Neal Pendergrass, of Yadkinville, loves to play in the mud and go fast.

At least that’s what he did on Saturday afternoon at the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series off-road all terrain vehicle (ATV) race held on Myers Road in Yadkinville.

This past weekend’s racing events, named the Yadkin Valley Stomp, were held Saturday and Sunday afternoon, despite rainy weather and tons of red, squishy mud everywhere. Pendergrass has always enjoyed riding and racing motorcycles and ATVs, saying he started riding when he was six and that his first bike was a Honda 50. His first four wheeler was a Kawasaki Z400.

He believes in keeping the "four-wheel" tradition alive in his family, saying “My dad rode one, and both of my sons, Eli (age 5) and Nathan (age 2 ½) ride them, but theirs run on batteries.”

Cindy Pendergrass, Neal’s wife, is impressed with four-wheel racing and motorcycle racing being such family-oriented sports.

“The racers take care of each other and will stop and help if someone needs it, especially when the kids are racing.”

They both also like that the sport is affordable, noting that once you buy the four-wheeler, it doesn’t cost much to enter races and have fun with it.

Pendergrass bought his current four-wheeler after seeing a commercial for the Yadkin Valley Stomp on television a few years ago.

“It took me a year to get a four-wheeler,” said Pendergrass proudly of his 2008 Polaris Outlaw 525.

He also races in the Mideast Racing, a racing circuit in North and South Carolina.

The type of ATV they ride and the equipment modifications the riders and their sponsors make to the vehicles is up to them.

According to Pendergrass, prior to beginning a race, each vehicle is checked for safety and noise specifications set by the American Motorcyclist Association.

Carolina Polaris, Victory Motorsports of Mocksville, and Pendergrass and Holder Plumbing of Oldtown are Pendergrass’ sponsors that he would like to thank.

As to how he did on Saturday, Pendergrass said that the race he entered was a two-hour-long race that takes lots of skill and endurance. He came in tenth place out of 14, but said with a smile “I broke my thumb in Snowshoe, W.V. in June at the GNCC race, so I was a bit sluggish on Saturday.”

Pendergrass says he loves racing ATVs because "It keeps me in shape and makes me feel young."

From the smiles on the faces of the riders after Saturday’s races, they all liked getting muddy and going fast too.