Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship Carr complimented King, saying "Rich had a real good basic move for the second half of the last lap. I just couldn't chase down the draft good enough to take advantage of it. I was trying to figure out which way he was going, and I guessed wrong. "I think I could have controlled the race a lot better had I led through one," Carr added. "I knew I was going to get passed by at least one guy going in there. If I could have got through one and two good and had the lead, I think I only would have been passed by one person going into three, which most likely at that point would have been King, and I think I would have had something for him. And if he elected to lay back, I think I would have beat him. He did what he needed to do to win the race, and I think I showed too many times throughout the race that I could beat him to the line." Coolbeth edged Russell for the last step on the podium. "It was a fun race," Coolbeth said. "I think I was as far back as fifth. I was trying to play everybody out and see what they were going to do and where their line was. I found an awesome line going into turn three. It was a low/high and it was working good. All in all, it was a good race. It was safe. I would have liked to be in second to Rich [King] coming off of four. I don't think I could have drafted him, but I could have ended up second. Either first, second or third, I can't complain. It's all about where you're going to be the last lap. It don't matter how you qualify, everybody goes fast in the main event. These guys think they have a fast heat and get psyched that they could win. By the main event, everybody is pretty even here. You just have to outsmart them." Russell once again just missed the podium, scoring his second fourth-place finish of the weekend. "I certainly was looking to do better than that," he said. "It's a tough place. You never can tell. I think the lack of track time maybe hurt us today. It's a good track. They did a good job of getting things back together. It felt good. The track normally gradually progresses to what it's going to be at the end of the day. It went from a full wet track, then we raced our heat race and it was medium. By the main event, the track had kind of dried out, and we were running up real high. It was a little bit of a lack of experi- MY OWN RACE 42 Bryan Smith 6th "The first couple laps I was back a little ways," Smith said. "I got up to fifth for a while. I was side by side for third and second a couple times. I always seemed to file back to fifth or sixth. I made a couple of changes for the main. One of them was the right one, and one of them was the wrong one, so we pretty much broke even. The track was a little different, really big. We definitely learned, which is good. We know what we did wrong and know what to do the next time if the track's like this. I spun my tire a little bit, fighting for traction a little bit. I didn't have a chance to make a move on anybody. I was in sixth through the last comer and all the way to the line. The biggest thing I lacked before was horsepower. Then Bill [Werner] helped me out last year. I used one of his motors, then I realized it was more than just horsepower. You have to have a fast bike, which I'm on this year, and one that has good handling. I know I can win it when everything is perfect." 9 Jay Springsteen 7th "We struggled quite a bit in the main event," Springsteen said. "I didn't have any brakes. The first five laps I had brakes, and then as the race went on I think my brake pads wore out. They just got hot, and it boiled the fluid. It just didn't have anything in the puddle. It just couldn't get in the corner real good. I had a good line getting off of three and four. I just couldn't really do anything with them. I just kind of hung with the lead pack. I just couldn't really get up there and dice with them. You had to run so far up, there was just a one-line deal. Everybody was on this 9 inches of black line where it was wet and tacky. It was a good race. It was just a kind of follow-the-Ieader thing." 20 Johnny Murphree 10th "I sucked all day," said Murphree, who can usually be found battling at the front of the pack at Springfield. "I got to the lead pack in a hurry from where I was. I ran through turn one like a duck and went straight to the back. I passed my way back up to around sixth. I got up there a ways and couldn't do anything with it. I don't know if it's motor, setup or rider. That's how it goes, Iguess. The track was a little different than we're used to, but that's no excuse. I was looking to win this thing by a straightaway. I was thinking that the way things have been going the last few years, the bikes are getting better, and I feel better. I'm just having one of those deals right now. It can't be that way every week. We ran up higher on the track today. You could go down on the bottom then back up top. It was really cool like that. Whatever it was, we had a few kinks today, and hopefully we can get things back for the next race." 32 JUNE 8, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS