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DIRT TRACK' . Round 15: Du Quoin State Fairgrounds AMA Grand National Championship Series (Above) Young Tommy Hayden (69) holds off the advances of Joe Kopp (43), Dan Butler (22) and Steve Beattie In the National. Hayden finished eighth in only the second Grand National mile of his career. . (Left, from left) Morehead, Atherton and Parker celebrate their top-three finishes. bit. I knew it was gonna be a fast heat. Luckily, it was the second fastest one, so that puts us on the front row." Deeley Harley-Davidson's Steve Beattie, Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson's ].R. Schn!lbel and Eddie Adkins Racing/Winchester Harley-Davidson's Kenny Coolbeth took the last three transfers to the main event by running in fourth through sixth, respectively. GRAND NATIONAL The main event was shortened to 20 laps just prior to being roJJed out onto the race track. It was a decision that sat well with Poovey. "Everyone's real tired I think," Poovey said. "1 know I am. And the track is starting to break up in the turns. We should shorten it. We don't need anyone getting hurt." Fortunately for Poovey and everyone else in the main event, the race came off incident-free. Morehead holeshot the field just as he had the night before and led them all into the first turn, but Parker was quick to slide up alongside the "Findlay Flyer" and challenge for the lead while Poovey ran third ahead of TCR teammates Atherton and Davis for the first eight laps. Carnlin started eighth and dropped to ninth before starting his surge through the pack. Poovey started slipping backwards in the middle laps, but would only fall to as far as sixth before the main. event ended. ''I'm still an emotional wreck," Poovey said. "I walk around with a lump in my throat right now because of what happened with Lou (Poovey's late mechaninc, Lou McCory). I'm not over it yet. You're not supposed to start over in your 20th season. 1 didn't have enough steam today, but I'm happy." Davis pulled up lame with shock problems on the back straight just before the halfway point, the teJJ-tale sign being a puff of smoke from his bike as he powered off turn four. He would leave Du Quoin with only single point added to his championship tally. King ran low for most of the main event before electing to head toward the hay bales in the middle to later laps and moving past Hayden and Poovey for the fifth spot just before the five-lap sign. Camlin already was by King at that point, and he had found a line through turns three and four that allowed him to make up ground on front-runners Atherton, Morehead and Parker, but it was too late. Camlin was , a distant fourth. "If I'd have found that line sooner and had five more laps, then 1 might have caught them but, oh well," Camlin said. "You know, somebody asked me if 1 was going to win today. I told them that I'd feel like a winner if we got through a Grand National in Illinois. We all won today." But all eyes were on Parker, Morehead and Atherton, and it was the youngster of the trio who. was on the move, putting away Morehead by sliding under him off turn three on lap 17. "I was real tentative early, because 1 caught my foot in a hole on the third lap," Atherton said. "It took me a long time to get my confidence back up. After that it was WFO." Atherton then pulled the fans from their seats when he shot past Parker on the front straight to take the lead for the first time in the main event on lap 17. "Morehead and I knew where each other stood," Parker said. "Then here comes Kevin, and we have a new player in the game. By the time he got there, it was too late for me to figure out I where he could go and where he couldn't." I . Parker did his best to try and size I Atherton up, but simply ran out of time as Atherton pulled across the finish line , with just better than a bike length's lead. "All my lines were working," Atherton said. "And each time I'd use a differ- ' ent one, and that threw him off. I'm paying,attentiort to the points now. 1 knew that Morehead was 10 points ahead of me coming in here. 1 don't really care who is behind me. I've missed three races, and that hurts when you're running for the championship. I still should have had that one last night." (N Ou Quoin State Fairgrounds Ou Quoin, illinois Results: August 18,1996 (Round 14 of 21) HEAT 1: (10 laps; 9 riders, top 5 transfer): 1. Scott Parker (H-D); 2. Terry Poovey (H-D); 3. Dave Camlin (H-D); 4.. Dale Jenneman (H-D); 5. Mike Hacker (H-D); 6. Brett Landes (Hon); 7. Willie McCoy (H-D); 8. Jim Sumner (H·D); 9. Trapper McDaniel (H·D). Time: 6 min., 0.63 sec. HEAT 2: (10 lapS; 9 riders, lop 5 transfer): 1. Will Davis (H-o); 2. Jay Springsteen (H-O); 3. Chance Darling (Hon); 4. Ian 5egedy (Hon); 5. Ken Yoder Jr. (HD); 6. Recil Hart (H-D); 7. Georgie Price IV (H-D); 8. Kevin Varnes (Hon); 9. Doug Skaggs (H-D). Time: 6 min., 6.09 sec. HEAT 3: (10 laps; 9 riders, top 5 transfer): 1. Joe Kopp (H-D); 2. Tommy Hayden (H-D); 3. Dan Butler (H-D); 4. Rich King (Hon); 5. Dan Stanley (H-D); 6. Danny Koelsch (H-D); 7. Paul Bergstrom (Hon); 8. Paul Morgan rn (H-D); 9. Lance Jones (H-D). Time: 6 min., 8.11 sec. HEAT 4: (10 laps; 9 riders. top 5 transfer): 1. Steve Mor.ehead (H-D); 2. Kevin Atherton (HAD); 3. Steve Beattie (H-D); 4. ).R Schnabel (H-D); 5. Ken Coolbeth (H-D); 6. Paul Lynch (H-D); 7. Devon Pritchard (H-D); 8. Gary Rogers (H-D); 9. Ceo Roeder lJl (H-D). Time: 6 min., 1.34 sec. GRAND NATIONAL (25 I.p., 20 ride,,): L Kevin Atherton (H·D); 2. Scott Parker (H-D); 3. Steve Morehead (H-D); 4. Dave Camlin (H-D); 5. Rich King (Hon); 6. Terry Poovey (Hon); 7. Joe Kopp (HD); 8. Tommy Hayden (H-D); 9. Dan Butler (H-D); 10. Steve Beattie (H-D); 11. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 12. Dale Jenneman (H.-D); 13. J.R. Schnabel (H-D); 14. Ken Coolbeth (H-D); 15. Ian 5egedy (Hon); 16. Ken Yoder Jr. (H-O); 17. Chance Darling (Han); 18. Will Davis (H-O); 19. Mike Hacker (HAD); 20. Dan Stanley (H-D). Time: 12 min., 1.57 sec. AMA GRAND NATIONAL C'SHIP SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 14 of 21 rounds>: 1. Scott Parker (195/4 w;n.); 2. Rich King (178/1); 3. Will Davis (176/3); 4. Steve Morehead (159/1); 5. Kevin Atherton (156/2); 6. Joe Kopp (144); 7. Kevin Varnes (132); 8. Dave CamBn (86); 9. Brett Lande. (81); 10. Jay Springsteen (72); 11. Dan Butler (63); 12. Steve Beattie (56); 13. (TIE) Ronnie )one./ Ken Coolbeth (49); 15. Terry Poovey (45); 16. Dan Stanley (42); 17. Dale Jenneman (41); 18. Georgie Price IV (34); 19. Ricky Graham (33); 20. Chance Darling (29). Upcoming Rounds: Round 15: Hagerstown, Maryland. August 24 Round 16: Springfield, Illinois. August 31