Toyota AMA Arenacross Series Notebook: Baltimore And Dallas - Dirt Rider Magazine

AURORA, Ill. (Jan. 10, 2008) - Don't look now, but the Monster Energy/Babbitt's/Kawasaki boyz are breathing down Toyota AMA Arenacross Series point leader Chad Johnson's (Bad Boy/TUF/Honda) neck! Johnson's seemingly comfortable leading heading into the break was whittled down to a mere five points (163-158) by Babbitt's Brock Sellards, with teammate Kelly Smith in a close third place at 155 points.Word on the street is that Junior Jackson has stepped up and is tuning Sellards' engines. This, is according to Live Nation's Robert Hansen. "One of the first guys I ran into at Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, Mich.) was Junior. He said 'Keep an eye on Brock. We've got his KX dialed and he's going to win tonight.' And sure enough, he did!" Hansen added that maybe he should give Junior a call this weekend and see what he knows about the line on the NFL playoff games!Though Sellards had the speed to win on Saturday, it was FiberWise Pasta/Rock River Powersports/Fly's Keith Johnson - the subject of the Tuesday Toyota AMA Arenacross Series Interview - who held off the three-time GR defending champ Sellards to take Saturday's main event - in front of a packed Van Andel Arena. "Brock was all over Keith for 23 laps and Keith held tough and never cracked under pressure," added Hansen. "Keith had an ear-to-ear grin that would have made 'Crusty' the clown proud."With a Toyota AMA Arenacross Series race coming up in Albuquerque, N.M. - hometown of both Keith and Team Faith/Yamaha's Kevin Johnson - word of an open house hit the airwaves today. Next Friday, Jan. 18th, from 4-7 p.m. Bobby J's Yamaha will host an open house featuring the two aforementioned Toyota AMA Arenacross Series racers. Fans attending the Bobby J's open house will have a chance to register to win free tickets to Saturday's Toyota AMA Arenacross Series round at Tingley Arena, along with signed jerseys from Chad Reed, ATV racer Bill Balance and Keith Johnson himself! For more information, including directions, link to: http://www.bjsyamaha.com/Quick reminder: Those of you tuning into Supercross LIVE! (www.SupercrossOnline.com) every Saturday night for Monster Energy(r) Supercross listen for updates on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series - live - throughout the night!After the Baltimore race, fans are encouraged to hit up the Lodge Bar at Chesapeake Bay to do some bench racing. Keep your ticket stub and show it to the bartender for a free soda of sorts.Brian O'Rourke at Team Faith Yamaha checked in with this: "I'm truly excited about this season and how the ministry aspect is unfolding so far! I believe our team is a ministry's 'dream team' so-to-speak as all of the members are focused on using their God-given talent to glorify Jesus! Willy Watts and Terry Russell are stepping up and performing the US Air Force Freestyle exhibition with conviction and excellence, Chad Goodwin, KJ's mechanic, is working harder than ever to make KJ's (and the FMX bikes), the best they can be in addition to spending the necessary time in Devotions with the team and we really see a difference in the attitude of the team as a result.O'Rourke continued: "Kevin of course, is a premier rider on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series, yet is dedicated to bringing the Word of God to the riders during riders meetings on Saturday afternoon. This is the second season we have our own team Pastor that comes to minister to us! Larry Dean of Extreme Life Ministries in Joliet, Ill., has committed to invest his time and energy in Team Faith to help build us up and bring a Word from the Lord along with Worship specifically to us as a team in addition to guest speaking at Team Faith Devotionals at the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series. Lastly, the weekly times we have Devotionals where we feed all the athletes and participants of the events have been going stellar! We feed about 120 people a weekend with Olive Garden and we see an increased interest in the ministry we do!"Some quick 1st Mariner Arena facts: Elvis, the Beatles and Rolling Stones have all rocked 1st Mariner...the arena attracts 800,000 visitors through 120-plus events annually...the Baltimore Blast of the MISL call 1st Mariner Arena home...1st Mariner Arena features 11,000 permanent seats...concert capacity (w/ floor seating) is 13,500...other popular events at 1st Mariner Arena include: Monster Jam(r), Sesame Street Live, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice, Stars on Ice and WWE.Here's the updated scoring. And, in case you're attending either the Baltimore or Dallas round, there's some additional ticket information below.2007-'08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Point Standings
1. Chad Johnson, Hon, 163
2. Brock Sellards, Kaw, 158
3. Kelly Smith, Kaw, 155
4. Jim Neese, Suz, 135
5. Kevin Johnson, Yam, 132Tickets for the Jan. 11-12 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena are available through www.arenacross.com, at the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets including Baltimore Tickets on Lake Street, Hechts at Security Square Mall, Hechts at White Marsh Mall, Record and Tape Traders, Sound Garden, online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (800) 551-7328. Fees and handling may apply. Show time is Friday at Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday (amateurs) at 12:00. Doors open Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Sunday at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday advance tickets are $18 to $20 for adults, $8 for kids ages 2-12. Sunday's tickets are $18 for adults, $5 for kids. All tickets $2 more day of show.Tickets for the Jan. 12 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series at Dallas' Reunion Arena are available through www.arenacross.com, in advance at American Airlines Center Box Office and day of show at the Reunion Arena Box Office. Charge by phone at (214) 373-8000, fees and handling may apply. Show time is at Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday (amateurs) at 12:00. Doors open Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Sunday at 11 a.m. Saturday advance tickets are $18 to $25 for adults, $5 for kids ages 2-12. Sunday's tickets are $18 for adults, $5 for kids. All tickets $2 more day of show.ABOUT LIVE NATION
Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional information about the company can be found at www.livenation.com under the "About Us" section.