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Guthrie, OK. . ..Jenuary 14w 1 5.2000 National Arenacross Series Rounds 1 1-1 2: Lazy E Arena By KATT SPANN PHOTO'S BY CONNIE JOHNSON tffiiJ ill's Pipes/AXO/Motorious.com~ Suzuki-supported Buddy Antunez. regained his points lead over teammate Denny Stephenson Saturday night, and he did it by winning Saturday's 125cc main and using consistent finishes in the other three main events at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Antunez was joined by Charley Bogard, Pedro Gonzalez and Josh Demuth on top of the podium, each taking a win during the course of the weekend. Although Antunez holds a narrow nine-point lead over Stephenson, Gonzalez is closing the gap quickly and is just 19 points behind Stephenson in third. St. Louis Powersports/Reynard Modifications/MSR/Sunstar/Plano Fun Center's Charley Bogard took his third win of the series on Friday night in the 125cc main, shortly after winning his first ever Dash for Cash. The largest venue on the 2000 PACE Motor Sport's National Arenacross circuit, the Lazy E Arena packed a capacity crowd for the twonight event, boasting a track more similar to a supercross course, complete with a 60-foot triple, that had the fans on their feet during every heat, semi and main event. Buddy Antunez (left) won Saturday night's 125cc main and maintains a nine-point lead in the series over Denny Stephenson. (Below) Jeff Willoh flew to a third·place finish in Friday night's 250cc main. laps later that he would find himself in second, when Gibson went down. Bogard followed in his wake with Antunez in tow. Marley miscued his landing off the Dunlop Catapult at the start of lap eight, which opened the door for both Gonzalez and Bogard. "I couldn't shift up off the step-up to the catapult and had to keep my throttle wide open," explained Marley, who took a chunk out of the turf when he cased the landing. Two laps after Gonzalez took over the lead, Bogard made a charge off the Dunlop Catapult to pass Gonzalez on the landing. Gonzalez was relentless in his chase as the bar-to-bar action continued. Gonzalez took his best shot, pushing Bogard to the outside to take over the lead, but Bogard got him back, as they both headed to the checkered flag. Bogard took the win. "Johnny got out front and set a blistering pace," said Bogard. "I wasn't really worried about him. Then he got nervous and started to make a few mistakes. When I saw him case that jump I knew I'd get around him." Antunez rounded out the podium in third, while Marley finished a respectable fourth. Bogard was on a repeat mission in the 250cc main, grabbing the holeshot in front of Willoh, but Bogard's bike came to a halt. A loose brake bolt momentarily stalled his FRIDAY Bill's Pipes/ AXO/motorious.comSuzuki-sponsored Stephenson took the holeshot in the 125cc main event, but his wide line into turn two gave young Oklahoma upstart, Johnny Marley, the daylight he needed on his Thousand Oaks Yamaha/Fox/DC Shoes/ PJ 1 YZ. The home crowd obviously like what it saw. "The noise from the crowd distracted me going through the whoops the first few laps, but after that I got used to it," Marley said. , Thor/Honda/Tuf Racing Team's Jeff Willoh was next, followed by teammate Jeff Gibson. Bogard got into the thick of things in fourth, with Stephenson and St. Louis Powersports/Pro Circuit/Axo/Scott-supported Gonzalez. Willoh and Gibson bumped bars on lap three, and Willoh went down, losing several positions. Gibson took over second place, as Bogard continued to fend off Gonzalez. Gonzalez made the pass on lap four for third and then set his sights on Gibson, but it wasn't until three 24 FEBRUARY 2, 2000' cue • e n e _ is progress, but after quick repairs, Bogard was back on the track, only to fall a few laps later and end his evening with a broken thumb. "It's a small fracture that will keep me out for at least the next three weeks," said Bogard the next day. Willbh took over the lead at Bogard's expense, with Team Green/Carrollton Kawasaki/Pro Circuit's Mike Katin and points leader, Antunez, and Gonzalez in tow. Antunez caught Katin on la p four to move into second, and then he tore after Willoh to take over the lead less than two laps after that. Gonzalez hunted down Katin and took over third. Gonzalez now set his sights on Willoh, catching him, and then passing him just short of the halfway point. Gonzalez then inched his way toward Antunez, as the top three began to pull away, putting several seconds between themselves and the rest of the pack. It came down to the final lap