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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FLAT TRACK AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: 1-2/MARCH 13-14, 2014 DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY/DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA P56 Johnson's ride moved him into second in the standings behind Halbert, who finished fourth. "Kenny found something, he was on fire," Johnson said. "We've been friends for a long time. If somebody was going to take it away from me, I was glad it was him." Halbert ran a strategic race and moved up several positions to finish fourth. That was good enough for him to leave Daytona with the series lead. Brandon Robinson was the biggest mover in the field. Com- ing back from a crash he couldn't avoid and running as far back as 16th before somehow pick- ing his way through the field, the USC Kawasaki rider ended up an amazing fifth. That comeback helped him leave Daytona tied with Coolbeth for third in the se- ries. For Coolbeth the win not only put yet another race victory on his résumé, he also proved the naysayers wrong by proving that even in his mid-30s he is capable of competing at the highest level. "I think some people lost faith in me, but we're going to be a force to be reckoned with," Cool- beth promised. "I've got a great team behind me and I'm looking forward to this season." CN Race One 1. Briar Bauman (Honda) 2. Sammy Halbert (Yamaha) 3. Brandon Robinson (Kawasaki) 4. Mike Rush (Honda) 5. Jared Mees (Honda) 6. Henry Wiles (Kawasaki) 7. Matt Weidman (Honda) 8. Chad Cose (Honda) 9. Stevie Bonsey (Honda) 10. Jake Johnson (Honda) Race Two 1. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (Honda) 2. Jake Johnson (Honda) 3. Stevie Bonsey (Honda) 4. Sammy Halbert (Yamaha) 5. Brandon Robinson (Kawasaki) 6. Henry Wiles (Kawasaki) 7. Jake Constantine (Honda) 8. Bryan Smith (Honda) 9. Mike Rush (Honda) 10. Jethro Halbert (Yamaha) WELLS AND WILHELM SPLIT PRO SINGLES WINS GE Capital KTM's Ryan Wells of Albion, New York, dominated the first night's Pro Singles event leading all 16 laps on his way to a 3.009-second win. Rounding out the podium were Justin Jones and Brandon Wilhelm, both on Hondas. "First day at Daytona, I usually struggle so this is huge for me," Wells said. "The goal was to get out first and stay out." "He [Ryan Wells] had us dialed in today and checked out," Jones said. In Friday's Pro Singles Main event, Honda-mounted Brandon Wilhelm, who finished third on Thursday night, brought home the victory by a margin of .520 of a sec- ond. "I can't believe this is happening right now," said Wil- helm of Aurora, Indiana. "It feels so good. The track was slick and I had to work the throttle and it turned out in my favor. It's a great feeling." Wilhelm, Justin Jones (Honda) and Ryan Wells (KTM) broke away from the rest of the field for most of the race. But with a few laps remaining, Gerit Callies put down his Honda in turn three bringing out the red flag and setting up a five-lap shootout. Wilhelm led the final five laps with Justin Jones slip- ping to third after being passed by runner-up finisher Davis Fisher (Honda), his first career podium. Wells, who won Thursday night's Pro Singles Main Event, slipped back to fifth. Wilhelm leaves Daytona with the Pro Singles series lead by two points over Wells. Ryan Wells (94B) dominated Thursday's Pro Singles race, pulling out a three-second win over Justin Jones (19B). Friday night's winner Bran- don Wilhelm (24J) finished third and leads the series point standings.