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;'DGrandT AChamPiOilshipSerie$:. .. Round 15'. Denver Half Mi'le IR NatioiIaJC < '. . :..:I R K' ' AlIA test. Not content to play follow the leader, Parker tried a daring outside pass in turns three and four in the closing stages, but paid the price and slipped off the groove. Parker did, however, hold on for a solid third. But more . importantly, Parker gained eight precious points on his championship series rival, Chris Carr. After qualifying for the National via a semi final, Carr suffered a terrible start from his second-row start position and was forced to struggle through the back of the pack. Carr could do little to put his superior skills to work on the slick course, and in the end was relega ted to a disappointing 10th. Carr continues to lead the series point standings with 202, seven better than Parker's 195 . In winning, Davis maintains fourth in the points race, but gained' serious ground on third-placed Steve Morehead. The veteran fell victim to the sketchy conditions and went down high, in-between turns three and four. Morehead was uninjured, but his bent machine did little to soothe what he described as a "miserable day." To the disappointment of the fans and racers alike, clouds gathered above the speedway and dumped a steady flow of rain on the track, just as Saturday night's riders' meeting came to a dose. A lengthy wheelpacking session ensued when the rain ceased, but after a trio of riders - Marehead, Davis and Erion Racing's Larry Pegram - took to the moist course for a few test laps, the decision was made to postpone the race until Sunday morning. Promoter Chris Agajanian made the announcement to the crowd at 10:30 p.m., and surprisingly, most seemed quite sympathetic and understanding. "It's just too in co ns is te nt," sa id Morehead . "We could ride ou t there, but we sure couldn't race ." Oddly, Davis' feelings were quite opposite of Morehead's, but maintaining his ' polite, patient role, he stayed quiet. " I thought it was great, I was lovin ' it," said Davis. "But I didn't want By Donn Maeda Photos by Mitch Friedman and Dave Hoeni g DENVER, CO, AUG. 14 A w~ man once said that patience is a virtue. That man must have known Will Davis. This year, the personable A&R Racing Honda pilot has been in contention for the win on many occasions, but one thing or another has kept Davis from notching his fifth National win. After winning three Nationals in the previous two race seasons, Davis has been regarded as a threat at most of the races run in 1994. But instead, it was a variety of other racers who nabbed the glory week in and week out, while Davis was forced to settle for a variety of top-TO finishes. Davis' patience finally paid off, though, as the series headed west and visited Rocky Mountain Speedway for the first-ever Denver Half Mile Grand National. Davis' performance was flaw less, as he led from the flash of the green, to the wave of the black and white. ' ''Man, it seemed like everybody was winning - Parker, Carr, Graham, Camlin, Jones and Morehead ," said Davis, who became the seventh different winner of the series. "Everybody except me! We've had some tough breaks this year, (Abo ve) A&R Racing's Will Davis earned the fift h National win of his career In start-tofi ni sh fashi on . (Right) Rich Kin g, James Hart, SCott Parker, Ronnie Jone s, Will Davis and Kevin Athe rt on occupied the fro nt row at th e start of the National. Nearly 7000 fans were on hand at the rain-delayed event but I knew we'd come around. I just didn't think it would take this long." Just as relieved as Davis were his tuner, Dennis Town, and team owner, Craig Rogers, the "R" in the A&R team moniker. "Man, I'm getting too old to hold my breath for 25 laps," joked Town. "1 knew Will wouldn't fail us, I was worried about the bike breaking." But the bike didn't break, and Davis didn't falter. And no one was more disappointed at that than runner-up Ronnie Jones of the Loral Lake Racing crew. Jones shadowed Davis from the get-go; never falling more than a few inches behind. "1 was just waiting, hoping for Will to make a m istake," said Jones. "There were a few times that I could ha ve shoved a wheel in there, but I didn't want to win that way." Just as Jones said, Davis did an admirable job of keeping his Honda RS750 smack-dab in the middle of the eight-foot-wide groove that formed on the dry, slippery, banked half-mile ova l. While all eyes seemed to focus on the Davis/Jones freight train, Team HarleyDavidson's Scott Parker did all he could to join in on the fun. After falling back initially, the four-time Grand National Champion proceeded to reel in the lead duo in the second half of the 25-lap con- to pressure it. If those other gu ys weren't comfortable, then I could wait." The next day dawned sunny and bright, and opening ceremonies com- ยท menced at 12 noon. Because of the quick-drying track conditions and the threa t of afternoon showers, scratch heats were eliminated and the racers were lined up in their hea ts by virtue of their position in the series point sta ndings. HEATS Jay Springsteen got the jump on the field in the first lo-lap heat race, but it wasn't long before Garvis Honda