This weekend at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, Jeremy McGrath will point and shoot his 4,200-pound, 800-horsepower Team Baldwin race truck around at the opening round of the 2008 Championship Off Road Racing Series. A four-wheeled version of supercross, Showtime McGrath is, well, eager to get the show on the road.

So, MC, are you ready to race in anger this weekend?
Actually, I am. I’m getting really pumped. I’m excited.

Like a supercross bike, getting a CORR truck dialed-in takes a bit f time. Did you get it all sorted out?
I didn’t put in as many laps as I wanted, but I did way more laps than I have done before any other race I’ve done. A few weeks ago, we also had a major team test in Primm, Nevada at State Line. I did over 150 laps at that test. After the test I brought the truck home and practiced three more times. Yesterday, I took the truck to the race shop and they’re rebuilding it for the race. I feel good, though. I probably got more seat time than anybody else. I probably did at east another 100 lap on my own on the track I had built.

As far as being strapped inside the truck, are things coming more naturally to you now?
For sure. When I get into the truck now, it doesn’t feel foreign. I feel much better. Yeah, it’s coming more naturally now. I really learned a lot at a recent two-day test in Nevada. I learned to drive the truck more properly. I’m inching up on it, but I still have a long way to go.

When you say drive the truck more “properly”, what do you mean?
It mostly has to do with cornering. I’m a little unfamiliar with things at times when I’m cornering. What I learned is that you need to throw the truck into the corners hard. I feel better at that now. One thing I learned was that I was coasting the truck. You need to drive it without coasting. You need to be on the brakes or on the gas at all times. It’s a little tricky — it’s tricky like riding a speedway bike. When you omen to the corners casting, the truck wants to “hook”. What that mans is that when the wheels slow down, the truck wants to hook, or put itself up on two wheels. You want to keep your wheel speed up high in the corners. Mentally, you think you want to hit the brakes, but you actually want to hit the gas. It’s kind of the opposite of what you’re thinking.

Rick Johnson, a two-time supercross champion and your former mentor in the sport, will be competing in the Pro 2 class for Red Bull. Are you guys still good with one another?
For sure. Rick’s a great friend and an excellent driver. He’s going to be right in the battle. He’s proved that (Note: Johnson won the CORR Pro 2 Championship in 1998).

What are your expectations this weekend?
My expectations are not super high. I want to find that spot where I feel comfortable and improve from there. If I do that, I can be in the top five. I know I have a shot at winning, but I’m not going in thinking I’m going to win. The competition will be stiff. There are four or five guys that will be really fast, but I think I’ll be in the mix. If I’m in the top four five, I’ll be happy, but to say I’m going to go out and win might be a tall order.

In the 1990s, you were winning one supercross championship. Now here we are a few days out from your first true run at a four-wheel championship. Are you feeling the same sort of emotions?
Yeah, I am somewhat. I don’t feel the same pressure that I had to come in and win like I did in supercross, but obviously I want to win as soon as possible. I have a lot to learn, but with a little bit of luck and some good skill, I can do it. Mentally, I’m really anticipating this weekend.

What’s your goal at Pomona?
I have a goal of being in the top five. I feel really good about everything. Like I said, I have really good equipment. Monster has really helped support me, too. I’m a Monster athlete and I’m real proud of that, but Monster has also come in and sponsored part of my truck. It’s really cool and I’m really excited. I’m getting ready to post-up in Pomona this weekend and have some fun.