Watch: Ben Kelley Wins Buckwheat 100 GNCC, Reclaims XC1 Lead

Main Image by Mack Faint

Video Highlights Courtesy of GNCC Racing

Check out the highlights from the 12th round of the 2021 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series at the Buckwheat 100 GNCC from CJ Raceway in Thornton, West Virginia.

Points leader Steward Baylor grabbed the holeshot and led the pack early but he got shuffled back as Ricky Russell and Ben Kelley both got by the #514. Russell crashed and then ran into issues that caused him to drop back out of the top five as Kelley continued to lead Baylor. The lead duo started to run away out front and then Kelley even opened up a safe lead over Baylor. Kelley would end up taking the win—his third of the season—by almost two minutes over Baylor. Thad Duvall ran in sixth after lap one but charged to fourth behind Layne Michael with two laps to go. Late in the race, the two came together, throwing Michael to the ground as the handlebar of his Yamaha clipped a tree. Then, one turn from the finish line, Duvall tipped over as his Husqvarna ran out of gas! He was able to pick up his #989 machine and push it up the incline and across the finish line to claim the final spot on the podium.

In the XC2 class, Johnny Girroir picked up his ninth XC2 win of the season to claim the class title one round early. Australian Lyndon Snodgrass came through second and 2022 XC2 champion Craig Delong finished third in his last ride as #1.

With the win, Kelley (292 points) reclaimed the points lead from Baylor (288 points) and now the #1 plate will be determined next week in a winner-takes-all event at the Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

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