| October 22, 2023
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When the GNC title came down to the last round, race and lap
By Kent Taylor
Dirt track racing has often been able to provide motorcycle racing fans with something that motocross has struggled to match, and that’s season-long close racing, with championship battles that would frequently come down to the wire, and occasionally, that wire would be the checkered flag at the final race of the season! While motocross champs like Bob Hannah, Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael often had their number-one plates in hand well before their respective series would wrap up, dirt track racing and the AMA’s old Grand National Championship series gave fans their money’s worth, with racing and points’ battles that were good to the last (flag) drop!
Such was the case in 1978 when two-time champion Jay Springsteen battled Steve Eklund in a series that wouldn’t be decided until the final lap of the last race of the season.
The 1978 season featured many of the top guns of the sport. Even though two-time Grand National Champion Kenny Roberts had emigrated to Europe (where he would win the 500cc World road racing crown), the field still consisted of other stars of the ’70s, including former champs like Gary Scott and Gene Romero and future champs Mike Kidd, Ricky Graham and Eddie Lawson. Younger riders like Ted Boody and Garth Brow were making names for themselves, and veterans like Chuck Palmgren and Terry Dorsch were still sliding their steel shoes.
It was a competitive field and, at least for the miles and half-miles, nearly every rider was on a Harley-Davidson. Only Alex Jorgensen and his Ron Woods Norton were still trying to compete with the mighty XR 750.
In June, Springsteen and his factory-sponsored Harley won the half-mile at the Delaware State Fairgrounds. It was his third straight victory in the series, and it helped him open up a commanding 30-point lead. Springsteen and his Bill Werner-tuned H-D looked to be on their way to a third consecutive title.
But it was privateer Steve Eklund who would let the mighty H-D team know that there was still another gunfighter in town! At Hinsdale, Illinois, Eklund took the win, following it up with another first-place ride at the Charity Newsies half-mile at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. A week later, Eklund’s victory at the Santa Clara half-mile gave him his own three-win streak. On July 1st at the Santa Fe Speedway T, one more victory allowed him to narrow the gap between himself and Springsteen to just eight points. When Eklund took yet another win at the Santa Fe short track in August, the privateer Harley (and Yamaha) rider also took over the points lead.
The season finale would be held at the legendary Ascot Park in Gardena, California. Cycle News’ Dale Brown called it “a rousing show, attended by a standing-room-only crowd of 10,233.”
The evening got off to a start that was more frightening than rousing as rookie Lance Jones crashed heavily on the fifth lap of his heat race. For reasons unknown, the race was allowed to continue, even as Jones lay motionless on the track. Finally, 1970 champ Gene Romero exited the race and demanded that officials bring out the red flag. Jones was transported to the hospital but was not seriously injured. Both Springsteen and Eklund won their respective heats by comfortable margins, setting the stage for a showdown that would decide the 1978 Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship.
When the National began, it was the Scott brothers, Gary and Hank, leading the 14-rider pack into Ascot’s turn one. It turned out to be a short stint at glory, however, as Terry Poovey moved into the top position before the end of lap one. Springsteen was near the leading pack, with Eklund back in seventh.
The gasp from the crowd (and H-D Team Manager Dick O’Brien) must’ve been heard all the way to Milwaukee when, on lap two, Springer lost control of his Harley and narrowly averted a crash that would’ve meant the end of his hold on the number-one plate. But, as he had done before (and would do many times again), the Michigan rider stayed on two wheels, losing just two positions.
At the halfway point, Springsteen was working to find his way around Poovey for the lead. Meanwhile, Eklund had his hands full trying to get around Gary Scott for third place, which would have put Springsteen in his sights. On lap eleven, Springsteen moved past Poovey for the lead. One lap later, Eklund dispatched both Scott and Poovey and began his pursuit of the number-one plate.
Nearing the end of the race, Springsteen would bobble one more time, allowing Eklund to move “menacingly” close. Would he have a chance for the win?
“The white flag,” Brown wrote, “came out too soon for Eklund, and though he closed to within 20 feet at the checkered flag, it just wasn’t good enough.” Springsteen had won his third consecutive championship, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since Carrol Resweber was champion in 1959, ’60, and ’61.
“I knew he was coming!” Springsteen said in his post-race interview. Eklund was clearly dejected in defeat but vowed to make 1979 his year. “I’ll be there next year,” he said.
And he was a man of his word! In 1979, Eklund won the Grand National Championship, something no true privateer had done in many years on the circuit. Springsteen was a distant second in the series points. The new champ celebrated in a big way, rewarding himself with a Ferrari Dino, which would sport a license plate that left no one wondering who was at the wheel: “Eklund 1.”
Steve Eklund loved racing, and it would be the last thing he would ever do in this world. He was tragically injured in a dirt track crash at a mile event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1990. In a coma for more than a year, Eklund passed away in September of 1991. Springsteen spent many years battling a mysterious stomach issue, and while he would win many more races, the 1978 crown would be his last Grand National title. And it was certainly one to remember! CN