Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.D Grand NationalC IR AChampionship Series ROUND 17: Goshen Half Mile TTR K .AMA • (Left) Scott Parker (2) leads the way at the Goshen Half Mile In Indiana. Chr is Carr (4), Steve Morehead (42), Kevin Atherton (23) and George Roeder II (66) give chase. (Below) Rodney Farris f inished a distant second to Parker in the National, and moved to fifth In the championship point standings. By Dave Hoenig Photos by Bert Sheperd and Flat Trak Fotos GOSHEN, IN, AUG. 28 a ybe because he had to , Harley-Davidson's Scott Parker dominated the inaugural Hoosier Half Mile. The Harley-Davidson Inc./Bell/Yeti /HOG /D's /RC Colasponsored Parker had fallen once again to his Ha lrey -Davidson teammate and AMA Grand National Championship Ser ies poin ts leader Chris Carr a t the Indy Mile, the firs t event of the weekend's Indiana Grand National doubleheader. But Parker led every lap of the 25-lap Nat ional on the limestone halfm ile at the Elkhart County 4-HFairgrounds and gained ground on Carr, who finished third, in the process . Rodney Farris finished a distan t second. Round ing out the top five were Steve Morehead and hometown hero Kevin Atherton. "Everything worked grea t right from the git-go," Parker said. "We got great holeshots all day, then alI I had to do was hang on. It was really a hard track to race -.:t< on. Turns one and four were good , but 0\ turns two and three and the back straight ~ were really deep and rutted. Though Parker was pleased with his win, the form er four-t ime AMA Grand National Champion recognized that the track prob lems and subse quent lack of passing may no t have given the fans all they'd hoped for. "It's too bad we cou ldn' t put on as good a show for the fans," Parker said. "If we come back here again, hopefu lly they'll be able to do somethi ng abo ut - M 8 that." Farris on the other hand was just glad to be back on the box again. "Early in the year things wer e going real good and I was running right with these gu ys," Farris said . "Then we had some problems a few times. Here, everyone was talking about running up on the cushion. I said I'm going to the bottom and ho pe th ey ma ke some mistakes. They did, and here I am . That back straight was really tough. I did a lot of dancing on my gas tank back there." Early on it appeared Carr might have a shot at catching Parker, as he worke d his way around Geo Roeder. But Roeder, who was using the high line, dove under Carr entering tu m three. That's where the trouble began. "I'tried to get down on the groove but couldn't get it to stick," Roeder said. "It messed up both me and Carr . I probably stayed up top too long trying to catch Parker, but hindsight is 20/20," said Roeder of the incide nt that gave Farris the room he needed to capture second. "He st uck a wheel in w here there wasn't room, and I backed out," Carr said. "I had to give him room. He's a lot bigger than me. I don't think that had any thing to do with who won the race. Scott Parker was going to win today , but it wasn't a very safe thing to try ." With Parker's victory and Carr's third-place finis h, the points race once again tigh ten ed u p; as Parker gaine d seven points on his factory teammate. "It's late enough in the year," Parker sai d . "We can ad mit we are cou nting points. I'm within four now heading to Springfield." HEATS Kevin Atherton was only 22 mile s from home and definitely appeared to be on his "home" track, as he clipped the hay bales on his way to setting fast qualifying time with a four-lap time of 1:47.32. Other qualifying hea t winners included Kevin Varnes, Roede r, Farris, chris Evans, Jay Springsteen and Parker. Ather ton blasted his Total Control Racing /Cumming s H-D /Ben Ford [r> sponsored Harley to the front of the first heat and was gone. "W e're jus t hav ing fu n," Atherto n said. "I rode my first race on this track in 1980 and really feel comfo rta ble here. I ha ve to r eally thank my crew . Th ey stayed up all night putting a new.engine in my bike after I blew the other one up at Indy." , e- •

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