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pulling steadily away from a secondplace battle between Parker and a rejuvenated young star in Moroney's Harley-Davidson's Mike Hacker. The kid wound up putting it to the champ by squaring it off underneath him in turn four to claim second for a direct transfer. Parker and the rest were sent to the semis. "They did a fantastic job on the race track," Landes said. "After practice it had big holes in it. (After the heat) I knew that I could ride the bottom." First Klass Glass rider Eric O'Boyle holeshot the second heat, but Bartels' Harley-Davidson's Jay Springsteen had designs on the win as he kept cool for two laps before blasting by O'Boyle off turn four on the third lap. Moroney's newcomer Davey Camlin zipped past O'Boyle in the same spot on the next lap to cement the transfer positions, but he couldn't catch Springer. "I just kind of found a line on top that was working," Springsteen said. '1 tried the bottom, but the front end just kept pushing up to where the dirt was anyway. After that it worked really good." Joe Kopp launched his Kenny 'Tolbert-tuned Harley-Davidson of Sacramento entry to the head of the class in heat three, while KK Motorcycle Supply/Roeder H-D's Geo Roeder II slid into second place before falling while under pressure by Canada's Chris Evans. Kopp took the heat win by over half a straightaway on Evans. '1 just got the holeshot," Kopp said. "But we have to change it (the motorcycle). We're going to take some of the hit out of it." Poovey was up next, and he followed both Landes and Kopp's game plan to a tee. The Texan controlled the start and ran away with the race, leaving Burks Motor Sports rider Kenny Coolbeth in his wake as the two earned tickets to the main event. "The bike worked great," Poovey ·said. "My mechanic Gary Bachler has been working so hard to make it right. It was just a weird night. I wasn't nervous about anything." Corbin Racing's Rich King slammed and jammed with Scott Adams Racing's Charlie Orr for much of the fifth heat before King was able to outbrake Orr as they backed it into turn one on lap three. King pulled clear for the win while Orr got into yet another shoving match with Rose Racing's Georgie Price IV. The burly Price got the job done, and Orr was forced into the semis. '1 was running tha t line early on," King said of his pass on Orr. "It looked like a good move but that's. just the line that I was rurming. 'The bike was working great as long as the track stayed loose." Poovey's new KK Racing teammate Willie McCoy showed the talent that many insiders knew he had .when he flat ran off with the final hea t race. McCoy got the holeshot and then tussled briefly with Gardner Racing/Walters Brothers H-D's Dan Butler and Performance Racing Inc. rider Chris Hart before stepping it up and taking off. "This is a whole new program," McCoy said. 'The 'KK' stands for 'Karl' Klement and 'Kenny' Tolbert. It's started off good." Meanwhile, Total Control Racing's Will Davis had the stadium crowd talking as he showed them what his production-based factory ATK was capable of when he blasted off the back row and then rode the high line to pull off second place and put the machine in its first National series feature. (Left) Parker blew the crowd away with his devil-may-care rim-riding. The bravado paid off with a brief period in the lead and ultimately a third-place finish. (Below) Landes (inside) used the more conservative low line to tiptoe past Parker (OU1side) in the late going. "That's not bad for an 01' trail bike, is it," Davis said with a