With intensity as close as you said it was, in that last main you guys had basically already done a 20. How does it feel when you’re that close again? Do you still feel fresh or is it almost conserving a little bit there?
Honestly, I felt more fresh in the last one than I did in the first one. It was crazy. I am not going to say I don’t like them, but I prefer the 20 minute plus one, over the three shorter ones. I just feel like my body is more used to just going long distance. The track definitely gets beat up, but they have more time to fix it in-between and stuff like that. So it doesn’t get as rough as what I like. Last week was as rough as I like. I like the 20-minute races better than I like the Triple Crowns, but we’re done. We have got one more to deal with. We got a few NASCAR speedways we got to race in, so I’m pumped.

Like you said, Daytona is coming up. I know you’re excited about it, but how do we feel about the bike setup? Are we happy with the base where it’s at going into Daytona?
Yeah. Honestly, I maybe changed two clicks today. Any kind of mistake I made, that was on me. I didn’t really blame the bike at all any today. It was good. I’m happy with the bike. I’m ready to soften up the suspension, ready to send some stuff and get sandy.

Christian Craig | 8^th in 450SX

Racer X: Christian Craig, 7-8-8 tonight, so consistency! You’re in the mix. You have to feel at least a little good about that, right?
Christian Craig: Yeah, but my starts have been terrible. I’m averaging 14.8, and I didn’t help it out tonight. That’s half the battle for me. I need to start up there and learn that pace and I didn’t do it. I was fighting from the back each main and made it hard on myself. That was tough. A lot of laps, for sure. I think it was 16 laps each time. I’m right there, but it’s still a tick off to where they pulled me a little bit midway and then I lose touch. I’m kind of by myself. Showed some improvement, but again, just still need to be a little bit better in the beginning stages.

So what are you thinking about the Triple Crowns at this point? Do you like them? Don’t like them?
Yeah, I love them. On 250s I podiumed I think every single one. I like them, but that was just a lot of racing. For that lap time how short it was. A lot of stuff can go on. It’s chaos those opening laps. I think it’s good to change it up. We’ve got Daytona coming up. I’ve had some good results there in the past. I just need to fix my starts.

Is that first opening ceremonies for you?
Yeah, ever. That was cool. Growing up watching the greats come out, it always gave me chills when I was in the stands. So I got chills just doing it. I got to pick a song. My wife picked the song and helped me out. We moved up in points, so I’m not on the bubble of being in it so hopefully we’re in there for a while. That was cool. something to check off the list, for sure.

I like hearing the “from San Diego” part of it.
I know. That’s cool. Just to get that guy’s voice. He’s been doing it for so long. Growing up, you listen to that so much. That was cool.

Moving forward to Daytona, any bike setup changes you’re going to work on this week? I know you’re going to do the Daytona Aldon [Baker] track.
Yeah. I think everyone goes for a little softer feel when it gets rough. If I remember right on Honda, I didn’t change much. The team is going to come out there. We’ll have a little layout for them. Daytona is always tough, so I need to step up my game and try to get in the mix.

Is Daytona tougher than a Triple Crown, or no?
Towards the end of Daytona, yeah, how rough it gets. It gets beat up. So, they’re pretty much the same.

Tom Vialle | 4^th in 250SX

Racer X: First Triple Crown race. Take me through the experience of it and what you thought.
Tom Vialle: It was pretty cool. Kind of new for me. In the moto we don’t have so much time. It’s quite intense. Especially the first moto, the rhythm was really fast. The track was completely new. We have to push straightaway. I struggled a little bit in the second one. I did five and nine, so the second one I was a little bit off. The third one was pretty good. I finished second. The pace was much better, the rhythm. I was next to Jeremy who won the moto, so it was pretty good. I was improving all night long. Overall, it was a good night. Finished fourth overall, so my best result so far.

Overall your racing kind of doubled the length of the racing. Thirty minutes total. How does it feel fitness-wise tonight?
Yeah. Actually I felt better on the last moto when the track was beat up. It was a little bit more technical, and I felt better. The first moto when the track was new and fresh, the speed was really fast, actually. The intensity was fast. I need to get used to it straightaway to be in the rhythm after one, two laps. So the start was pretty good. Only the second moto I was not so good. Overall, we improved. Physically I felt quite okay. I need to maybe work a little bit on the intensity at the beginning of the moto, but so far it was a good day.

That last one was a little wild. Obviously, [Michael] Mosiman and [Jordon] Smith went down, and [Nate] Thrasher went down. How do you manage that with guys crashing everywhere?
It was pretty crazy. I was behind them. They crashed under the bridge. I almost went into their bikes. Jeremy [Martin] passed me at that moment. After I think Nate, it was Nate first he crashed in the whoops, so I was back in second position. I fought to the end, but I couldn’t catch Jeremy. I finished second. It was a pretty good third moto.

We move to Daytona next week. I’m sure you’ve heard stories. It’s rougher. It’s more outdoorsy. Are you excited for the challenge of that?
Yeah, sure. It will be my first one, so we’re going to work this week at Aldon’s at the training camp there. Work a little bit on the bike to find some stuff. Let’s see. It’s going to be cool. What I see, it was still supercross. There’s still whoops, and the rhythms are still big. So, we’ll see. I’m going to train a bit this week and be ready for next weekend.