P
hysically punishing and
mentally tasking, the Lima
Half-Mile stands as one of
the most coveted wins for a Grand
National Championship racer.
And that elusive status has
remained intact over the decades
as the wins have been routinely
collected and jealously guarded
by the sport's historical elites, with
the likes of Scott Parker (seven
wins), Jared Mees (five wins) and
Chris Carr (four wins) standing
atop the Lima Half-Mile leader
-
board, just as they do the career
GNC wins rankings.
A couple of riders now on a
Hall of Fame trajectory, Rick
Ware Racing's Briar Bauman and
Estenson Racing Yamaha's Dal-
las Daniels, entered this year's
Lima Half-Mile battling to both
assume Mee's vacated throne
and establish themself as the
unquestioned modern master of
the fabled pea-gravel cushion.
Both already had earned
their bonafides; the fanati
-
cally fit Bauman came in with
the points lead and three prior
wins at the Allen County Fair-
grounds while Daniels was the
VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P107
BY C H R I S M A R T I N • P H O T O G R A P H Y BY T I M L ES T E R
