Head an hour west of the motorsports mecca of Indianapolis and you will find Crawfordsville, Ind. Nestled among the cornfields of this historic Midwestern town lies the Shaver family farm.
Every October, after the corn has been harvested and the leaves have changed color, thousands flood the Shaver family land for the AMSOIL GNCC Ironman. This season-ending race, with riders sporting pink for breast-cancer awareness, will take to the woods this year for its 25th-annual running.
Sound familiar, race fans? Well, I’m headed back to Crawfordsville for this year’s AMSOIL GNCC Ironman, and I’m here to tell you everything you need to know before finale weekend. If you’re going, pack your rain gear because it’s going to be a wet one!
Championships secured
Walker Fowler goes into the weekend with the XC1 Pro championship already secured. He’ll look to finish the season at the Ironman with his 10th overall win of the year. He’ll have some stiff competition, however; Chris Borich of Team AMSOIL currently sits third in points going into the weekend looking to finish the season strong with a podium finish.
As for the dirt bikes, seven-time GNCC XC1 National Champion Kailub Russell will sit out the weekend after aggravating a shoulder injury. This opens the door for the likes of Thad Duvall and Trevor Bollinger to battle it out for the top spot on the podium.
GNCC goes pink
With October being breast cancer awareness month, the season finale is deemed a “pink race.” This event will raise awareness and funds locally for breast cancer care and research, while in turn bringing the GNCC racing community together for more than just racing. Riders ditch their usual race attire to wear pink, while number-plate codes are relaxed for this race as riders are encouraged to run pink backgrounds.
Bring your dancing shoes (& costume)
In addition to my rain boots, I’m also packing my dancing shoes. With the help of Monster Energy, GNCC has held concerts at larger races such as Snowshoe, W.Va., and Ironman. This year’s lineup includes GNCC regulars The Davisson Brothers on Friday as well as chart topper (and outdoor enthusiast) Craig Morgan on Saturday night. Morgan recently released new music after a multi-year break from songwriting and performing after his son passed away in 2016.
Prior to Morgan’s performance on Saturday night, the GNCC “Trick-or-Treat for the Kids” returns with a costume contest presented by Team Faith. Check out a full schedule of the weekend here.
Be sure to follow our Instagram stories to see all the action from finale weekend! You can also watch the races live on the GNCC Racing Facebook page. As always, stay up to date on all the AMSOIL action via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
We’ll see you at the Hill, GNCC fans!