New Championship Leader Bowers Brings Momentum into Dayton's Nutter Center

2012-01-17 22:28
The 2012 AMA Arenacross Series has reached the halfway point, and following six rounds of competition, a familiar face sits atop the championship standings. Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis’ Tyler Bowers took over sole possession of the Arenacross Class points lead last weekend in Topeka, grabbing his seventh win of the season on Friday night, and following it up with a runner-up effort on Saturday. This weekend, the championship heads east to Dayton, Ohio, and the Nutter Center for the seventh round of the season, and one of the longest-running stops in the AMA Arenacross Series on Saturday, January 21.

As Bowers assumed control of the championship in Topeka, his closest rival, FMF Power/Poynt TUF Honda’s Jeff Gibson experienced some misfortune. After pacing Bowers on the opening night to secure a second-place result, Gibson made contact with Foremost Insurance/Spinechillers/Storm Lake Honda’s Nathan Skaggs while going for the lead on Saturday. The end result left Gibson on the ground and mired in eighth place, where he would finish.

Now, 12 points separates Bowers from Gibson after entering last weekend in a tie. With six rounds and eight main events remaining before a champion is crowned in 2012, the intensity is sure to increase this weekend in Dayton.

A large contingent of Ohio-based riders has helped make the AMA Arenacross Series one of the most anticipated annual festivities in the state. With prominent series figures like Gibson and Skaggs, in addition to Foremost Insurance/Spinechillers/Storm Lake KTM’s Willy Browning and Bella’s Cupcakes/Club MX Kawasaki’s Zach Ames, all calling the Buckeye State home, it is sure to generate considerable buzz throughout Dayton and beyond.

The Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Championship is also back in action this weekend at the Nutter Center, following a one-week hiatus from competition in which the Western Regional Championship took center stage. Motostar Kawasaki’s Michael McDade currently leads the standings, but a hard-charging Dave Ginolfi is making his presence felt aboard his Reed & Reese KTM. Just six points separate the two riders with only two rounds remaining.

Saturday night’s action from the Nutter Center is set to kick off with opening ceremonies beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Previous Round Results:

Kansas Expocentre – Topeka, Kan.
January 13-14, 2012
Round 6 of 12
Arenacross Class Results Night One (Topeka, Kan.)

Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., KTM
Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results Night One (Topeka, Kan.)

1. Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
2. Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM
3. Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
4. Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM
5. Dalton Carlson, Dayton, Minn., KTM
6. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
7. Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., KTM
8. Kevin Markwardt, Freeport, Ill., Honda
9. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
10. Tony Archer, Waldorf, Md., KTM
Arenacross Class Results Night Two (Topeka, Kan.)

Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki
Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
Cole Siebler, Emmett, Idaho, Honda
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results Night Two (Topeka, Kan.)

Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda
Dalton Carlson, Dayton, Minn., KTM
Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., KTM
Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Honda
Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM
Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
Theodore Pauli, Edwardsville, Ill., Kawasaki
Michael Thacker, Fort Worth, Texas, Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Points (After Race 10 of 19)

Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (7 wins) – 235
Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda (2 wins) – 223
Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki (2 wins) – 206
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 172
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda – 153
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 146
Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Kawasaki – 127
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 117
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 101
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 73
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 8 of 10)

Michael McDade, Indiana, Pa., Kawasaki (1 win) – 156
Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., KTM (2 win) – 150
Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM (3 wins) – 137
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 115
Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM – 97
Travis Sewell, Westfield, Ind., KTM – 91
Austin Coon, Spencer, W. Va., Honda – 69
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 62
Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 58
Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda – 52
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 3 of 9)

Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM – 47
Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 47
Kevin Markwardt, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 36
Brandon Marley, McEwen, Tenn., KTM – 19
Cody Church, Grand Junction, Colo., Kawasaki – 18
Aviery Hickey, Southlake, Texas, Honda – 11
Shawn Rife, Mechanicsburg, Ohio, Honda – 7
Devin Reed, Indianola, Iowa, Honda – 6
Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM – 6
Jeremy Huddleston, Eustace, Texas, KTM – 5

2012 Dash for Cash Winners:
Des Moines – Zach Ames
Baltimore Night One – Tyler Bowers
Baltimore Night Two – Tyler Bowers
Madison Night One – Willy Browning
Madison Night Two – Jeff Gibson
Wilkes Barre Night One – Tyler Bowers
Wilkes Barre Night Two – Nathan Skaggs
Grand Rapids Night One – Zach Ames
Grand Rapids Night Two – Jeff Gibson
Topeka Night One – Chad Johnson
Topeka Night Two – Nathan Skaggs

Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series returns for the 2012 season! To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.

For more information on the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series, log on to www.Arenacross.com. For all media requests, please contact Brandon Short: brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or 949-365-5750.

Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter! Log on to http://www.facebook.com/AMAarenacross and http://twitter.com/arenacross today!

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

Source: Feld Motor Sports

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story