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Cycle News 2013 Issue 27 July 9

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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ROUND 4/JULY 6, 2013 HAGERSTOWN SPEEDWAY/HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND FLAT TRACK P74 AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY J&P C helping me out," said Baker. "The people in my life are the ones that make this whole deal happen. Hagerstown is a place where I've always done good. Today it treated me even better." Lawrence was happy for himself and Baker. "It's cool to see Baker win his first one and to do it like this. I don't think you could beat that guy," said Lawrence. "It is some- My Own Race: #42 BRYAN SMITH 3RD "It was good. I'll take a third on the slickest half mile we go to all year," said Bryan Smith. "We did good in qualifying and struggled in the heat race. We didn't make the Dash, unfortunately, but we made some changes and luckily it worked out good. The final was frustrating, though. I know I didn't have anything for Brad [Baker], but I thought I could get second. Jake Shoemaker rode great; it was basically flawless. With about eight laps to go, I about crashed in the middle of three and four. I about spun around backwards. I figured I better just come home third instead of ending on the ground. I was right behind him and was kind of going all over on the track trying to find a way around him. We were kind of running the same line. I was down low, up high, and in the middle. Everything I did we would be the same. Finally I about crashed and said I just better calm it down. The track is so easy to override. That is what I started to do so I just calmed down; I think I probably went faster." #73 DOUG LAWRENCE 4TH "It was a pretty good night," Doug Lawrence said after finishing just off the podium. "I wish I could have finished second, I think I had the speed to finish second. I had a bad start and kind of got hemmed in around seventh or eighth place. It took me a few laps to find my pace. I was in fourth place and second, third and fourth place… we were running cookie-cutter lap times, from five to 25 laps. I was on the pole for the main event - at least I can say that. I work really hard at this and I definitely want to be on top of the wood before I am done with this game. When I get back to the hotel I will be happy with fourth, but not so much right now. I got off the line not too bad and I think coming off turn three I was in like fourth or fifth. The guys were just divebombing everywhere. I don't know what happened in turn three on lap two or three, but I saw guys going the wrong way and I was like, 'okay.' I broke free from these guys and I was focusing on the front. It took me a while to get by JD [Beach] and [Kenny] Coolbeth. I was good enough for fourth; it was all I had. #7 SAMMY HALBERT 5TH "I felt like I was starting to get a handle on this slick Hagerstown track," Halbert said after finishing fifth. "I didn't quite get the starts early on, but in the main event I finally got a good start. The turn-three mishap put me back in eighth or thing special. It's not the last one he's going to win. [Kenny] Coolbeth took a while to win his and once he did, the floodgates opened. I think Baker is on his way to that." so. I did my best to salvage a good finish; I got up to fifth. It felt like the last three laps were my best. I kind of started figuring something out towards the end. I probably wouldn't have had anything for Brad [Baker], but I think I could have been on the podium tonight if it wasn't for that mishap. After I went so far back I was just trying to claw my way forward. I had to pass Kenny [Coolbeth] and then Brandon [Robinson] went down, then I got by Jake [Johnson]. For the longest time I was chasing JD [Beach]. I was more towards the top of the track and the middle. JD was more on the bottom. I just inched up on JD and started using a lot of throttle control. I got around him with a couple laps to go. I felt like I was catching Doug [Lawrence], but laps ran out." #95 JD BEACH 6TH #5 JAKE JOHNSON 7TH "It wasn't too bad," JD Beach said. "We started out the day really well with getting fastest in qualifying. The heat race wasn't as well. We just went backwards; it was horrible. We made a bunch of changes because we barely made the main. With the changes we made we were going to be either a lot better or a lot worse, we didn't really have much to lose. We made the changes and got a really good start. I just ran a pretty good race and I finished sixth. Last year I was 11th here so I'm moving up. The bike is getting better. Hopefully at the next round we go to we will have a better bike and finish better." "I wasn't doing anything spectacular tonight, but I think with the start I had, I could have maintained at least a top five maybe," said seventh-placed Jake Johnson. "I just kind of got knocked back. Once I kind of got settled in it seemed like everybody just kind of stayed even. I would make up a little ground and make a mistake and fall back. It was just kind of a cat-and-mouse thing. It was a rough night for us. We had a clutch go out on one bike right before the dash. I jumped on the backup bike and it wasn't ready for that. We made some changes for the main event and made it better. It's just one of those deals I guess."

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