AMA racers who have their goals set on winning an AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championship, and the AMA National No. 1 plate that goes with it, can start their title chase ahead of this summer's Dirt Track Grand Championships, set for June 27-July 4 in Du Quoin, Ill.

The AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championship Holeshot Series will award bonus points for the national championships up for grabs at Du Quoin. Riders who compete in all races in their class at one of the Holeshot Series events will earn five bonus points toward that class' national title.

"The AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championship Holeshot Series is a great way to jumpstart your national championship campaign," said AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant. "Quite often, we see national titles at the Grand Championships decided by just a few points, so we encourage all riders to get out there and earn your bonus points."

To count toward a racer's Grand Championship point total, the bonus points must be earned in the same class contested at the Grand Championships, where a rider can compete in up to three classes. A racer who competes in all of the races for his or her class at a Holeshot Series event will earn five bonus points toward that class championship regardless of finishing order. Full details of the Holeshot series bonus point program will be available in the AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championship Supplemental Regulations shortly.

"We put together a great schedule to kick off the Holeshot Series," Saillant said. "We're not done yet, though. We will keep working on the schedule to give racers in other regions an opportunity to score bonus points for Du Quoin."

The AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships is the premier amateur dirt-track racing event in the country. The week of racing features competition in all four dirt-track disciplines -- short track, TT, the half-mile and the mile -- and crowns national champions based on their accumulated points from each individual event. Racers from around the country will converge on Du Quoin, Ill., this summer to battle for national championship honors, as well as the AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award, which honors the amateur racer poised to make a statement on the pro level.