get a breath , attack this next section .’ That ’ s what we did . We just controlled the race .”
Off the line , it was Magna1 Motorsports / Husqvarna ’ s Jordan Ashburn who took the $ 250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award , but he soon found himself passed by Baylor . The duo remained locked in position for the majority of the race until the final turns of the final lap .
Kelley had a rough start , washing his front end coming into the first turn and finding himself just outside the top five . He slowly worked his way back up to the thirdplace position behind Ashburn before the end of the first lap . Knowing he had to finish the race in second place or better to keep his series lead , Kelley made a final charge in the last few corners of the final lap just before the checkered flag and was able to overcome Ashburn .
“ Literally , I caught him a quarter mile from the finish ,” said Kelley . “ I took an outside line to try to pass him , and we jumped into each other and slammed , but then he stayed ahead . Then I had no front brake because my rotor hit his bars . You really need that front brake out there , but I was going for it . I was able to roll through the last bit of woods and
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 134