Sunday, Aug 16, 2026 8:14 PMUpdated Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026 8:16 PM
Xtreme Arenacross professional riders Hunter Schlosser (black) and Isaiah Johnson (red) battle for the lead in the championship race at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Pro and amateur races draw big payouts, smiles from over 1,000 in attendance
CORTEZ – More than a few Eli Tomac T-shirts adorned the Montezuma County Fairgrounds grandstands on Saturday evening. After all, it was events like this one where the Cortez-native Motocross superstar first cut his teeth.
The Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross showcased the present and future of the sport, with both professional and amateur races keeping the fans that packed the stands on the edges of their seats.
With a professional purse of $6,500 to help culminate the Triple Crown Series, some of the top riders in the region put on a show, with El Paso’s Hunter Schlosser taking the checkered flag on his Honda in the final race of the night to secure the overall title.
Xtreme Arenacross professional rider Hunter Schlosser holds the lead in the professional race at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
With races in Farmington and Gallup earlier this season, the Cortez races capped off the circuit organized by Finish Line Promotions – and it wasn’t just the pros who scored big under the perfect conditions on Saturday night. A $2,500 amateur purse was also up for grabs as forty different races ripped around the dirt track.
Schlosser held a training session on Friday for interested locals to learn from one of the best, but it was a lost edge on a turn in the final lap that allowed Albuquerque pro Kameron Barboa to earn a win in the second of three pro rides of the night.
The 28-year-old Texan redeemed himself in a big way in the night-capping ride, however, as Schlosser built an insurmountable lead in the opening laps and stayed clear of circuit runner-up Isaiah Johnson (also of Albuquerque) and the rest of the field.
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
Racers of all ages took to the track at the Big O Tires Xtreme Arenacross event presented by Finish Line Promotions at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on Saturday night. (Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal)
The night of racing featured numerous different bike categories, and age groups ranging all the way down to four years old, filling the event with family fun for racers and spectators alike.
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