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Fo....mula USAID....ag Specialties National DiT't T ....ack Se....ies Round 6: Cal Expo Stata FaiT'g....ounds By TONY KARIS PHOTOS BY D&W IMAGES SACRAMENTO,CA,SEPT.14 xperience was the main ingrediL:; ent in Terry Poovey's recipe for success, as he outlasted and outdistanced the field to win the 25-lap Pro Singles main event at the Sacramento Mile. The Formula USA/Drag Specialties event was never short on excitement, as the Pro Singles main had 11 lead changes in the first five laps alone, and changed a total of 20 times during the 25-mile race. Rich King, the number one rider for Team Harley-Davidson, and Kevin Atherton, on a Honda, battled with Poovey's 1stiegal.Com/Hap Jones/ Arai-sponsored entry through lap 10. The three riders set a pace that distanced them from the rest of the field by almost a straightaway by the time the race ended. Even though Poovey, King and Atherton each shared the lead in the first two laps, Atherton was credited with the official lead when they came to the start/finish line. Atherton, the fastest rider in Pro Singles, with a lap of 37.922 seconds at 95 mph, maintained his finish-line advantage through lap six. King, using the draft, beat Atherton to the line and took the credit for leading lap seven. During laps seven through 10, Poovey played follow-the-Ieader, running third to stay within striking distance, while letting Atherton lead the way with King in tow. "After the first two laps, I decided to stay in line," Poovey said. "When Atherton was leading the race, I just tried to stay behind him, because I knew he was going fast, and we were getting away from the others. I just let him tow me around. I was also rolling out of the throttle three quarters of the way down the straightaway, trying to save the engine." Poovey hadn't fared so well in qualifying, as he registered a time that put him in the middle of the 62rider field. But that didn't bother him, as he won the first Pro Singles heat race, followed by Atherton, King and Jc;>e Kopp. Little did anyone know at the time, the first heat was an indication of things to come in the main event. King, racing with a mending fractured shoulder, let it be known at the R 34 OCTOBER 2, 2002' cue I !Above) Terry Poovey earned his first Formula USA National win at Sacramento during a pivotal night in the points race. The result Is that the defending champion now holds a 42-polnt lead with just two rounds remaining In the series. (Below) Poovey (1) battled with .Ioe Kopp (3) during the 25-lap Pro Singles main event before pulling away and winning the race by a comfortable margin. Kopp finished second, ahead of Bryan Smith. • n __ s