The 2026 GNCC season roared to life at the legendary VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC, where riders were greeted not by blue skies and hero dirt, but by deep ruts, bar-to-bar chaos, and the kind of slick Southern mud that turns a race into pure survival. Held in the rolling woods of Union, South Carolina, the opening round of the Progressive Insurance Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series, an AMA National Championship, delivered a test of patience and throttle control, as torrential conditions transformed the course into a relentless battlefield.

The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, continued racing with slick, muddy conditions on Sunday, May 4 in St. Clairsville, Ohio with the Kenda Tires Powerline Park GNCC.

As the afternoon race got underway, Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Steward Baylor got off to a good start, earning himself the $250 Landers KTM XC1 Open Pro Holeshot Award. Baylor would continue to lead the opening lap, but soon Flatrock Motorclub GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn would make his way up to battle with Baylor for the remainder of the race.