Ponca City Grand National

Ponca City is one of those places that just feels heavy with history the second you pull through the gate. It sits right in north-central Oklahoma, and it has been a staple for amateur racing longer than most of us have been alive. This is the Grand National. It is not just another local race or a regional qualifier, it is a massive destination. When you look at the names of the guys who have won here over the decades, you realize you are riding on the same soil where the legends actually started out.

The layout is built for speed and big transitions. You are going to see a lot of long, sweeping corners that lead into technical rhythm sections and big jumps. The dirt is interesting because it can be deceptive. It looks soft and loamy when they first prep it, but it develops a hard base pretty quickly as the motos click off. You end up with these massive, deep ruts that have square edges at the bottom. It gets rough in a way that really tests how much you actually trust your suspension setup.

If Kyle Swanson was standing at the fence watching us train, he would be preaching about vision and throttle control. At Ponca, you cannot just whiskey throttle your way out of a mistake or a bad line. He would tell us to focus on being precise with our footwork and keeping our heads up to find the lines that everyone else is missing. You have to be smart about where you use your energy because the track gets physical fast. It is about being smooth when the ruts start grabbing your pegs and your bike wants to swap.

This is a race for anyone who actually wants to see where they stand in the national rankings. You need to pack for the heat and the wind, because Oklahoma can be brutal on your body and your equipment during a long summer week. Check your spokes, bring plenty of premix, and make sure your cooling system is solid. The owner and the crew put in a ton of work to keep the facility top tier for us. It is a grind, but the atmosphere at this place is something you will remember for the rest of your life.