There once was a time when Mike LaRocco was considered the king of RedBud, shortly after Jeff Emig was named the prince. However, decades later Aaron Plessinger just may have dethroned LaRocco as the RedBud fans' favorite rider. And the feeling seems to be mutual, as no other rider personifies the RedBud National on the Fourth of July weekend quite like Aaron Plessinger. Nothing screams “USA” like Plessinger’s mullet, mustache, and cowboy hat and the fans of RedBud eat it up.
After being sick all week leading up to RedBud, Plessinger was able to rally during the second moto, for second place in the moto and second overall. There is nothing quite like a Plessinger podium celebration at RedBud.
“I love everything about this race," he said. "The vibe it brings, the way the fans act, how many people are out there cheering and just this race in general, it brings a different aura, and it is unbelievable. And I mean, it's two days after the fourth of July and people still got that patriotism man. They're celebrating America's birthday and I love everything about that. But no, that's just me when I get up there. I feed off of that energy, I feed off of what the fans are giving me, and they were giving me a lot. So, I was trying to return the favor.”
During the first moto Plessinger started towards the front but got shuffled back to fourth by the end. It seemed as though he was suffering from lack of energy after being under the weather during the week. But in the post-race press conference Plessinger explained:
“I thought I had a flat tire. Yeah, I thought I had a flat tire because I cased the leap pretty good one lap and slammed my face off the bars and I thought for a split second that I blew my wheel out and then once I kept going, I knew it wasn't blown out. So, I thought I had a flat tire and, and I was just slipping, sliding everywhere. But it was all good. So that second half of the moto I was dialed in.”
Much to the fan’s excitement, AP was able to rebound for the second moto and finish second behind his Red Bull KTM teammate, Chase Sexton.
“You know, it was a little bit of a rough week, but we made it through, and I've been comfy on my race bike pretty much since Hantown," Plessinger said. "I just came in feeling really, really comfy and we got that start in the first one and I was feeling really good and then tightened up in the middle, let Chase and Justin Cooper get by me and then got back on it towards the end of it. And then second moto yeah, I knew I had to get by, I think I was in fourth, I knew I had to get up to second if I wanted any chance to be on the podium. And that's what I did. I charged forward and after I got into second, it was kind of like I put it on cruise control and then I had to pick it back up because Hunter and [Jason] Anderson were really, really coming. So, that's what I did and for second overall, it's unreal. And at RedBud, after the fourth of July, it's surreal.”
With Jett Lawrence out for the season due to an injured thumb, a spot on the podium is up for grabs. So, the question is, did AP just assert his dominance as a podium finisher? Or was it just a little bit of RedBud magic? Time will tell next weekend at Millville. But one thing is for certain and that is for RedBud fans it really doesn’t matter where he finishes, the fans love Aaron Plessinger.
