The second thing the Ohio native recalls is the bad luck he always seemed to attract.
Over his 11-year stretch of competing at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, Plessinger experienced an assortment of bike issues, crashes and injuries. During his 2004 debut in the 51cc (7-8) AMA Class 2 division, he finished 27th overall.
Though he only missed attending the amateur nationals one time — in 2010, due to a torn ACL — Plessinger wasn’t immune to the pressure associated with qualifying for the national stage.
“For me, it was almost like there was no not making it. If I didn’t make it, then stuff was going to go bad. I needed to make it,” Plessinger said. “It was more of a relief, than a, ‘Yeah, I did it!’”
There were several different amateur competitions Plessinger entered during his early years, including Mini O’s and other regional events, though there was no replacing the prestige of winning at Loretta Lynn’s.
“It was the only amateur national with 20-minute motos and pretty much anything longer than six laps, really,” Plessinger said. “There were so many riders on the track, hundreds and hundreds of riders, and that track got so gnarly.”
Nearly a decade after his last start on the property, the current Red Bull KTM rider can still vividly envision every bump, mile-long rut and corner he fought at the track.
But considering his frequent bad luck in Tennessee, it wasn’t his ability to conquer the challenging conditions at Loretta Lynn’s that caught the eye of factory teams — though his handful of good finishes there certainly helped.
Rather, it was a hot streak Plessinger had in the spring of 2013 where he won six amateur titles that earned the confidence of Bobby Regan, who owned Star Racing Yamaha.
That summer, the duo took on Loretta Lynn’s together, with Plessinger collecting his first national championship in the 250 B class. He earned a second title in the 450 B Limited division before graduating to the pro ranks with Yamaha in 2015.
“It was a pretty quick turnaround for me,” Plessinger said, though the quick rise to fame wasn’t without its trials. “Then, going pro, it’s like you have speed to win, but not the experience. It was not an easy process.”
Despite the leg up Anderson arguably had with his five AMA Amateur National Championships, the current Monster Energy Kawasaki rider shares in Plessinger’s sentiment.
Anderson has two words to describe the transition from amateur to pro: underrated and overwhelming.
“I know it’s not easy whether you have success right away or you don’t,” Anderson noted. “But in the amateur world, you really only have these one-week races where you have to put everything into it. But now, on the pro level, it’s week-in and week-out.”
Despite their varied results at Loretta Lynn’s and paths to professional success, the common takeaway among the three — Anderson, Plessinger and Sexton — is that the summer days they once spent in Hurricane Mills feel like yesterday.
And, if it weren’t for Loretta Lynn’s, they likely wouldn’t be where they are today.
This story appeared in the July 5 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
