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AMAIProgressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships Round 16: Illinois State Fairgrounds Chris Carr (i) eamed his fifth consecutive Springfield Mile victory, surviving a drafUng war with Rich King (80), Shaun Russell (28), Johnny Murphree (20) and Jake Johnson {partially hidden behind Carr!. weeks ago," Carr said. "It sure feels good to keep another one alive here in Illinois, that's for sure." Although the series points race isn't over yet, Carr now appears to have his closest rivals in a proverbial choke hold. Murphree's fifth-place finish means that he has lost further ground to Carr, but the Californian got off light compared to the rest of the frontrunners. Gardner Racing/ Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson's Bryan Bigelow watched his hopes all but vanish as he failed to make the main event. Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited's Kevin Varnes was kicked out of the Grand National final before it was restarted when his bike began to leak oil. The upshot is that Carr now leads Murphree in the standings by 39 points with just four rounds to go, 241-202. Bigelow has 192, and Varnes 173. "The championship was the goal that this Quality Certified Pre-Owned Ford Racing team had set for itself at the beginning of the season," Carr said. "This win today sure gets us By SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS BY FLAT TRAK FOTOS SPRINGAELD, IL, SEPT. 1 II! he capacity crowd had come to ~11 the Illinois State Fairgrounds to see a classic Springfield Mile whereby American motorcycle racing phenom Nicky Hayden would pull off a stunning victory and become the fifth member of the AMA Grand Slam club. Sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too. The IMDA-promoted Labor Day Springfield Mile did feature its classic close racing and last-lap drafting heroics, but once again it was reigning AMA/Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Champion Chris Carr who pulled them and thus earned his second consecutive Springfield Mile sweep. Hayden tried, but failed, to make his way to the front of the lead pack, ending up eighth at the finish. Carr, on the other hand, played a big part in the lead draft for most of the 25-lap race, leading laps seven, nine, 11 and 23 while mixing it up with Harley-Davidson's Rich King, Bartels' Harley-Davidson/Custom Chrome's Shaun Russell, Moroney's H-D/SuperTrapp's Jake Johnson, and Coziahr Harley-Davidson/Country Motors' Johnny Murphree with five laps to go. In classic mile fashion, the quintet then fanned out on the final run to the checkered flag, appearing to cross the finish line simultaneously. After taking several minutes to review the official AMA camera, officials credited Carr with the win, followed by King and Russell, with Russell earning his first career AMA podium finish. Johnson was tabbed fourth, Murphree fifth. It was Carr's seventh Springfield win, and his fifth in a row. "I lost another string of wins about 90 miles from here [Peoria] a couple 22 SEPTEMBER 1 1. 2002' cue I _ n __ s closer to meeting that goal." The Mile prOVided a chill and a spill to go with the thrills when Washington rider Dan Stanley lowsided his Skip Eaken Harley-Davidson in tum one after the field crossed the stripe on the opening lap of the main event. The bike then caught traction and went over the high side, taking Stanley with it - his leg was caught up on his right numberplate - and slamming him to the ground. Bike and rider then tumbled into the bales violently. Miraculously, Stanley was not seriously hurt, and he actually walked away from the crash. At the finish, the difference between first and fifth place was decided by the width of a Goodyear DTII-tire sidewall. That's how close King came to earning his second Springfield Mile win. Instead, the 39- How's that for close?: The five-rider photo finish took . .v minutes of revi_ by AMA Dirt T ck Manager Bruce Bober (right, on 1.tt1 before Carr was declared the winner. year-old Iowan once again had to settle for the bridesmaid spot. Since joining the factory team, he has been on the Springfield Mile podium almost every time, but he won the race once as a privateer. "There was a lot of stuff going on there, but there were so many good riders up front, and everyone wanted to lead it," King said. "I started thinking of that lap money, and I don't know how many in the lead we clicked off, but I know that I crossed the line [first] a bunch. I just didn't get that last one, dammit. If you're going to beat Chris Carr here at Springfield, you have to try to do it in dollar values, because he always seems to win here every year, but one of these days we're going to snake him at the line," King said. "We thought we had him this time, but they looked at the camera and said we were a few inches short. Story of my life - we'll deal with it." For Russell, who appeared to the naked eye to be as likely a winner as either Carr or King, third place was still a dream come true. The 23-yearold Californian has long claimed that the Springfield Mile is his favorite race track, and he is always competitive there - especially on Labor Day Weekend. It was only fitting, then,