smile. SEMIS Four eight-lap semis were run with only the winner in each earning a spot in the 16-rider field. Parker slipped by Corbin Racing's Chance Darling late in the first semi to sneak into the feature, while Knapp Racing's Patrick Buchanan won semi number two. White's HarleyDavidson rider Michael Varnes took advantage of a J.R. Schnabel miscue to enter the main through semi number three, and Butler got back on track with a win in semi number four. MAIN A much-anticipated battle among front-row starters Kopp, King, Springsteen, Poovey, McCoy and Landes was thrown out of whack when Kopp, King and Springer jumped the start and were banished to the penalty line. Poovey grabbed the early lead with McCoy in tow and Landes in third. Landes immediately went to work on McCoy, who was drifting high on the track, and he took second away briefly, lost it to McCoy on lap two and then retook it on lap three as McCoy fell into the clutches of the fastmoving Parker. Further back, Kopp, Springer and King were struggling. The trio would all be lapped with Springsteep finishing the highest, in ninth. "It (the start) was just one of those things," Springsteen said. '1 seen people movin' and it was time to go. I was just happy to put it in the main event. Usually it's such a crapshoot here. If you're not first or second, your shit's in the truck." Both King and Kopp, who finish~ 11th and 12th, shrugged off the night, and both had the same response. "Tomorrow," they said. . Up front, Poovey was riding like there was no tomorrow. So was Parker, who must have thought he was at Lima as he punished the cushion in every turn and made it work as he took the lead in one and two on lap seven. Poovey didn't give up, however, and he joined Parker up top, following closely for six laps before making a dazzling pass just inside Parker in one and two to reclaim the point. 'The cushion was actually punishing me," Parker said. "Terry was just rolling so smooth I couldn't stay with him. Good for him. If anyone really needed to win one of these things, it was Terry." "I was just working the middle part of the corner better than he was," Poovey said. "We were about the same going in, but I could pick him up in the middle. I just got underneath him." In the meantime, Landes stayed home on the groove, refusing to join the rim riders. It paid off as he took Parker just before AMA starter Scott Zimmerman showed the field the five-lap board. "That's where I wanted to be the whole time;" Landes said of the groove. "Rick (Canode) and I talked about it, and we didn't figure the top would be there for 25 laps." Landes' low move was good enough to secure second place ahead of Parker, Coolbeth, McCoy, Davis, Evans, Varnes and Butler and Springsteen. All were good enough for top 10 finishes but none could match Poovey, who wheelied across the line with a 20-length lead, but more than that, across the ashes of a disheartening 1996 and over 11 years without a major national series victory. Poovey brought it home all right, but perhaps it was just a bit too early as the real prize, the Daytona Short Track, would take place the next night. , ah, I wouldn't trade this win for that one," Poovey Said with a smile and a confidence that has been absent for years. '1 can wait and come back tomorrow night and win it again." l"N Daytona Municipal Stadium Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 7, 1997 (Round 2 of 17) HEAT 1 (10 ups; 10 ridOl1l, top 2 transfcr): 1. Brett Landes (ATK); 2. Mike Hacker (Rbd; 3. Pat Buchanan (Rlx); 4. Chance Darling (Rtx); 5. Scott Shinn (H-D); 6. Mark Corsetti (W-RJ; 7. Paul Lynch (Rlx); 8. Scott Stump (Hon); 9. Scott Parker (H-D); 10. Man:o Morello (AOO. Time: 3 min., 31.80 sec. HEAT 2 (10 l~ps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer): ,. