~ Auto Buzz ~: ArenaX: Round #9 Race Preview

2015 AMA Arenacross Series Points Leaders shot

Arenacross Media Press Release: Arguably the most impactful race of the 2015 season of AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael's Road to Supercross, took place last weekend in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Now the championship is tighter than ever entering this weekend's ninth round in Southaven, Mississippi, the final stop before the Race to the Championship begins. Two nights of action inside Landers Center begin on Friday, March 13, and continue on Saturday, March 14, with both nights starting at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CST/ 5 p.m. PST. Three riders had sat atop the Arenacross Class standings prior to Council Bluffs, all from the same team. Team Babbitt's Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki 's Chris Blose made the first statement, then teammate Matt Goerke established himself as a contender, but neither controlled the points longer than third member Jacob Hayes, who took over the points lead in Nashville, the fourth round. After Council Bluffs, a fourth rider has been added to the list at a key time in the season.

2015 Council Bluffs Round 8 - Saturday Winner Matt Goerke:

After winning the first night in Council Bluffs last Friday, Hayes was hit with misfortune in each Main Event on Saturday, ultimately finishing ninth overall. That opened up an opportunity for Husqvarna's Kyle Regal and Goerke to seize the moment and shake up the point standings. Goerke grabbed his third overall win of the season while Regal's third-place finish catapulted him to the top the Arenacross Class standings. Goerke also moved up and is now tied with Hayes for second. All three riders are separated by just one point heading into a pivotal race of the season in Southaven, which serves as the final round before the season-ending, playoff inspired Race to the Championship gets underway. The opportunity to be the top seed heading into the Race to the Championship can serve as not only just a physical advantage, but also a mental one as confidence will be high for the leader. Regal has never led the Arenacross Class standings and will carry the red number plate for the first time this weekend, looking to keep possession of it heading into the Race to the Championship opener in New Orleans.

Another heated battle in the Arenacross Class point standings is the one for the tenth and final spot to qualify for the Race to the Championship. Currently, Suzuki's Cory Green sits tenth, moving into the final spot following a seventh-place finish on Saturday in Council Bluffs. As a result, the rider now on the outside looking in is KTM's Willy Browning. Unfortunately for Browning, he was forced to sit out Council Bluffs while nursing an injury and will now need a strong effort in Southaven to give himself a shot at breaking back into the top-ten. Currently 12 points separate Green and Browning, and with two nights of racing providing four Main Events, there will be plenty of opportunity for drama.

Southaven will signify the return of the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship, which will host its sixth of eight rounds. Currently, College Hunks Moving Junk/Spinechillers Racing KTM 's Dave Ginolfi sits atop the championship standings, bringing a 38-point lead into the weekend. Ginolfi looks to add to his lead this weekend in an attempt to secure the championship before the season-ending finale in Las Vegas on May 1. The ninth round of AMSOIL Arenacross gets underway this Friday, March 13, inside Southaven's Landers Center and will continue on Saturday, March 14. Racing for both nights begins at 8 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. CT/ 5 p.m. PT. Previous Round Results Mid America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa March 6-7, 2015 Arenacross Class Results - Night One Overall (Main Event Finishes) Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1-2) Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (3-1) Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (2-5) Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (6-3) Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (4-7) Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM (8-4) Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (7-6) Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (5-12) Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (11-8) Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (9-9) Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Night One Results: Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM Jason McConnell, Canonsburg, Pa., KTM Benjamin Nelko, Aliquippa, Pa., KTM Keaton Ward, Bozeman, Mon., KTM Arenacross Class Results - Night Two Overall (Main Event Finishes) Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (3-1) Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (2-2) Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (1-3) Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (5-4) Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM (4-5) Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (6-7) Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (7-8) Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (9-9) Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (8-11) Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (16-6)

Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Night Two Results: Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, Yamaha Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM Mason Wharton, Brush Prairie, Wash., Kawasaki Arenacross Class Points (Race 12 of 20) Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna - 308 (4 Main Event wins) Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki - 307 (6 Main Event wins) Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki - 307 (4 Main Event wins) Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM - 248 Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha - 242 (1 Main Event win) Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki - 230 (4 Main Event wins) Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM - 227 (1 Main Event win) Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna - 225 (4 Main Event wins) Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM - 207 Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki - 168 Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 7 of 11) Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM - 103 (2 Main Event win) Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki - 65 Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM - 61 Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda - 56 Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki - 47 (1 Main Event win) Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM - 44 Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki - 42 Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki - 41 Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki - 35 (2 Main Event wins) Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Georgia, Kawasaki - 33 (1 Main Event win) Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 5 of 10) Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM - 69 (2 Main Event wins) Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM - 50 Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM - 48 Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM - 26 Mason Wharton, Brush Prairie, Wash., Kawasaki - 24 Clay Elliott, Buford, Ga., KTM - 22 Dalton Oxborrow, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki - 18 Benjamin Nelko, Aliquippa, Pa., KTM - 18 Jason McConnell, , Canonsburg, Pa., KTM - 18 Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM - 17 Tickets for each round of AMSOIL Arenacross are on sale HERE. The entire AMSOIL Arenacross season will air on FOX Sports 1, including re-airs on Fox Sports 2. For more information: www.arenacross.com