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Round 5: West Virginia Motor Speedway AMA GRAND NA T10NAL DIRT TRACK SERIES resurgent 28-year-old Michigander kept his Tom Cummings Racing HarleyDavidson in the hunt, and almost pulled off a heart-stopping split of both King and Springsteen as the field began to sort out through three and four on the opening lap. After battling with Springsteen for fourth in the early and middle stages of the main, Atherton uncorked some fast ones from lap 20 to the finish. In those five circuits, he managed to come from· way behind and suck up Parker by squ,aring it off inside the champ in turns one and two to take the final podium spot. It didn't come without a price, however, as Atherton once again left the treacherous track with an injury after sticking his foot in one of the many holes that pocked the surface in both sets of corners. "I needed that second (place)," Atherton said. "Those guys were splittin', and I couldn't get it figured out. It was dusty, and I was just in a position where Springer got by me and those guys all got away. It was so hard to see, (Left) Rich King winning on a Harley? Believe it. The Iowa-based Corbin Racing rider grabbed his seventh career Grand' National victory - his first to come since he was forced to abandon his Honda RS750s - at the Mineralwells Half Mile. (Below) SCott Parker (1) got the holeshot and led early in the 25-lap main event, followed by King (80), Chris Carr (4), Kevin Atherton (23) and Jay Springsteen (9). King made the pass for the lead about five laps into the race. By Scott Rousseau Photos by Flat Trak Fotos MINERALWELLS, WV, JUNE 19 Y the time the Drag Specialtiespresented AJylA Grand National Dirt Track Series headed to West Virginia Motor Speedway for round five of the 21-round Grand National Championship chase, Corbin Racing's Rich King was already beginning to question his decision to leave his trusty Honda RS750s behind and make the switch to Harley-Davidson XR750s for the '99 season. Through three rounds of racing on the big twins, the 36-year-old King had yet to find a way to cope with his new equipment, which arguably represented a step backward in technology from the overhead-cammed, four-valve Hondas that have carried him into contention for the coveted AMA Grand National number-one plate in each of the past three seasons. But 25 clean, dominant laps were all it took for the Iowan to change his mind and sing the praises of the venerable XR, as he claimed his seventh career Grand National victory at Mineralwells and left the competition wondering if they would be able to cope with the "new King." Simple as it may sound, the win was the result of a lot of hard work on the part of King and the Corbin Racing/HD of Waterloo/SuperTrapp crew. Tuner Sam Wessley rolled a brand-new machine out of the barn for King to try on the red-clay West Virginia half mile, and King was instantly fast aboard the bike, winning the third-fastest heat race of the night for a direct transfer to the main eve·nt. When the green light flashed for the 18-rider feature, King tucked in behind reigning Grand National Champion Scott Parker for four laps as the field sorted itself out. A o ~ • g §! ~ ~ ..., 28 low move in turns one and two gave King the lead, and from there he set sail, leaving Parker, former title holders Chris Carr and Jay Springsteen and heavy pre-race favorite Kevin Atherton in his dust. The game Parker tried to retaliate early, only to drop back and fall prey to both Carr and Atherton before Steve Faraci's checkered flag waved. Carr valiantly tried to make up ground on King, but he, too, was unsuccessful, and King continued to hold court to the finish. Simple. "God, this feels good," a jubilant King said afterward. "I didn't know if this day would ever come - me winning on a Harley. This win is almost as good as my first win. This really gets me excited for the rest of the year." For the H-D of Sacramento/Phoenix Racing/Big Valley Ford-sponsored Can, Mineralwells represented another solid podium finish, the kind that adds up when the championship title is on the line late in the season. The '92 series winner, who now calls Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, home, diced hard with archrival Parker after getting off the line third. The two old foes went at it tooth and nail - which only served to aid King in his escape - and Carr was able to get the better of Parker after they raced side by side down the front straightaway for several circuits. The vanquishing move came on the outside in turns one and two just before the halfway flags were shown to the field. After that, Carr and his Kenny Tolbert-tuned XR pulled away from Parker but had far too little too la te to reel in King. Carr wound up a creditable second, some 16 bike lengths behind the winner. "Rich was hooked up," Carr said. "1 am pleased with another podium finish, but Rich had it dialed. It took me a while to get by Scotty, and if I had done that sooner, then I might have gotten Rich. I could go good for a while and it seemed like I could gain on him, but in the end I couldn't seem to make any headway. Another day, another podium. I'll take 21 of those all year." Although he couldn't share in King's enthusiasm, Atherton generated at least a little excitement of his own. Practically left for dead at the starting line, the but once they got away from me, I could see. Before that, I couldn't. I jammed my foot in a hole out there... you know... same bullshit. Third sucks, and so does second. Rich was gone." The Harley-Davidson/HOG/Fick Excavating-backed Parker didn't have the best of days at Mineralwells, but even so, he appeared to be destined for the podium for most of the feature. The 37-year-old Michigander got a monster holeshot on his Bill Werner-tuned factory beast and looked to be the man. Even when King went by for the lead, Parker appeared to be in control, far from frantic in his efforts to stay with the Iowan.. It just wasn't to be, though, as Parker lost touch with King by lap eight while he and Carr began to slug it out for second place. Once Carr was gone, Parker maintained his same cadence, only to get pipped by Atherton in the late going. It was no big deal, according to the champion, and he should know. Nine titles and 92 wins haven't come without a host of fourth-place finishes, or worse, in each championship drive. "They were going faster," Parker