Decided on the Mile:

Cummings and Myers named
2002 Dirt-Track Horizon Award winners

July 6, 2002 – In the end, it was simply too close to call.

After the busiest week of dirt-track racing in America, two of the brightest rising stars in the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships fought out their final races on the famed Springfield Mile, and with all the races done, Michigan racers Nicholas Cummings and Logan Myers came out on top, sharing the event's highest honor — the 2002 Dirt-Track Horizon Award.

Cummings, of Mt. Morris, and Myers, of Wheeler, spent the week duking it out for the award. Though it seemed as if Cummings had the edge coming into the last day's races on the famed Springfield Mile, Myers fought back with a vengeance. Myers won two of the three races that he and Cummings shared, and came away with two of the three Grand Championships, won by the rider who does best on four distinct types of racing over the week.

"In the end, when you look at all these promising racers accomplished, they were so close that we had no choice but to confer the Horizon Award on the two of them," said Bill Amick, vice president of of AMA Events and Entertainment. "With their results being so close — and both of them accomplishing so much before planned pro careers, they richly deserve to share this award. And I fully suspect they'll more than make their marks in the pro ranks."

Coming into the final day after having raced against each other in short-track, TT and half-mile competition, Cummings had three wins over three classes, with Myers earning four. More telling, Cummings had finished off the podium only once over the course of nine individual races. Myers, on the other hand, finished outside the top-three four times.

But those stats meant nothing when the day's racing started. Either of the racers, who live only about a half-hour apart and have faced each other in amateur races countless times over the years, had a shot at the Horizon Award based on their results of the day. The only difference is that Myers would have to work a little harder to come out ahead.

But the races told the story

Coming into Saturday's mile in 505 Modified, it was Myers who was on top, just barely, by virtue of two wins that helped him earn a 1-point margin after three days of racing. A 10th-place finish on the first-day's short-track was his only misstep. But since the points gap in the race between first and second would be 4 points, whoever finished first on the track would take the win.

In that race, Cummings grabbed the holeshot and set up a battle royale with Myers, with the pair of them dueling every lap. In the end, Myers won the drafting battle from the front to take the win and the championship with a 5-point margin.

Coming into the mile in 250 Modified Premier, Cummings had the edge, with each rider notching a win apiece in earlier competition. Cummings' 11-point advantage meant he needed only finish fourth or better (if Myers won) to take the grand championship.

In the race itself, Myers did everything he needed to, opening up a lead and just widened it to the finish. Cummings, though running as high as fourth, dropped to fifth on the final lap, giving the overall title to Myers. Tied in points with Cummings, Myers wound up winning the title with his better finish in the final race.

In 600 Modified Premier, Cummings was in the catbird seat coming to the mile. Though each rider had notched an earlier win, Myers, plagued by bad luck in a few races, sat 13 points back, tied for second with Sam Halbert. Cummings needed only finish eighth or better for overall victory.

In the 600 mod race, the two battled at the front for much of the race, with Cummings winning the drafting battle to the line, the race and the overall.

In the end, the stats stacked up like this: Myers had five wins, two seconds and a third, and two grand championships. Cummings had four wins, six seconds and a grand championship. Between the two of them, they grabbed about half of the available podium spots in their races.

© 2002, American Motorcyclist Association

Grand Champions crowned on the Mile Saturday:

In 400 Modified, it was Nichole Cheza who bounced back from early troubles on the short track and TT to notch a win each on the half-mile and mile, earning the overall points battle with William Stevens in a tie-breaker. Each had 70 points, but Cheza took the top by virtue of a win in the last race. Clint Collier was third, 21 points back.

In 18-Plus Open Twins, Gary Hite used consistency to top the standings with 68 points, with Rod Hartzel in second, 11 points back, and Larry Van Valkenburg 6 points farther back in third.

In 20-Plus Singles Premier, Kevin Snyder used two wins and two second-place finishes on the week to notch first with 84 points. Johnny Cooper won Saturday's mile, but finished 7 points farther back in second, with Scott Shinn 6 points further back in third.

In Open 40-Plus, vet Royal Adderson nearly made it a perfect week, winning the short-track, half-mile and the mile, and finishing third in the TT to take first with 85 points. Mike Caves was 17 points back, with Joe McCormick12 points farther back in third.

In Open 45-Plus, Vince Holt took top honors with 66 points, with Jack Warren 3 points back in second and Joseph Troyanowski 13 points farther back in third.

In Pro Sport 505, 2001 AMA Dirt-Track Horizon Award winner Jared Mees used a short-track and half-mile win to take top honors with 65 point, with Rob Bugs Pearson 8 points back in second and Bryan Douglas 4 points farther back in third.