Brock Parker, a Smoky Mountain senior, won the Grand National Cross Country Utility Stock Division last year. He will open defense of his title March 5 in Florida. |
Brock Parker of Cherokee is preparing to defend his Grand National Cross Country Utility Stock championship.
The 17-year-old senior at Smoky Mountain High was the overall division points winner last year as he took first place in eight of 13 races. The new season will begin March 5 at Okeechobee, Fla. The son of Jerry and Connie Parker of Cherokee said he's been driving a four-wheeler since age 4, but he has driven competitively for only three years. Last season was the first time he had participated in all 13 races. "I like the competition, but I don't like the traveling much," Parker said. The season runs from March through October. The courses range from Okeechobee in the South to Boyres, Pa., in the north. Morganton is the closest, and the season concludes at Crawfordsville, Ind. A member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Parker became the first Native American and the youngest person to win a division title on the Grand National circuit. Parker drives a 2000 Kodiak Yamaha 400. The Utility Stock Division means the vehicle must be operated as it came from the factory. Each race consists of 13 divisions. Anywhere from 300 to 500 vehicles line up at the starting line, and the division races start a minute apart. The Utility Stock Division usually has 15 to 30 participants. Courses range from eight to 10 miles, and each race takes about two and a half hours. |