Battle for the Horizon Award heats up

July 5 – It was half-mile day for the big bikes at the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships, and after a series of tight races that saw the front-runners for the AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award face off three separate times, the points battle between the top two solidified.

The front-runners, Nick Cummings of Mt. Morris, Michigan, and Logan Myers of Wheeler, Michigan, went head-to-head three times early Friday morning, in races that were postponed from the previous day. Each one offered up spectacular racing.

In 250 Modified, Nick Cummings came to the half-mile with a solid 12-point lead over Clayton Riggle and Jessie Janisch, who were tied for second, with Logan Myers a single point back. But on the half-mile, where tuning counts as much as bike-handling, Logan Myers led the whole race, despite Cummings nipping at his heels from about the second lap on. The win wasn't enough to put Myers on top of the points. Nick leads going into Saturday's mile by 12 points.

In 505 Modified, both Cummings and Myers came into the half-mile race down on points to Jesse Janisch, whose consistency beat a bad result in a single race for the other two. Janisch enjoyed a 2-point lead over Cummings, who was 3 points ahead of Snyder, with Myers mired in fourth place another point back.

In the race, though, Myers made up all that ground and more, leading from start to finish and vaulting over the others in points to take the lead by a single point. Cummings remained in second, with Janisch 2 points further back. With a 4-point spread between first and second on tomorrow's mile, this class is any one of the racers' to win.

In 600 Modified Premier, Sam Halbert came into the the half-mile with a single point lead over Nick Cummings, while Myers hovered 11 points out of first in third. In the half-mile, though, Nick Cummings was on fire, coming from a second-row start to overcome Travis Myers' holeshot, powering around into the lead on the third lap. Despite a hard challenge by Myers in the closing laps, Cummings kept the win to propel him into the points lead, 13 points ahead of Halbert and Myers, tied for second.

The battle for the Horizon Award will be decided once and for all on the famed Springfield Mile in less than 24 hours.

In other classes, the more familiar names started rising to the tops of the points, now that the more dicey short-track and TT courses were out of the way. The small bikes were expected to face off once again on the half-mile Friday, and the big bikes were headed for the mile Saturday before the AMA Progressive Insurance Grand National Championship short-track Saturday night.

© 2002, American Motorcyclist Association

Thursday's Results
Overall Points

Highlights:

18-plus Open Twins: It was the Royal Adderson show going away in 18-plus Open Twins, with the vet grabbing the holeshot and leading all the way to the flag, with his closest follower about a straightaway back. In the points battle, though, Gary Hite leads with 56 points, while Rod Hartzel was 12 points back, with Larry Van Valkenburg 2 points back in third.

30-plus Singles Premier: It was Kevin Snyder all the way, grabbing the holeshot and staying at the front through the race. For the final three laps, Johnny Cooper would nearly pull even at the start/finish line, but could never make the pass. In points, Snyder leads with 65, with Scott Shinn 10 points back, and Cooper 1 point further back in third.

Open 45-plus: You can't stop 60-year old Jack Warren. Powering into the lead on the second lap, Warren never looked back until taking the checkers. In points, Warren leads Vince hold by 5 points, with Jerrry Stokes 8 points out of second in third.

400 Modified: Everything came together for Nichole Cheza, who worked her way from about a third-place start around holeshotter Doug Howard and early leader William Stevens to take the lead by halfway and hold it to the line. In points, Stevens leads with 51 points and Cheza in second 4 points back. In third, 13 points back was Joseph Bromley.

Open 40-plus: For Royal Adderson, it was a carbon copy of the 18-plus Open Twins race. Nothing less than a textbook holeshot and a race-running lead. The win keeps him atop the points, with 62, while Mike Caves as 10 points back, with Daniel McKim 8 points further back in third.

250 DTX: You could have thrown a blanket over the front-runners for the last half of the race and covered them all. After grabbing the holeshot, Chase Sconyers was overtaken by Jesse Janisch, who held on for the win. While they dueled, Clayton Riggle wiggled into the second spot, and that's how they finished. In the points, Riggle leads with 61, with Janisch 7 points back in second and Sconyers in third, 13 points further back.