Irvine, Calif. (August 12, 2012) –. Junk Yard Dog

Just before the Moto-X 338 national returned to his home track, John Dowd, a.k.a. Junk Yard Dog, celebrated his 46th birthday. The local legend came out to the track on Thursday with his son to talk with the local media and throw down a few practice laps aboard his Chaplin Kawasaki KX450F. The local hero has grown such a large fan base that the track crew even placed a small dog house next to the track in his honor. In the first moto, Dowd got a mid-pack start and worked his way through the pack to finish 10th. In Moto 2, he got another good start, but laid his Kawasaki over in a tight corner on the first lap. By the time he got back on the bike he was in 26th position. Dowd worked his way back to 16th before the checkers to finish 14th overall on the day. The exciting run was important for Dowd as he earned enough points to keep his AMA Pro Motocross National number of 16 for another year.