Chad Reed rode injured and...
Chad Reed rode injured and was still blazing fast.
The whole stadium went insane when Chad Reed roared out of the first turn with the lead. Stewart had second, and Carmichael, in his last race at Anaheim, was right there in third. The bikes that normally sound so loud were drowned out in the screams of the fans as Stewart took over the lead halfway through the opening lap by blitzing through the whoops. On the next lap Carmichael made a pass on Reed and set his sights on Stewart - and his elusive Anaheim I win. On that same lap, Ricky got out of shape in the whoops. Jeremy had the Nac Nac, Ricky has the, `How did he save that?!' cling, and RC gave a display to the crowd. Ricky stayed up, but lost a little time, and Reed was right there to take back second.
On the following lap, lap three, RC made an attempt to re-take the position in the very same spot - at the end of the brutal whoops. RC got a front wheel up to Reed, and the two charged the next timing section, turn, and huge double side by side. Reed appeared to finally make it around in the next 180 degree turn, but RC squared up and squirted past to nail down second. Stewart was back in his sights, but was now about three seconds ahead.
RC looked great and had the...
RC looked great and had the fans on their feet for most of the main.
Right after completing the third lap, Bubba went down. The crowd, still on its feet, went wild once again as RC, then Reed both got around Stewart. Stewart would get Reed back two straights later with a pass through the sand section - but Reed was still full of fight and wasn't going to let Stewart get away.
The racing was more than any fan could hope for - with so many passes, side by side racing, RC on an emotional quest for an AI win, and still sixteen laps to go.
Stewart closed the small gap on Carmichael, and on the seventh lap he jumped to the inside to make the pass - temporarily. RC had the slower outside line, but it allowed him to triple out, and he gained back the position immediately.
It wasn't until a whole straightaway later that the lead changed yet again. Stewart pulled alongside Carmichael down a rhythm section and triple, and had the inside going into the next turn. Stewart snatched back the lead.
Stewart pulled a small gap, but RC was still very much in the race until the thirteenth lap. RC jumped wide on the triple he'd passed Stewart back for lead on just a few laps before. RC landed on the tuff blocks with his feet off the pegs. He miraculously saved it. The whole stadium seemed to gasp - `How did he save that?!' RC rode it out, got through the sand, only to drop the bike in the next corner.
Ricky's Anaheim I victory vanished with that mistake. Stewart went on to ride smooth and smart and claim the race. Carmichael crossed second, with Reed third. Travis Preston had pulled close to Reed by the end, but could not get into striking position. Tim Ferry rounded out the top five.