FedEx Dirt Track Hall of Fame Weekend
The Fed Ex Springfield Short
Track Shootout Grand National
Championship race and it's handlebar-to-handlebar, elbow-banging
action will open the racing Friday
night at the multi-million-dollar
rodeo arena on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Then on Saturday, the
focus shifts to the legendary onemile oval for the running of the richest race in dirt track, the $75,000
FedEx Dirt Track Hall of Fame Grand
National. On Sunday, the best in the
business will again vie for AMA
National points on the fastest track in
the history of dirt track for the FedEx
Springfield Mile.
Last year, the inaugural running of
the Short Track produced intense
racing. The close quarters of the
Rodeo Arena had the riders bunched
up in tight packs most of the night.
The final was a war between Will
Davis of Goldsboro, North Carolina,
and Owensboro, Kentucky's Nicky
Hayden. Hayden, the factory Honda
road-race star, won the race with a
wild outside pass in the last few laps
to inch ever closer toward his career
goal of achieving a Grand Slam in
AMA competition, which includes a
win in all four disciplines of dirt track
STORY BY J.B. NORRIS
PHOTOS BY DAVE HOENIG/
FLAT TRAK FOTOS
T
he stars of the AMA Progressive
Insurance U.S. Flat Track Grand
National Championship Series are
headed to Springfield, Illinois, for the
biggest weekend in dirt track, the
FedEx Dirt Track Hall of Fame Weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds
over Labor Day Weekend, August 31September 2. It's a tripleheader of
National Championship competition,
with over $200,000 up for grabs,
making it the richest weekend in dirt
track.
On Saturday, the class of 2001 will
be inducted into the Dirt Track Hall of
Fame. Leading the class of inductees
will be the winningest rider in the history of dirt track racing, former
Harley-Davidson factory rider Scott
Parker. He will be joined by former
rivals and standout privateers Steve
Morehead and Ronnie Jones, legendary tuner Shell Thuett and 1920sera sidecar racer Floyd "Pops" Dreyer.
The weekend's races are being
organized by the Illinois Motorcycle
Dealers Association (IMDA). Saturday's Hall of Fame race is in association with the Dirt Track Hall of Fame.
"We are proud to produce this
incredible weekend of racing for all
the race fans," said IMDA President
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SEPTEMBER 5,2001
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cue
Winnie Feken. "We are also proud of
the sponsors who are making this
weekend possible including FedEx,
Drag Specialties, Dunlop Tire,
American Chevrolet, Illinois State
Lottery, Duca~i, Miller Lite and Cycle
News."
