With Malcolm Stewart unfortunately sidelined with injury, riders like Adam Cianciarulo knew that there would be position(s) to grab well within the range of a top-ten overall. But the desired accolades weren’t going to be easy to obtain, especially with Justin Cooper (and others) amongst an influx of riders that were set to compete in Houston, Texas. He understood the importance of making a significant impact immediately, and was cast as one of the strongest riders in the field when monitoring his times on the overall timing and scoring sheet. This translated into the heat races to follow, where his rear wheel immediately synced with the grate that was beneath the chassis. The unleashing of his clutch lever would promote instantaneous traction, where his  hole-shot device would combat the urge for the front end to wheelie down the start straightaway! Managing to flow into the corners that followed, he would be comfortable within a transferring designation; though understanding that time was of the essence with a short sector of laps. There were multiple points on the track where he reached the top of third gear; including bursting past the mechanic’s area where he would follow Eli Tomac, time and time again. His team would encourage him to pass the rival, but he wasn’t going to jeopardize a crash and subsequent loss of a main event bid (which seemed intelligent, at this stage in the night show). Ultimately arriving at the fourth-place position, there was little time to spare prior to embarking on the main event. The championship contenders (at that point) including Chase Sexton, Jason Anderson, and Eli Tomac were immediately enacting a pace that was almost unbelievable. Though he wasn’t going to become discouraged as he and fellow members of the latter top-ten appeared to be on an identical track. Following the red-flag and restart, ruts had now become entrenched amongst every inside on the circuit, and on laps five through eight, his ability to execute the tripling sequence before the finish-line (while on the right side of the track) would be critical to sustain a pace of near single digit registry. There would be a rider though (after subsequently being passed by Justin Cooper), who was keeping him honest amid every corner; regardless of inside or outside line that was chosen...and Christian Craig could be seen in his immediate radius. Never one to back down, he combatted the storming forces of the Husqvarna rider in minutes seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen; to arrive in tenth overall, after an energy exerting dash to the checkered flag!