When you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll. At the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois, over Labor Day Weekend, Harley-Davidson of Sacramento’s Chris Carr was on a roll.
Having clinched his third career AMA Grand National Championship with a win in the Hall of Fame Grand National Mile on Saturday, Carr backed it up with a win in the Fed Ex Springfield Mile today, earning his second straight mile win, his 53rd career Grand National win and claiming the distinction of becoming the first man to win three Springfield Mile Grand Nationals in a single season. Carr had already won the Memorial Day Weekend edition of the event.
Carr was fast from the get-go, shuffling with as many as six riders at the front of an 18-rider draft that only started to break up after the halfway point. Saddlemen Racing/Lancaster Harley-Davidson’s Mike Hacker, Gardner Racing/Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson’s Steve Beattie and Saddlemen Racing/Dodge Brothers’ Kevin Atherton also figured prominently in the main event early. At the finish, Carr was able to get a two off latecomer Rich King, who was forced to charge from the back row and made a desperate move to the bottom in the last two corners in an attempt to steal the win. Carr was able to draft past King at the line for the win. King was second, Hacker third. Atherton was a much-improved fourth, with Springsteen fifth.
KK Racing-backed Willie McCoy scored a fairly easy victory over Nicky Hayden in the 12-lap 600cc support main event. Bryan Smith was third.
Here are the results from today’s Grand National main event:
GRAND NATIONAL (25 laps; 18 riders): 1. Chris Carr (H-D); 2. Rich King (H-D); 3. Mike Hacker (H-D); 4. Kevin Atherton (H-D); 5. Jay Springsteen (H-D); 6. Kenny Coolbeth (H-D); 7. Bryan Smith (H-D); 8. Willie McCoy (H-D); 9. Terry Poovey (Hon); 10. Johnny Murphree (H-D); 11. Steve Beattie (H-D); 12. Nicky Hayden (H-D); 13. Shaun Russell (H-D); 14. Jason Tyer (H-D); 15. Chris Hart (H-D); 16. Kevin Varnes (H-D); 17. Bryan Bigelow (H-D); 18. Dan Stanley (H-D).
