NASHVILLE, TN

Once a year, the famous Wild Horse Saloon in Nashville, Tennessee, plays host to an event unlike any that the typical Nashville tourist would expect. The doors are open only to off-road racers and their families, and the stage that is usually reserved for country, pop or rock musicians is reserved for the stars that lit up each and every round of the Mid-South South Cross Country Series' 30th-anniversary season.

Among the nearly 500 people in attendance were series overall champ Dustin Gibson (above, left) and runner-up AA rider Damon Prince (above, right), as well as country-music star Craig Morgan (below, left) and his family. Freestyle MX champ Kenny Bartram (below, right) tagged along with the Morgans to see Craig's son Kyle carry home his share of the good stuff.

Speaking of the good stuff, $34,000 in trophies and prizes were waiting onstage for the brave souls and their families who'd not only withstood the rain-, sleet- and snow-filled races of the 2009-10 MSXC Winter Series but had also stood in the long line out front in the early-morning heat to get into the comfort of the Wild Horse Saloon. Series sponsors generously provided $22,000 of that booty. Pirelli and Maxxis bestowed great tire giveaways. Tucker Rocky, Answer, MSR and Pro Taper also showed great generosity. The two grand prizes awarded were complete clutches from series sponsor Rekluse. All of the sponsors said they were in for the 2010-11 season, set to start in September.

Pro Action/KTM of Kentucky-backed Dustin Gibson was all smiles while scooping up his third MSXC overall championship and top Pro honors in the AA class. Gibson also received a $1,000 bonus check from sponsor Steve Ezell, owner of Pro Action KTM.

"It was a tough series, with a major change midway through the year," Gibson said, "and I want to thank Jeremy Ketchum with KTM North America, KTM Hardparts, Barry Heath Racing, Rekluse, Motorex, and Enduro Engineering for making my third championship possible."

The Youth classes were chock-full of top-shelf riders this season. "G-Mafia" rider Brandon Gourley won the Junior A class. Andrew Clark manhandled the Junior B ranks. Sam Thurman (left) overcame a broken arm and took home the Mini A championship. Matthew Harris bombed the Mini B class. Daniel Spurgeon topped the Pee Wee (7-8) division, and Dylan Proffitt aced the Pee Wee (4-6) class. Most of the Youth racers took home trophies that were much taller than the riders themselves!

Cathy Horton organized the event this year and did an excellent job.

The new winter racing season will start on September 25 in Lafayette, Tennessee, and will be co-sanctioned with the GNCC series. The season will run through April of 2011. Events will be held in six different states, making it the most competitive regional series it can be. More information can be found at msxcracing.com.

Overall Series Standings

AA: 1. Dustin Gibson (KTM); 2. Damon Prince (Suzuki); 3. Tristan Redferrin (KTM).

HVY A: 1. Darin Downs (KTM); 2. Shane O'Banion (KTM); 3. Zach Nash (KTM).

LT A: 1. Michael Williams (Kawasaki); 2. Tyson Ezell (KTM); 3. P.A. Allen (KTM).

VET A: 1. Derek Bratcher (KTM); 2. Jeff Cowan (Yamaha); 3. Josh Scott (Kawasaki).

SR A: 1. Greg Elrod (Kawasaki); 2. Mark Wood (Honda); 3. Timmy P'Pool (KTM).

S/SR A: 1. Mark Guy (Yamaha); 2. Steve Thomas (Kawasaki); 3. Steve Ezell (KTM).

250 B: 1. Broc Gourley (Kawasaki); 2. Kyle Greer (Kawasaki); 3. Stan Taylor (Yamaha).

LT B: 1. Trevor Ezell (KTM); 2. Ryan Morphew (KTM); 3. Mason Thurman (KTM).

4-STRK B: 1. Cody Smith (KTM); 2. Brandon Ferguson (Kawasaki); 3. Shane Garner (Hus).

OPEN B: 1. Matt Griggs (Suzuki); 2. Brandon Rinsch (KTM); 3. Chase Peeler (KTM).

VET B: 1. Brent James (Kawasaki); 2. Todd Elrod (KTM); 3. Steve Dickerson (KTM).

SR B: 1. Jeff Griffen (KTM); 2. Chance Blackwell (KTM); 3. Greg Rumery (Yamaha).

S/SR B: 1. John Glaus (Yamaha); 2. Dillon Pirtle (Kawasaki); 3. Greg Tucker (KTM).

MSTR: 1. Marty Thacker (KTM); 2. Jim Sorrels (Kawasaki); 3. Alan Staples.

GLDN MSTR: 1. Paul Michaels (KTM); 2. Tom Carter (KTM); 3. Larry Still (Honda).

250 C: 1. Chase Roberts (Kawasaki); 2. Cole Duncan (Yamaha); 3. Henry Prowell (Kawasaki).

200 C: 1. John Hix (KTM); 2. Tyler Harris (KTM); 3. Tyler Shumate (KTM).

300 4-STRK C: 1. Nick Bryant (Kawasaki); 2. Dallas Braxton (Yamaha); 3. Jackie Coker (Yamaha).

OPEN 4-STRK C: 1. Austin Toon (KTM); 2. Samuel Mason (Yamaha); 3. Caid Griffen (KTM).

VET C: 1. Shannon Woods (Yamaha); 2. Brandon McLain (KTM); 3. Troy Kirby (KTM).

SR C: 1. Myron Graves (KTM); 2. Mark Patterson (KTM); 3. Jeffrey Bacon (Kawasaki).

S/SR C: 1. Kent Stanley (Honda); 2. Steve Pinson (KTM); 3. William Hester (KTM).

JR: 1. Holden Brown (KTM); 2. Kyle Bagett (Suzuki); 3. Lance Hoover (KTM).

Youth Classes

JR A: 1. Brandon Gourley (Yamaha); 2. Colin Brasher (Honda); 3. Austin Lee (KTM).

JR B: 1. Andrew Clark (KTM); 2. Tanner McCoy (KTM); 3. Hunter Hutchinson (KTM).\

MINI A: 1. Sam Thurman (KTM); 2. Brett Gourley (KTM); 3. Ben Jones (Kawasaki).

MINI B: 1. Matthew Harris (KTM); 2. Leighton Tittle (KTM); 3. Landon Morrison (Suzuki).

P/W (4-6): 1. Dylan Proffitt (KTM); 2. Caleb Echols (KTM); 3. Austin Sullivan (KTM).

P/W (7-8): 1. Daniel Spurgeon (Cob); 2. Nathan McCoy (KTM); 3. Garrett Elrod (Cob).