What began as a somewhat anticlimactic conclusion to the 2026 Progressive Grand National Cross Country Championship turned into one of the most dramatic finishes of the season, as eight-time GNCC Champion Kailub Russell snatched victory from teammate Liam Draper in the closing miles of Sunday’s Buckwheat 100 GNCC in Newburg, West Virginia, inadvertently handing the championship to Phoenix Racing Honda’s Jordan Ashburn in the process.
Photography by Mack Faint
Ashburn’s overall championship on a Honda is the first for a Japanese brand in GNCC since Paul Whibley on a Yamaha in 2012 and the first for Honda since 1997, when Scott Summers won on a Honda XR600R.
Ashburn entered the 13th and final round holding a nine-point advantage over Steward Baylor Jr, with Draper another two points back. However, the championship picture changed dramatically before the green flag even dropped when Baylor announced he would sit out the finale due to an injury suffered the previous week.
The announcement removed one of Ashburn’s biggest threats, leaving Draper as his primary title challenger.
The New Zealander, Draper, meanwhile, had plenty of incentive to finish the season on a high note. He was chasing his first GNCC Championship and his first career overall victory, and the Buckwheat 100 was practically a home race for the Yamaha rider.
“I’ve spent a lot of time on this property,” said Draper, who lives approximately 45 minutes from the venue. “I like this area. It’s a lot of the terrain I race, and I’m excited. One last show. This is my home track.”
Ashburn wasted little time establishing himself at the front, grabbing the holeshot ahead of Russell, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski and Draper. The Honda rider continued to lead through the opening nine miles, but Russell was applying pressure, with Draper lurking close behind.
Russell eventually found his way past Ashburn, bringing Draper along with him. Draper then wasted little time passing his AmPro Yamaha teammate, Russell, to take control of the race, dropping Russell to second and Ashburn to third.
At that point, the championship scenario was relatively straightforward. A Draper victory combined with a third-place finish by Ashburn would give the Honda rider the championship by a single point.
However, the situation became considerably more complicated as the afternoon wore on.
Draper continued to lead on lap two, followed by Russell, Ashburn, Witkowski, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong and FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Grant Davis, who was beginning to work his way into contention.
Russell briefly lost ground during a fuel stop, allowing Ashburn and Witkowski to move ahead, while Davis continued his charge toward the front.
By lap five, Draper still held the lead, but Davis had worked his way into second and was closing fast. The KTM rider finally made his move near the nine-mile mark, passing Draper to take over the top spot.
For Draper, the pass carried championship implications. With Ashburn slipping down the running order, Draper needed to regain the lead to put himself in position to claim the title.
The opportunity came on the white-flag lap when Davis made a costly mistake, running off the course and surrendering the lead to Draper. Russell, meanwhile, was right on Davis’s rear wheel and moved into second with approximately 15 minutes remaining.
Suddenly, the championship was back in Draper’s hands.
However, one final obstacle stood between the New Zealander and his first GNCC title, and it happened to be his own teammate.
With just two miles remaining, Draper, Russell and Davis were running nose-to-tail, setting up a frantic sprint to the finish. Russell, fresh off his 69th career GNCC victory at the Ironman two weeks earlier, saw an opening and made the pass on Draper.
The battle continued through the final chicanes, with Russell holding on to claim his second consecutive victory and the 70th of his remarkable GNCC career.
Draper crossed the line second, followed by Davis, Witkowski, DeLong and Ashburn, whose sixth-place finish was enough to secure the 2026 championship.
Ironically, Russell’s pass on his own teammate ultimately decided the title.
There had been no team orders in the Yamaha pits, and Russell admitted afterward that he hadn’t fully understood the championship implications of his late-race move.
“I don’t know what to say about Liam and taking the championship from him,” said Russell. “It wasn’t my intention. I honestly thought Ashburn was still right there behind us, and so I thought it really didn’t matter at that point.”
Russell explained that the intensity of the three-rider battle had taken over.
“Me and Grant and Liam were all battling, and it was kind of like I saw red and I saw my chance to take the win and that’s what I did. I feel bad about the whole thing.”
For Ashburn, the championship was a fitting reward for a season built on consistency and determination. The Tennessee native had entered the finale nursing a shoulder injury suffered at Ironman and spent much of the afternoon trying to survive without making a costly mistake.
“I’m lost for words, to be honest,” said Ashburn. “I came in today pretty banged up from the last race. I hurt my shoulder and I just did what I could today and just tried to stay off the ground. It’s pretty amazing.”
Draper was not available for comment following the race.
Ashburn finished the year with 217 points to Draper’s 216. Steward Baylor took third in the championship with 193 points, followed by Craig DeLong with 175, Ben Kelley with 162 and Russell in sixth with 159 points.
Angus Riordan, who led the XC2 250 Pro division throughout the race, ultimately claimed the class championship with a seventh-overall finish. Toby Cleveland (Husqvarna), Jason Tino (KTM) and Jhak Walker (Beta) rounded out the top 10 overall and finished second through fourth, respectively, in the XC2 250 Pro class.
In the XC2 class, Riordan finished the year with 281 points, followed by Jhak Walker with 269, Tino with 258, Brody Johnson with 218, and Gavin Simon with 171, rounding out the top five.
The WXC division entered the Buckwheat 100 with a championship battle of its own, as FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Brandy Richards, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Korie Steede and AmPro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald arrived in West Virginia with the title still up for grabs. Steede and McDonald entered the Buckwheat 100 tied in points (270), just nine points behind Richards, who carried the momentum into the finale following a hard-fought victory at the Ironman GNCC two weeks earlier, where she chased McDonald for much of the race before making the winning pass on the final lap.
At the Buckwheat 100, Steede grabbed the holeshot and the season finale WXC-class win, her fourth win of the season, over McDonald, breaking the tie. However, Richards clinched the title with a third-place finish, topping Steede by seven points in the final standings, with McDonald, second on the day, another five points back for third in the championship.
Richards officially closes out the year on 286 points, followed by Steede with 279, McDonald with 274, Carly Lee with 170, and Lilley Sheets with 163 rounding out the top five.CN
2026 GNCC Round 13 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Kailub Russell (Yam) 2:42:30.939
- Liam Draper (Yam) 2:42:32.699
- Grant Davis (KTM) 2:42:34.299
- Michael Witkowski (Hon) 2:43:24.572
- Craig DeLong (Hus) 2:44:06.011
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon) 2:45:30.537
- Angus Riordan (Hon) 2:45:35.259
- Toby Cleveland (Hus) 2:45:58.918
- Jason Tino (KTM) 2:46:26.979
- Jhak Walker (Bet) 2:47:01.290
