Pro motocross series heads to Greene County's Mt. Moris for Father's Day weekend

For those who enjoy motorcycles, mixed with a bit of mud, then Saturday’s racing scheduled for High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Greene County, will serve as a main course of sorts as the top drivers descend on the Pennsylvania, West Virginia border for stop No. 4 in the 2025 SMX World Championship series.

MX Sports Pro Racing has been promoting shows at the state line raceway for nearly 50 years. Currently under the reigns of Davey Coombs, his family legacy continues on in the form of America’s most popular motorcycle racing series that will likely draw more than 20,000 fans.

It all began in 1972 when Coombs’ father first saw a documentary on dirt bike racing. By the following year, the Coombs family was staging races and eventually a pro series sprung from there.

At its peak, the Mt. Morris track swelled to see crowds of over 50,000 fans attend. But the covid pandemic came and changed life for many. However, Coombs said that since the pandemic, fans have found their way back to the tracks to see the sport they love.

“We came out of covid and bounced back as an industry,” Coombs said. “A lot of people realize that you like doing the things you enjoy, and we were able to see how to tell people that getting on your dirt bike and running away was OK again.”

Several national stars are expected to compete Saturday, including YouTuber Haiden Deegan. His 1.43 million subscribers not only hang on “Danger Boy’s” moves, but his sister Hailie as well. She is pursuing an open-wheel career on the Indy NXT series. Between the two, they have 3.5 million followers on Instagram.

“They live their life online,” Coombs said. “He’s one of the best riders on the planet and he’s only 19.”

As for local talent that can be seen, the top driver in the 250 class is Venetia native Gavin Towers, who began racing at age 4 thanks to his dad.

“I enjoyed riding my bicycle. My dad enjoyed riding, but never did it as a pro,” Towers said. “But over time, they encouraged me, and I really loved being on two wheels”

Entering his first year of pro riding, Towers went west for the series’ first three events in California and Colorado. Trips like this can’t happen without financial support.

“The startup foundation, the cost of travel, you need a good support system,” Towers said. “I was fortunate to have that in my mom and dad and sister. Sponsors come and go, but family doesn’t change.”

Slippery Rock native Axel Neff will be driving in his first professional race. The Cyber Charter High School student began to take the sport seriously in 2022.

“My family was big into it. My father had a shop,” Neff said. “There was no staying away from it. I begged him and begged him to ride, and he finally allowed it.”

Neff is hoping to get good starts out the gate.

“It’s nerve racking for sure. I’m 17,” he said. “Most of these guys are grown men. I want to ride the way I know how and still have a lot of time to learn. I want to go have fun and see if this is something I want to do professionally.”

In the 450 Class event, Greensburg’s Vincent Luhovey will be looking to make a bigger name for himself.

“I’ve been a pro for five years now,” Luhovey said. “My dad never really raced much, but he rode. He got my older sister a bike. Four years later I got one. It went from there. He loves the sport more than I do from Day 1. That’s how I got into this.”

Gates open at 7 a.m. Saturday, with the first practice runs beginning at 8. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at the MX Sports Pro Racing website.