The following is from AMA Pro Racing…
The legendary Springfield Mile kicked off the 2006 AMA Grand National Twins Championship version of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and it was a wild one. In the end it was Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford’s Chris Carr taking his second consecutive Springfield Mile win and his ninth overall.
After the second of two red flags interrupted the twenty five lap National on lap fifteen, four riders broke out of the pack. Harley-Davidson Motor Company / Screamin Eagle’s Kenny Coolbeth, Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford’s Chris Carr, Bartels’ Harley-Davidson / SuperTrapp’s Jay Springsteen and Latus Harley-Davidson’s Joe Kopp made up that lead pack.
On the last lap, as the leaders hit turn three, Joe Kopp got squeezed to the inside, hit the guard rail and fell hard. Then in a completely unrelated event Jake Johnson’s Suzuki radiator sprung a leak leaving a trail of coolant that collected LBRT / Ted Davidson’s Jason Tyer, Moroney’s Harley-Davidson / Screamin Eagle’s Bryan Smith / Doc’s Harley-Davidson / USC Racing / Ted Sakaida’s Terry Poovey and Reggie Amos Custom Homes’ Tim Eades.
All the action left Springsteen and Carr with a drag race to the checkered flag, with the current Grand National Champion edging the ever popular Springsteen at the line. Coolbeth was forced to settle for third as fast qualifier Willie McCoy pushed his Harley-Davidson of Wausau / Advantage Wall System backed Harley into fourth on the last lap over Bartels’ Harley-Davidson / TNT Harley.com / Jack Daniels’ Shaun Russell.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company / Screamin Eagle’s Rich King, who had brought out the red flag on lap fifteen when he blew a tire going into turn three, recovered for sixth with American Suzuki’s Jake Johnson limping home in seventh.
Saddlemen / Lancaster Harley-Davidson / Screamin Eagle’s Jared Mees and Kiesow Racing / Gutterridge Harley-Davidson’s Chris Hart avoided the turn three carnage for eighth and ninth. Tyer was credited with tenth, with Smith, Poovey, Eades and Kopp filling through position fourteen.
Coziahr Harley-Davidson / National Cycle’s Johnny Murphree, Lloyd Brothers Motorsports / Aprilia’s Henry Wiles, Lima Harley-Davidson / Ideal Environment’s Bryan Bigelow and SuperTrapp / Doc’s Harley-Davidson / Tom Norton’s Mike Hacker all failed to finish passed lap sixteen.
Terry Poovey was transported to Springfield Memorial with rib, back and head injuries, earlier in the day SJS Racing’s Paul Lynch also had to be transported when he fell in his heat race. Paul’s injuries didn’t appear to be too serous, but after hitting the wall certainly needed to checked out.
