GNCC Round 6 Coverage: Powerline Park

The mud was flinging in Clairsville this weekend.

The sixth round of racing in the 2025 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, saw steady rain showers throughout the morning with a heavy downpour right at the start of the afternoon pro race.

As the XC1 Pro class took off it was Merritt Racing/BNR Motorsports/GBC’s Josh Merritt earning himself an extra $250 for grabbing the holeshot and holding the early lead through the first lap. As the race continued on, the rain also continued to fall for the majority of the race, causing it to be a race of survival.

Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Brycen Neal would make his way into the lead on the second lap of the race, and he continued to push himself ahead in the mud. However, HHR/Fly Racing/QuadTech’s Hunter Hart was hungry for a win, and he would put himself in contention to make it happen.

While out on the last lap, Hart would capitalize on the conditions and lapped traffic making the pass stick on Neal. A little later, Neal would try to make the pass back around Hart but would be unsuccessful. Hart would cross the line with a four second lead over Neal who would come through to finish second. Merritt Racing/BNR Motorsports/GBC’s Josh Merritt would battle within the top five after holding the early lead. Merritt would also make a last lap pass to round out the top three finishers.

JMR/GBC/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure had his best finish of the season as he came through fourth overall on the day in some of the gnarliest conditions. Action Off-Road/AMSOIL/CB Racing’s Chris Borich also put in his best race of the season as he came through to finish fifth overall on the day.

Coming through to finish sixth overall on the day was BNR Motorsports/Fearless/Kenda Tires’ Steven Harrell. As the race got underway, Harrell would push himself through the slick muddy conditions for the duration of the two-hour race. OBOR/Moose Racing/Parts Unlimited/Lonestar’s Adam McGill made a comeback as he started back in eleventh on the opening lap of the race and would work his way up to seventh overall on the day.

BulletProof Doorz/Kenda Tires/Senge Graphic’s Ronnie Rusch finished eighth overall on the day as he raced his way up through the slick conditions. Phoenix Racing Yamaha/Action Off-Road’s John Glauda Jr. would have a good start to the day, but he would unfortunately fall back to ninth in class and tenth overall on the day. Rounding out the top 10 XC1 finishers was Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Grayson Eller.

In the XC2 Pro-Am class it was Ryland Johnson Racing/SSi Decals/Maxxis Tires’ Elijah Edmondson keeping it steady and working his way into the lead position for the last two laps of the race and earning his first XC2 win. Action Off-Road/BNR Motorsports/GBC Tires’ Kenny Shick would also remain consistent throughout the day, earning himself a spot on the podium with second in class. BNR Motorsports/Pierce Performance/GBC Tires’ Alex Thieman worked his way up from a bad start, coming from 14th place in class up to third to finish out the day.

As the 4×4 Pro class took off first in the morning ATV race, it was Pro Row 784/TMS/Edwood/DeRisi’s Brandon Frazier getting a good jump off the line and taking the $100 BNR Motorsports 4×4 Pro Holeshot Award. Frazier would continue to lead the way for the majority of the race, but he would suffer misfortune on the last lap of the race and be unable to complete the race, ultimately finishing sixth in class.

Battling right behind Frazier for the lead throughout the race was Kenda/KMK Off-Road/Ryco Electric’s Cody Collier. As the pair headed out on the last lap, Collier was less than a second behind Frazier. Collier would be able to take over the lead and get the overall morning win as well as the 4×4 Pro class win in Ohio.

KMK Off-Road/OBOR/FXR’s Kaden Wharff and Moose Racing/Full Throttle Heating & Cooling/Kenda Tires’ Gavin Jenkins would battle back-and-forth the first part of the race in the third and fourth place positions. Wharff would make the move into third and then second on the last lap of the race. Jenkins would round out the top three overall and 4×4 Pro class finishers at the sixth round of GNC Racing.

As the WXC line took off and headed towards the woods it was JMR/Action Off-Road/GBC/Moose Racing’s Katelyn Osburn grabbing herself the $100 BNR Motorsports WXC Holeshot Award and leading the way for the rest of her competitors. Osburn would continue to battle for the lead with Osburn Off-Road/Fearless/Kenda Tires’ Hannah Hunter for the next couple of laps, but when they through timing and scoring on with just two laps to go Hunter would hold the number one spot with Osburn in second.

Hunter would continue to hold the lead for the next two laps, crossing the finish line first and earning her second win of the season. Osburn Off-Road/Pierce Performance/Moose Racing’s Chloe Harper would battle her way up through the pack, making her way into fourth and then crossing the line second in the WXC class as the checkered flag waved. Katelyn Osburn would hold off the rest of the pack as she crossed the line third in class.

Progressive GNCC Racing will continue with round 7, the AMSOIL Hoosier, on May 16-18, 2025, at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com.

Kenda Tires Powerline Park GNCC Results and Points Standings
St. Clairsville, Ohio
Round 6 of 13
Sunday, May 3, 2025

XC1 Pro Event Results:

Hunter Hart (YAM)
Brycen Neal (YAM)
Joshua Merritt (YAM)
Jarrod McClure (HON)
Chris Borich (YAM)
Steven Harrell (YAM)
Adam McGill (HON)
Ronnie Rusch (YAM)
John Glauda Jr. (YAM)
Grayson Eller (YAM)

Overall National Championship Standings:

Brycen Neal (170)
Walker Fowler (126)
Hunter Hart (111)
Joshua Merritt (96)
John Glauda Jr. (96)
Steven Harrell (92)
Wyatt Wilkin (68)
Chris Borich (67)
Jarrod McClure (65)
Jay Shadron (65)

XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:

Elijah Edmondson (YAM)
Kenny Shick (YAM)
Alex Thieman (YAM)
Keaton Henderson (YAM)
Alex Elioff (YAM)
Michael McAvoy (YAM)
Andre Williams (YAM)
Daulton Keyes (YAM)
Braxton Grosse (HON)
James Glauda (YAM)

XC2 Pro-Am Series Standings:

Alex Thieman (150)
Braxton Grosse (130)
Elijah Edmondson (107)
Andre Williams (94)
Keaton Henderson (84)
Jeremiah Wolf (84)
Kenny Shick (79)
Daulton Keyes (77)
James Glauda (63)
Danick Paquin (59)