Blountville, Tennessee, plays host to the fourth round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. This is the third edition for one of the newer members of the series. Don’t let that fool you, though, as Muddy Creek has long been a staple of the motocross scene. Most of the racers on the circuit spent their fair share of time at the eastern Tennessee venue as they climbed the amateur ranks. Really, this track’s entrance into the pro ranks was long overdue.

One of the first things to enter my mind when thinking of Muddy Creek is the relentless southern heat and humidity. Even though summer has just kicked off, riders will immediately feel the rise in moisture when stepping off of the airplane. After three relatively cool races, it’ll be a staunch reminder of what’s to come as we roll into the heart of the series.

The track itself was one of my favorites as an amateur rider, but has drawn some criticism on the pro side. The crew at Victory Sports has worked tirelessly to widen the track and create a more viable surface for a national-level event. If I’ve learned anything in my thirty-plus years of being at these races, it’s that there’s simply no way to please everyone. Track owner and promoter Sam Gammon has listened to everyone’s opinion and is implementing improvements each and every year. I’m sure that efforts for 2015 will be no different and, weather permitting this will be the best Muddy Creek yet.

The dirt here is unique in that it can be both incredibly sticky and tacky in one turn and then rock-hard, icy clay in the next. When it’s tilled before a moto, it offers some of the best dirt in the country. That won’t help much if the tracks aren’t prepped during the day, as we saw at Thunder Valley, but trust me when I say that it can be absolutely incredible when all things are in order. The trouble comes at the national, as the track is almost always a bit muddy for practice, in hopes that the moisture stays deep in the dirt for the duration of the race. As that dirt dries, however, the ruts harden and become treacherous. This is exactly what happened in Colorado last weekend, and we all heard the criticism and concern about that.

Last week, the track was saturated deep down from weeks of rain before the event, and some noticed that springs were popping up from holes and ruts. The top of the track was dry, but the stuff underneath couldn’t really handle much more water. Hopefully this week there is a happy medium reached in order to maintain a rough track but also prevent the ruts from getting too hard. Not every inch of a track needs to be groomed to improve safety, but an experienced track crew’s eye with some rider input would be ideal. Of course, the weather is going to play a factor in all of this. All the rain leading into Lakewood put the crew in a small box on prep, and there was rain before Hangtown, too, which made that track extra rough and soft. There’s also rain leading into this race. We’ll see how it goes.