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Another Big Smith Win at the Big Buck
Close three-rider fight ends with another win  

Union, SC - In another classic GNCC fight to the finish, FMF Suzuki veteran Rodney Smith scored his third win of the 2004 AMA Grand National Cross Country Series at the FMF Big Buck GNCC. Smith barely outlasted the Am Pro Yamaha duo of Jason Raines and Barry Hawk, with just seven seconds separating the three at the finish.  

"What a fantastic race today, " said Smith, who has won two races in a row since turning 40. "I got a bad start and had to come from last. I caught Jason with two laps to go, and what a race we had. We just went back and forth. Jason rode awesome today, and Barry rode a great race to come back from as far as he did. To be honest, I didn't even care who won. This was such a great race for the fans today."  

Raines finished up second to Smith for the second race in a row, but the young Washington native knows consistency will win championships. "I've learned a lot over the years, and now I know sometimes these titles come down to the last man standing," said Raines. "Rodney and I passed each other back and forth. In the open sections in the fields, it was kind of dusty and I was just a little timid. He out rode me today, but I had so much fun out there."  

Hawk, who DNFed the previous race when he fell off a bridge and ended up underwater, struggled early but put on an incredible late-race charge to get to the leaders. "I had arm pump for some reason and I couldn't shake it, " said Hawk. "Then we stopped for gas, and it was like a second wind. The arm pump went away and I started riding hard. I caught these guys in the final mile, but I couldn't do anything with them."  

With three wins in the first five races, Smith has proven his season is not a novelty act or a farewell tour. It's a genuine championship effort, and despite the stiffest competition in the history of the GNCC racing, the 40-year-old has taken control of the early going.  

Fourth on the day went to Throttlehead.com/Kaw asaki Team Green's Steve Hatch, who was in the hunt all day until he melted his rear brakes. Smith's Suzuki teammate Mike Kiedrowski was fifth.  

KTM's Shane Watts grabbed the holeshot and led early, but he tired near the end and ended up sixth. "I'm training harder now that I ever have," said Watts. "But these guys are just so fit. No excuses, I wore down. But it's coming around."  

Many predicted Parts Unlimited/Moose Honda's Scott Summers would take the Big Buck win, and he was on the charge early and moving toward the front. But a hard crash resulted in a broken collarbone, knocking him out of the running.  

The GNCC Series will return in two weeks with the Yamaha Loretta Lynn's GNCC in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.  

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