The MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series, now in its third season, is poised to establish itself as one of the most competitive categories on one of the most distinctive-looking motorcycles in competition. They also attribute the close race to Travis Wyman's thrilling comeback surge.

The foundation of stock car racing was the idea that spectators preferred to see street-legal cars compete. The King of the Baggers series from MotoAmerica is one motorcycle equivalent. That does not mean that these are factory motorcycles. The Harley Davidson Road Glide and Indian Challenger are legitimate racing machines thanks to their heavily tuned engines, suspensions, and other mechanicals. Still, the average rider to imagine how their bikes might seem speeding around some of America's historic raceways. That hit the track.

The saddlebags carried by each bike give rise to the name "baggers," and the bags serve purposes beyond simple decoration. They alter the bike's balance and cause jittery turns, increasing the number of passing possibilities.

Putting aside how unusual these motorcycles are, a proof of concept's success ultimately depends on competition. And this division has excelled in that area throughout its brief history.

Five riders have claimed victories in the first six races of the seven-race series. Kyle Wyman, a multiple-race winner, was disqualified from the most recent competition this past weekend for spitting oil on Brainerd (Minn.)

Raceway International: He was virtually eliminated as a result.

Travis, on the other hand, finished on the podium for the third time in a row, reversing the championship standings' one-point disadvantage going into Round 6. This has been a charge from behind for the newly crowned points leader.

Race 2 at Daytona International Speedway, where he came in second place to Tyler O'Hara in the season opener, cost him dearly. Wyman had a 14-point disadvantage after the first two races due to his fifth-place finish versus O'Hara's second. By the time the series took on Road America in April, that had increased to 20 points.

Wyman reduced the lead thanks to his first victory of the year in Round 4. Three first- or second-place finishes in a row gave the advantage and the momentum.

Wyman's late-season surge prepares the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers finale in September at New Jersey Motorsports Park to be a winner-take-all race with a five-point gap between first and second and another four points to third.