MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Tune in to RacerTV.com this Saturday, May 12, at 1:00 p.m. EDT for pro ATV racing, and on Sunday, May 13, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, tune in for pro bike racing. The 2018 Amsoil Grand National Cross Country ( GNCC ) Series, an AMA National Championship, heads into round 6—the X-Factor Whitetails GNCC from Peru, Indiana.
WFR/GBC/Fly Racing/Yamaha's Walker Fowler took the win at the previous round, but was unsuccessful at earning the win at last year's X-Factor Whitetails event. Fowler is looking to turn that around this year and take home the trophy.
B. Neal Motorsports/CST Tires/Houser Racing's Brycen Neal is aiming to finish in the center of the podium for the second time this season. After earning the win at The General GNCC earlier in the season, Neal is hoping to return to his winning ways in Indiana this Saturday afternoon. Neal currently sits 17 points behind Fowler in the championship standings, and he knows by earning another win, he will be adding valuable points to the championship battle this year.
After finishing second at round five, JMR/ATVriders.com/Maxxis' Jarrod McClure is hoping to battle at the front of the pack and earn his first win of the season. After treacherous conditions at last year's X-Factor Whitetails GNCC, McClure ended the day in the 17th-place position. McClure is looking to turn that around this year and compete for both the win and the coveted X-Factor trophy.
The man who won the inaugural X-Factor Whitetails GNCC, GBC/Fly Racing/HMF/Yamaha's Johnny Gallagher, returns this year currently tied in championship points with Spider Graphix/GBC Motorsports/Moose Racing's Marty Christofferson. Gallagher earned the win last year, which just happened to be his first overall ATV win as well. He comes into round six looking for another breakout race, but will have to battle through the pack of hungry XC1 Pro ATV riders.
FMF/KTM Factory Racing's Kailub Russell earned his fourth win of the season at the previous round, but was only .620 second ahead of Rockstar Energy/Factory Husqvarna Racing's Thad Duvall.
Russell and Duvall have dominated the beginning of the season, but Duvall has only earned one win thus far. Duvall will be looking to repeat his success from last year's inaugural X-Factor Whitetails GNCC. With a 19-point deficit, Duvall and K. Russell will be a pair to keep an eye on come Sunday's 1 p.m. race.
After finishing third overall in the points last year, AmPro Yamaha's Ricky Russell was a favorite coming into the 2018 season. However, a slew of bad luck and mechanical issues has put R. Russell back to ninth in points. R. Russell finally had a breakthrough race in South Carolina, where he finished the day third overall. R. Russell will be looking to once again earn a podium finish, and put the bad luck behind him.
Tely Energy Racing/KTM's Steward Baylor is currently third in the championship point standings, and after finishing off-pace at round five, he will be looking to return to the XC1 Open Pro class podium. The frustration from his performance at the previous round may very well be used as motivation to propel him to the front of the pack.
The XC2 250 Pro class battles have been heated between FMF/KTM Factory Racing's Josh Toth and Trail Jesters KTM Racing's Ben Kelley. Kelley currently leads the championship point standings, with Toth 30 points behind him. Coastal Racing/Husqvarna's Pascal Rauchenecker is currently third even after suffering a hand injury during round four. Rauchenecker flew home to Austria to have surgery as quickly as possible, and has since made his return to the United States for this weekend's GNCC.
A highlight show featuring the event will air on NBC Sports Network on Saturday, June 9, at 6:00 p.m. EDT. Click here for the full 2018 broadcast schedule.
Click here to watch Saturday's Pro ATV coverage.
Click here to watch to Sunday's Pro Bike coverage.
2018 GNCC Live Schedule
| Round | Date | Time | Event | Location |
| 6 | May 12 | 1 PM | X-Factor ATV | Peru, IN |
| May 13 | 1 PM | X-Factor Bike | ||
| 7 | May 26 | 1 PM | The John Penton ATV | Millfield, OH |
| May 26 | 4 PM | The John Penton UTV | ||
| May 27 | 1 PM | The John Penton Bike | ||
| 8 | June 9 | 1 PM | Tomahawk ATV | Odessa, NY |
| June 10 | 1PM | Tomahawk Bike | ||
| 9 | June 23 | 1 PM | Snowshoe ATV | Snowshoe, WV |
| June 24 | 1 PM | Snowshoe Bike | ||
| 10 | Sept. 15 | 1 PM | Black Sky ATV | Harpursville, NY |
| Sept. 16 | 1 PM | Black Sky Bike | ||
| 11 | Sept. 29 | 1 PM | Mason-Dixon ATV | Mount Morris, PA |
| Sept. 30 | 1 PM | Mason-Dixon Bike | ||
| 12 | Oct. 13 | 1 PM | Powerline Park ATV | St. Clairsville, OH |
| Oct. 13 | 4 PM | Powerline Park UTV | ||
| Oct. 14 | 1 PM | Powerline Park Bike | ||
| 13 | Oct. 27 | 1 PM | Ironman ATV | Crawfordsville, IN |
| Oct. 27 | 4 PM | Ironman UTV | ||
| Oct. 28 | 1 PM | Ironman Bike |