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 2. Davey Camlin (Rtx); 3. Roger Durkee (Rtx); 4. Recil Hart (W-R); 5. Eric O'Boyie (Rlx); 6. Steve Mayfield (Rlx); 7. Josh Butter .(Rtx); 8. Frank Kai,.,. (W-RJ; 9. Chris Boone (Rlx); 10. Pat.8ehrle (Rlx). Time: 3 min., 31.57 sec. HEAT 3 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 transfer): ,. Joe Kopp (Rtx); 2. Chris Evans (Hon); 3. Jon Cornwell (WRJ; 4. Ian Segedy (Rlx); 5. Paullwanaga (Hon); 6. Chris Fitzhugh (Rlx); 7. Billy Martin (Rlx); 8. Robert Knapp (Rtx); 9. Paul MorgiUl ill (Rlx); 10. Geo Roeder n (H-D). Time: 3 min., 3350 sec. HEAT 4 (10 laps; to riders, top 2 transfer): 1. Terry Poovey (Rtx); 2. Ken·ny Coolbcth (W-R); 3. Steve Morehead (Rtx); 4. lonnie Pauley (W-R); 5. Craig Estelle (H-D); 6. John H1ebo III (Hon); 7. Troy Thames (H-D); 8. Tim Mertens (ATK); 9. Steven Gill (W-R); 1Q. Shaun Russell (Rtx). Time: 3 min., 29.721 sec. HEAT 5 (10 laps; 10 riders, top 2 Innsfer): 1. Rich King. (Rlx); 2. Georgie Price N (KTM); 3. Charlie CrT (Rlx), 4. Todd Wmsett (w-RJ, 5. Robert Lew.s (W-RJ, 6. Ken Yoder (Rlx); 7. Dave Hebb (H-D); 8. Dale Jenneman (Rtx); 9. Ryan Anderson (Rtx); 10. Kevin Atherton (ATK). Time: 3 min., 33.97 sec. HEAT 6 (10 laps, 10 ridOl1l, top 2 Innsfer): 1. Willie McCoy (Rtx); 2. Will Davis (ATIO: 3. Dan Butler (Rtx); 4. Michael Vames (ATK); 5. J.R. Schnabel (W-RJ; 6. Brei Beyer (Rtx); 7. John icl:ens III (Rlx); 8. Joey Duvall (WRJ; 9. Chris Hart (RtxJ; 10. Dan Stanley (Rlx). Time 3 min., 33.461. SEMlt (8 laps; 12 riders, winner tran.s.fus): 1. Scott Parker 0:1-0); 2. Cllance Darling (Rtx); 3. Paul Iwanaga (Hon); 4. Roger Durkee (Rlx), 5. Scott Stump (Hon); 6. Scott Shinn (H-D): 7. Paul Morgan W (Rlx); 8. Geo Roeder 0 (H-D); 9. Chris Fitzhugh (Rtx); 10. Recil Hart (W-RJ; 11. Josh Butler (Rtx), 12. FrnnIt Kai,.,. (w-RJ. Tunc: 2 min., 53..35 sec. SEM] 2 (8 laps; U ciders, winner t:ra.n5fus): 1. Pat Buchanan (Rtx); 2. Mark Corsetti (w-RJ; 3. Billy Martin (Rlx); 4. Paul Lynch (Rtx); 5. SIeve Mayfield (Rtx); 6. Eric O'Boyle (Rlx); 7. Ian Segedy (Rlx); 8. Robert Knapp (Rlx); 9. Marco MoreUo (AOO; 10. Chris Boone (Rtx); 11. Jon Cornwell (w-RJ; 12 Pat Behrle (Rtx). Time: 2 min.. 54..02 sec. SEMI 3 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner transfers): 1. Michael Varnes (A00; 2. J.R. Schnabel (W-R); 3. Lonnie Pauley (w-RJ; 4. Tim Me....ns (A00; 5. Robert Lewis (w-RJ; 6. Troy Thames (H-D); 7. Steve Morehead (Rlx): 8. Kevin Atherton (AOO; 9. Ken Yoder (Rlx); 10. Chris Hart (Rlx); 11. Ryan Anderson (Rlx); 12. Joey Duvall (w-RJ. Time: 2 min., 53.65 sec SEMI 4 (8 laps; 12 riders, winner tnnsfers): 1. Dan Butler (Rtx); 2. Todd Winsett (w-RJ; 3. Craig Estelle (HD); 4. Charlie Orr (Rtx)i 5. Dan Stanley ("Rtx); 6. Sret Beyer (Rtx); 7. Dave Hebb (H-D); 8. John Nickens III (Rlx); 9. Dale Jenneman (Rtx); 10. Steven Gill (w-RJ; 11. Shaun Russell (Rtx); 12. John H1ebo III (Hon). Time: 2 min., 53.57 sec. . NATIONAL (25 laps; 16 ride..): 1. Terry Poovey (Rlx); 2. Brett Landes (A00; 3. Scott Parker (H-D); 4. Kenny Coolbeth (W-R); 5. Willie McCoy (Rlx); 6. Will Davis (ATK); 7. Chris Evans (Hon); 8. Michael Varnes (ATK); 9. Dan Butler (Rlx); 10. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 11. Rich King (Rlx); 12. Joe Kopp (Rlx); 13. Pat Buchanan (Rlx); 14. Georgie Price IV (KTM); 15. Davey Camlin (Rlx); 16. Mike Hacker (Rtx). Time: 8 min., 51.61 sec.

