Words & Frames // Blake Redferrin
Entering round six of the Amsoil Arenacross Series with a great devotional and worship following the team dinner, Team Faith came together early on at the Sprint Center in Kansas City to lift spirits high and to relieve the riders from any anxiety and undue pressure.
Returning to race after a three year hiatus from Arenacross, Team Faith re-enlisted former team rider Kelly Smith to take on the AX Lites division aboard the #37 machine in place of the injured Dylan Rouse. It’s safe to say Smith knows a thing or two about Arenacross and the Lord, making him a solid fit for the Team Faith squad.
The #316 ride of Dawson Newby was also in the house in Kansas City working to get his Team Faith supported KTM ride back into the night show. In only his third race since returning from injury, Newby was eager to measure his recent progress and continue his mission in both the AX and AX Lites classes.
Kelly Smith got the ball rolling for Team Faith inside of the Sprint Center, leading the way through the first AX Lites practice. After just one lap, Smith looked to be fast and comfortable on the #37 KTM 250SX-F.
Smith’s return to Arenacross would unfortunately be short lived. Only three laps into practice, Kelly came up short attempting to triple into the technical rhythm section, injuring his back in the process. No stranger to injury, Kelly recognized there was a problem right away and opted to pull out of practice. After leaving the arena to seek medical attention, it was confirmed that Kelly suffered a compression fracture of his L1 and L2 vertebrae. Smith’s untimely injury will prematurely derail his return to Arenacross with Team Faith for the 2017 season.
Dawson Newby looked impressive throughout the day charging through qualifying with confidence and improving his lap times every session. Appearing to be more comfortable on the track with each passing lap, Newby looked much more aggressive this week in his third race back from a serious wrist injury.
Team Faith also delivered an amazing dinner and devotional for the racers and families in attendance at Kansas City. In an effort to give back to the racers and give all of the glory to God, Team Faith and their riders work to help nourish those racing physically and spiritually before seeing them off to a night full of highly-competitive racing. Team Faith was blessed to lead six people to salvation during devotional in Kansas City.
On Sunday, during amateur competition, the blessings continued to roll in as Team Faith Road Pastor Lary Dean lined up once again for another weekend of Central Region competition. Looking to secure his spot at the season finale in Las Vegas, Dean was able to do just that. Following his second and fourth place finishes in Kansas City, Lary earned Team Faith a pair of Regional Championships in the 35+ and 40+ classes.
Round 7 of the Amsoil Arenacross Series makes it’s way south next weekend to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia for the final time. Team Faith’s Dawson Newby will be in attendance at MotoFest on Friday ready to take on the AX Lites class once again.