It is time to start getting excited about the Motorcross of Nations coming to RedBud MX in Buchanan this October.

Last week some of the names of the riders who will compete for the various nations began being released.

Team USA should be extremely competitive and will be among the favorites thanks to its trio of riders — Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia and Aaron Plessinger.

All three raced at RedBud during the July 4 weekend when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series made its annual stop in Buchanan.

Tomac and Plessinger are the current points leaders in the 450 and 250 classes, while Barcia is fourth in the 450 class.

The news got even bigger when it was revealed that Travis Pastrana will ride for Team Puerto Rico in the event, slated for Oct. 6-7.

Tomac and Barcia are no strangers to the Motocross of Nations having been teammates in the 2013 MXoN. They finished second.

The United States will be out to snap a six-year losing streak, which dates back to 2011.

This is the first time MXoN has been held in the United States since 2019 and it will be the first time the iconic RedBud MX will host the event.

Pastrana is best known for his daredevil stunts, which includes the recent jumps in Las Vegas in July as he paid tribute to Evel Knievel.

He is not a stranger when it comes to RedBud, but his success at the track is limited.

He will be joined on Team Puerto Rico by Ronnie Mac and Ryan Sipes.

This team was formed to help raise money and awareness for Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from Hurricane Maria back in 2017, and just recently had power restored to the island.

If you have not done so, get your tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime event. I hope to see you there.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com