Known worldwide as a high-speed, high-banked NASCAR icon, Talladega Speedway is synonymous with excitement and chaos, and when the Grand National Cross Country Series came knocking, the second annual Talladega GNCC, held in the nearby woods, lived up to that reputation in spectacular fashion on March 8.
Photos by Mack Faint
The event featured an exciting, mud-drenched showdown in which Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor Jr. took his second straight overall win at the famed venue in just its second year on the schedule. Baylor navigated tough conditions and late-race tension to come out on top after a fierce final lap battle with FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Grant Davis.
Heavy overnight rain set the stage for the morning races, and deepening ruts forced race officials to adjust the course before the afternoon session. Making the situation worse, the skies opened once again just as the XC1 Pro class launched off the start line. Phoenix Honda Racing’s Jordan Ashburn grabbed the holeshot.
Deteriorating track conditions quickly became the defining challenge of the day, and Baylor wasted little time moving to the front, passing Ashburn just a few miles into lap one. Davis followed closely behind with Ashburn and Phoenix Honda Racing teammates Cody Barnes and Mike Witkowski.
By lap two, ruts had reached skid-plate depth, prompting race control to shorten the event from six laps to five. As the race unfolded, AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper charged into third by the end of lap three when Ashburn lost valuable time in the pits replacing a front-brake assembly. FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing’s Craig DeLong rounded out the top five.
At the conclusion of lap three, Baylor held a 14-second advantage over Davis, while Davis had built a commanding two-minute gap over AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper in third. Ultimately, the final lap became a two-rider duel, with Baylor and Davis trading positions in a high-stakes battle through the mud.
Davis slipped past Baylor early in the lap, only for Baylor to respond a mile later. Baylor opened a small gap before crashing in a slippery turn, just barely restarting before Davis could capitalize. Moments later, Davis’s bike quit, sealing the outcome, leaving Baylor alone at the front to take a hard-earned and unforgettable Talladega victory.
“Getting it done at the Talladega Super Speedway for the second time in a row is unreal,” said Baylor. “I finally got off to a good start. We’ve had a lot of inconsistencies trying to get that bike to fire off the line, but this time it did. We had a bad result at the first two rounds, but we’re up there; we proved we can win. Everybody can see it.”
Draper did an excellent job of picking lines and took second.
“I messed up in turn two, and I dropped back,” said Draper. “After that, I just kind of stayed steady all day and took advantage of other riders’ mistakes. That last lap was tough; it was a very physical track.”
Kelley came into the race with just a podium in mind. He’s aware that it’s a long season, and he is still getting up to speed, even though he won last week at the Wild Boar.
“I just tried to stay smart, not get stuck, not crash, try to keep my goggles on, save the eyes and just save the bike,” said Kelley. “I was in a battle for third all day with Liam, Mike [Witkowski] and Craig [DeLong]. We were all just right there battling. It just got hard to ride, and I had a lot of mistakes out there.”
Liqui Moly Beta’s Josh Strang is another rider moving up the ranks. After nailing down a fifth overall last week in Florida, the Aussie off-roader finished fourth overall.
Witkowski is also moving up the ladder, getting closer to a podium position with each race.
Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Nick DeFeo won the XC2 class with a sixth overall finish.
“I pushed a little bit too much on the first couple laps and went down a couple times,” said DeFeo. “I was in P1 for a while on adjusted time, but I had a couple of crashes, and my bars got a little loose. I’m feeling stronger each race, and I hope to win one soon.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong ran near the top five during the first part of the race but dropped off the pace to finish seventh.
Early leader Ashburn ended up eighth.
Husqvarna’s Brody Johnson was second in the XC2 class and ninth overall, leaving him third in the XC2 points standings, one point behind Jhak Walker (Beta).
Josh Toth was making his return to racing from injury. The Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki rider reportedly fell and dislocated his hip. After getting help popping it back into place, Toth returned to action to finish 10th.
After grabbing the holeshot, defending champion and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede won the WXC Pro Women’s class, beating Am Pro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald by less than two seconds, leaving the two riders deadlocked in the series standings with 76 points each.
Fresh off the motocross circuit, Shelby Turner finished third on a Triumph, with Tayla Jones (Honda) and Rachel Gutish (Rieju) rounding out the top five.CN
2026 GNCC Round 3 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Steward Baylor Jr (Kaw)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Josh Strang (Bet)
- Mike Witkowski (Hon)
- Nicholas DeFeo (Kaw)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon)
- Brody Johnson (Hus)
- Josh Toth (Kaw)
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Click here to read the 2026 GNCC Round 3 Results in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
