Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

DIRT TRACK AMA Grand National Championship/Camd Pro Series: Final round Chris Carr and his tuner, Kenny Tolbert, celebrated their first Grand National Championship together. Four-time Grand National Champion Scott Parker (right) won the race, but lost the war. Carr edged Parker for the title by a scant two points, 234-232. Carr's Number One! By Donn Maeda Photos by Mitch Friedman and Maeda POMONA, CA, OCT. 10. cott Parker used all of his might, but it wasn't good enough to keep Chris Carr from stealing his crown. Yes, Parker worked his magic at the Pomona Half Mile and scored his 51st career victory in runaway fashion, but Carr did what had to be done and clinched his first-ever Grand National Championship with a smooth and calculated ride to third. The Chris Agajanian Presents- promoted, Valvoline-sponsored race resembled a well-written play. The drama took place at the Los Angeles County Fair and Exposition Complex with an audience of 8221 looking on. Entering the race, Carr enjoyed a nine- point lead over four-time champ Parker. In order to clinch the title, Carr could afford to finish no lower than third if Parker won. And just like actors follow ing a script, Parker won and Carr finished third. Second place went to a hard-charging Ricky Graham, who overcame an early-race scare to finish as a Honda rider in the middle of a Harley- Davidson sandwich. "I came and did what I had to do," said a somewhat somber Parker after the race. "I took care of my business, but there was no controlling what went on behind me." "I did what I could to help my buddy Scott win the championship by passing Carr, but it just wasn't enough," said Graham. "I almost crashed on the second lap and let them get away a bit." For 25-year-old Carr, the evening was the sweetest of his life: "I can't express in words what I'm feeling right now," said an elated Carr. "All I know is that all the years of hard work and heartbreak have finally paid off." Carr was joined in victory circle by his tuner of five years, Kenny Tolbert, who appeared to be just as happy — if not more so — as Carr. "I was so nervous all day, I'm just glad it's over," Tolbert said. "I always knew that Chris had it in him, and now we've finally done it." The eight-year road to victory has at times been a frustrating one for Carr. After finishing seventh in his rookie 1985 season, Carr steadily climbed the ladder to the top, finishing fourth in '86 and '87, and advancing to third in '88. In 1989, Carr finished a distant second behind Parker and looked to attain his goal the following year, but a leaking oil tank at the 1990 Springfield Mile dashed his championship hopes as Parker won again, and a disappointed Carr was forced to settle for second. Perhaps the toughest bump in Carr's journey came at the end of the '91 season. The well-spoken northern Californian led the series point standings throughout most of the season, but saw his point lead dwindle in the closing races. Parker and Carr ended the season in a first-ever tie for first, but Parker was awarded his record-tying fourth Grand National Championship by virtue of more wins throughout the season. It wasn't until this year that Carr ended the series with a smile on his face. "When I started as a rookie in 1985, I set a goal for myself. I wanted to be Grand National Champion within five years," said Carr. "Well, it's taken eight years, but I can now say that it was all worth it." Worth it, indeed. Along with the $100,000 bonus from the RJ. Reynolds Tobacco Company for winning the series title, Carr pocketed an additional $45,000 from Harley-Davidson as well as numerous other sponsor contingency monies. For his second-place series finish, Parker earned $30,000 of the $200,000 Camel point fund, while Graham pocketed $20,000. For his race win, Parker was awarded $4000 of the $28,000 purse, while Graham and Carr's shares of the purse were $2750 and $2000, respectively. Parker's 51st career win also brought his tuner Bill Wemer's career win total to 80. "That's somewhat of a consolation," said Werner, who has also tuned for the likes of Grand National Champions Gary Scott and Jay Springsteen. "Sure I'm sad that we lost the championship, but, hey, we'll be back next year. Change is inevitable, change is good." Time trials Most racers agreed that the Steve Wood-prepared track was one of the best ever at the facility. "The track is great, there's more than one line through the turns and it should make for some good racing," said Parker, who rounded the track fastest during time trials, stopping the clocks at 29.615 seconds, just shy of the 29.581 record he set last May. When asked what he had done during the week prior to the race in order to prepare, Parker grinned and replied, "Golf, golf and more golf. I didn't want anything to do with motorcycles. I just tried to relax and not think about it." Parker's teammate, Kevin Atherton, turned in the second-fastest time, but his 30.078 lap was nearly a half second slower than Parker's. Texas Harley- Davidson/Sponseller Racing's Larry Pegram, Mike's Harley-Davidson's George Roeder II, Arai-sponsored Aaron Hill and Canadian Chris Evans rounded out the six-fastest qualifiers, but would have to settle for a simple pat on the back as there would be no Camel Challenge dash-for-cash race. In uncharacteristic fashion, Carr qualified only 14th fastest, well off the leader's pace with a 30.530 lap. With the exception of the most recent Sacramento Mile and at Pomona, Carr had qualified among the six fastest at every National. "I just didn't get a good run," said Carr, obviously disappointed with his time. "But there was no sense in waving it off." Heats KK Motorcycle Supply/F&S Harley- Davidson/Bel 1/Shepherd/Dragoo- sponsored Steve Morehead was pulled from the first heat race lineup when a

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