I think it was in 2020. You and Levi Kitchen were racing an amateur local race here and had some unique lines through the whoops before the finish line. Can you talk about racing with Levi and some of these other PNW natives like Carson Brown?
Yeah. Those, those guys are a little bit older than I was growing up here. So, they were always a few classes ahead of me. But I've raced with quite a few local guys that I'll be racing against now again today on pro day. So I'm racing a lot of local guys that I've grown up racing, but also a lot of new guys that I'm excited to race with. So a lot of learning to be done this weekend and just taking it one step at a time it back a little bit.

You did the MX Sports Scouting Moto Combine at RedBud earlier this month. How do those help prepare you for your pro debut here and even Loretta Lynn’s too?
Yeah, the combine is a cool stepping-stone to the nationals, but I felt it's time to step up and get some more experience before Loretta’s. Now is the time to do it. So, yeah, just here for experience and taking the momentum to Loretta's. RedBud was cool during the combine event. But yeah, like I said, it's time to race with the big boys.

Boespflug's press day threads.

Real quick talk to us about the number you picked for this weekend.
Number 506. That's my brother-in-law Alyas Wardius’ old number from back in the day when he raced here at Washougal, [that was] his pro number. So, figured I'd carry carry the legacy with 506. They didn't have 428, which was my birthday. That's the number I'm going to try and get. But 506 is what we got right now. I'm stoked on it. I'm happy to run that this weekend.

Is there a plan yet for after Loretta Lynn’s or anything for next year yet?
Yeah, we don’t got much of a plan yet. We’re just kind of taking it one race at a time. See how we go here at Washougal, then see how Loretta's goes. Then play it by year after that.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Let’s go.

Post-Race Interview

Racer X Online: All right, Preston, walk us through your pro debut here at Washougal.
Preston Boespflug: It was good. It was a good day here at Washougal for my pro debut. Had lots of friends and family here, lots of supporters and it was cool. I got out there in the B practice or group B qualifying. So, I was able to kind of be out by myself, get the nerves away and set down some fast laps. And yeah, first moto P17. So that was cool. I wanted top 20 on the day. So, start off the first moto with 17th place was pretty cool. We were happy with that. Then second moto rolled around, and I was pretty smoked. [Laughs] I ended up 21st in that moto. So, a little bit rough for moto. But yeah, I learned a lot today and a lot of experience. So, 20th overall. I'm happy.

So this was a good litmus test ahead of Loretta Lynn’s. What did you take away from today that you can apply for next week?
I think it's just riding with fast people, the pros. It's just good to ride with them and learn that pace. And then ride for that extra 10 minutes that we have here versus at Loretta's is only I believe, 20 minutes or 25 minutes. So just getting the extra time and knowing that it could be a lot harder. [Laughs] When I go to Loretta's, it will be a challenge for sure. But with this more experience, I think that helped me.

Talk about the differences in Pro Motocross national track prep vs prep on an amateur day.
Yeah, I was actually the first rider to go around the track today to make the first lap. So, it was so deep. [Laughs] I've never ridden it this deep. So it shaped up nicely and it was good. It ended up being super rough. I've never ridden this late in the day here either. It's almost five o'clock now. So it was, the shadows were pretty bad. I've never experienced the shadows that bad before. So that was pretty tough. I think the bumps were a lot bigger than they usually are. Usually there's not many bumps here. So, riding this track with bumps was super difficult. There's not anywhere to really rest.

Do you have a favorite section of the track or a part of the track?
Uh the finish line when they threw the checker. That was my favorite part. [Laughs] No, it was…I don't know, it's hard to say. It was cool. I had people cheering all the way around the tracks that kept me going. The whoop section was pretty tough this weekend. Hard just to find a rhythm through them. For me, at least. Then the corners were kind of flat. Not a lot of ruts, so not a lot of time to rest my arms. My arms got pretty tired and then from there it was all downhill.

Talk about having family and friends come up and talk to you.
Yeah, it was super special to have all my family here. A lot of my family and a lot of friends here too. I sacrificed a lot of family time over the years being in California and missed a lot of birthdays and stuff. So, for them to be here and be able to support me on the first go around is super special and I was happy to have that.

When do you leave for Loretta’s?
No, I'm driving to Loretta's Monday and it's Saturday now. So, I got one day to clean the van and rest up then hit the road to Tennessee. So, from Washington, that's quite the drive.

After Loretta’s, take a little bit of time off?
Yeah, I think I'm going to come back to Washington. Not sure what that's looking like yet. I just haven't really planned much past Loretta Lynn’s. Just going to give it a good go there and see where we end up and then see where we go from there.