6.       Travis Bannister, Calhoun, Col., Honda
7.       Ronnie Stewart, Easton, Pa., Suzuki
8.       Dacoda Sorochuk, Randolph, Utah, Kawasaki
9.       Kyle Glass, Hudsonville, Mich., Honda
10.   Chad Wages, Frederick, Md., Suzuki

AMA Arenacross Class Points (After Race 9 of 17)

1. Jeff Gibson, Westerville, Ohio, Honda – 186
2. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda – 162
3. Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki – 149
4. Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Honda - 134
5. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki - 132
6. Brock Sellards, Sherodsville, Ohio, Kawasaki – 131
7. Michael Willard, Thornville, Ohio, Kawasaki – 112
8. Codi Adams, Batavia, Ohio, Yamaha – 101
9. Tyler Bright, Lexington, N.C., Suzuki – 98
10. Keith Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M, Yamaha – 89

AMA Arenacross Lites Central Regional Points (After Race 5 of 5)

1.   Kurtis McCabe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Honda – 67
2.   Justin Berry, Edmond, Okla., Kawasaki – 66
3.   Codi Adams, Batavia, Ohio, Yamaha – 53
4.   Tyler Medaglia, Kemptville, Ontario, Kawasaki – 36
5.   Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda – 35
6.   Travis Bannister, Calhoun, Col., Honda – 35
7.   Bruce Dehn, Dayton, Minn., Kawasaki  – 33 
8.   Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 22
9.   John Dehn, Dayton, Minn., Kawasaki – 22
10.   Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Honda – 20 

Tickets are available online at www.arenacross.com, www.ticketmaster.com, www.tickets.com. For more information on the AMA Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.

About Feld Motor Sports

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy® Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Freestyle Motocross, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.