Eastbound we go for round four of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and round 21 of the SMX World Championship. High Point Raceway sits just inside the Pennsylvania state line and a stone’s throw from the off-road mega city that is Morgantown, West Virginia. The hub for GNCC Racing, Pro Motocross, Loretta Lynn’s, Daytona’s RCSX, Racer X, and more. Morgantown may not seem like it’s pure moto but trust me, it bleeds this sport. As such, this race is a coming home for the series. Many staffers will sleep in their own beds this weekend and the surrounding AMA District 5 faithful will come out in force. High Point is a staple of the series and has remained after moving from Memorial Day to Father’s Day over the years.

The one wrinkle of High Point that always causes strife is the early summer weather. Rain is common this time of year and it’s almost a certainty that showers will arrive at some point over the extended weekend. The real question arises when pondering how much rain will fall and how badly the track will be affected. Intermittent showers? No biggie. Heavy thunderstorms and rain like we may see this weekend? Buckle up. Visit YouTube and search both the 1997 and 2000 High Point rounds and you’ll see what’s possible. I raced both of those to poor outcomes and let me tell you, they were not a lot of fun. The sticky PA mud is probably still stuck to my race bikes from those years wherever they may be. The mud creates difficulty on multiple fronts. The ruts are deep and treacherous, grabbing your front tire and sending you where fate decides. Worse, the hard base becomes more akin to an ice-skating rink than motorcycle course. Once track workers scrape the mud, riders slip and slide all over the place, sometimes inside those very ruts that are out to create chaos. Rear wheel spin inside a two-feet-deep rut is a real thing and honestly, like some sort of sick joke. Welcome to High Point mud!

The layout has changed in some sections over the years, but the overall feel and direction has largely remained the same. One of the biggest changes is the removal of wooded areas that blocked viewing for most. In the ‘90s, there were several sections of the racetrack that were completely blind for spectators. Modern day High Point is much more friendly to seeing all the action for those standing on the hillsides.

Chance Hymas had a perfect weekend in Colorado. Fastest qualifier, both holeshots, and led every lap… doesn’t get much better. He is still at a huge deficit to Deegan after his miserable Hangtown but take the good with the bad.

Haiden Deegan didn’t have an ideal Thunder Valley, but he extended his points lead all the same. That’s what makes consistency so difficult to counter. The good days are likely wins and the bad days are literally the next best thing? Good luck besting that over the long term.

Jett Lawrence won his third overall of the season and pushed the points lead to 25. It truly feels like Tomac is right in this thing, but the math makes that “feeling” a head scratcher. See above about consistency.

Aaron Plessinger has taken his game to another level this summer. He couldn’t hold that lead he grabbed from the #18 but he had everyone on their feet.

Eli Tomac pushed Jett to an uncomfortable place in that second moto. He hasn’t breached that threshold just yet, but he looks ready to win an overall.

Justin Cooper’s second moto pace was impressive to say the least. The difficult part is holding that for 35 minutes when Jett and Eli go dummy mode but if he keeps putting himself in that position, good things tend to happen.

Triumph hasn’t had the opening rounds they would like but maybe Haarup can make things interesting as the weather declines.

Tom Vialle entered this Pro Motocross Championship as a favorite to challenge Deegan. That simply hasn’t happened thus far.

Jorge Prado… I am really not quite sure. Injury lag? Not gelling with the bike? Struggling with different tracks? Maybe all of these? What I am sure of is that this is not anything close to what he’s capable of.

Chase Sexton is not defending his #1 plate as he’s “banged up”. I struggle to believe he is too injured to race if he wanted to. I can’t prove that it’s simply what I believe.

Aaron Plessinger wins a muddy High Point and is elected mayor of Mt. Morris township.

Jorge Prado asks several times “what is this West Virginia?” and ships a lump of coal back to his relatives in Spain as if it’s a moon rock.

Chase Sexton shoots a 73 at Pinehurst #9.