Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

lllinois Slgro Fo IL Sronv aro PHoros BY Drvr Horxrc/ TLATTnACKTOIOS.COM On lap 15 the large crowd let out a big groan as Springsteen coasted down the front straight, but no more had he limped off into turn one than the red flag came out. Rich King had blown a lire enlerin8 turn three. "This track just has a heck of a hump going into turn three," King said. "l don't know if I blew rhe tire off the bead hining that or what. lt's been causinS shock problems all day long. Guys have been breaking shock and dragginS oil lines. I'm pretty confident that's what 8ot me, too, It broke the bead on the tire and when I got sideways going into the corner, it iust blew it out. That's what I'm tellin8 myself an;,way. I know it wasn't rider error. Earlier I was battlin8 with somebody and after I finally got by them, I was trying to get after Kenny fCoolbethl. lwas catching him, but when the tire went I thought maybe I was just running it too hard and blew the tire, I really think it was that hump in turn three. lt catches you off guard. I had no notice. lt iust went." King's misfortune was iust what the doctor ordered Ior Springsteen, as it was a broken shock that had slowed him, "On the restart I thought lwas going to be starting on the lead lap, but starting on the tail end," said Springsteen. "Then I got to thinking about it and they revert back a lap. I still went to the rear of the field thinking that was where I was going to be then lsaw them waving me upfront. I looked around and they were talking to me, I thought, All right I'm going up Enere are two lnrngs you can l t*rr= count on at tne I Soringfield Mile: hor weather I and C-hris Carr. I Th. *""thur -as hor and rhe crowds were large for the annual Memor- ial Day weekend race, which this time served as the kickoff to the 2006 AMA Grand National Twins Championship- And once again it was Qualitl Checked Certi- fied Pre-Owned Ford s Chris Carr taking the victory - his second in a row and his ninth overall on the big oval. The day was marred by seveml crashes with Terry Poovey the most seriously iniured. The veteran dift tracker crashed in the waning moments of the National and suffered head, rib and back injuries (see ln The Wind for more information). This year's race, the 75th edition, came down to a battle betlveen Carr and legend .lay Springsteen, with Carr edging the former champion at the flag. The day ended with Carr toting the checkered flag with Springsteen on the back of his XR750 for a victory lap that had the crowd Soing crazy. Fast-qualifier Harley-Davidson of $y'ausau/Advanced Wall System's Willie McCoy led the initial start of the 25-lap National, but SuperTrapp/Doc's Harley- Davidson's Mike Hacker fell as the l8- rider freight train exited turn wvo. "Somebody checked up there in the train line," said Hacker. "We all came in and accelerated off the corner and all of a sudden people checked up, and lthink I was kind of at the spot where all the Toom ran out. Rich [King] locked it up pretty hard and was pointinS toward the infield, and I locked them up and was pointing toward the infield, and was still at the point where I was getting ready to clip him, so I let it go-" After a shon delay the entire lield had a complete restart. This time Kenny Coolbeth had his Harley-Davidson Motor Company/Screamin' Eagle-backed Harley at the point, with the factory Suzuki of Jake Johnson hot on his heels. Mccoy quickly regrouped and moved from fourth to flrst on lap three, and the race then started to assume the normal Springfield theme with Mccoy leading Coolbeth, Bartels' Harley-Davidson/ SuperTrapp's Jay Springsteen, Cafi Bartels' Harley-Davidson/TNTHarley.com{ack Daniels' Shar-rn Russell, lohnson, ReSgie Amos Custom Homes' Tim Eades, Latus Harley-Davidson's .loe Kopp, Horoney's Harley-Davidson/Screamin' Eagle's Bryan Smith and Harley-Davidson Motor Company/Screamin' Eagle's Rich King. McCoy and Russell exchanged the lead several times before Coolbeth moved to the lead and opened a gap - a large gap by Springfield standards. King was on the move to the front, but no one in the lead pack was locked into their positions at that point. 26 JUNE7,2@6 . CYCLE NEW DIRT TRACK AMA Fond Qualitg Checked Grand National Twins Championship Garr lafies The Ninth Chris Corr won for o ninth time in the Chris Corr ll) ond Joy Springsteen (9) were neorly the lost men slonding ot lhe end oI the Springfield Mib fri Springfield Mile ond it wos Corr loking lhe vi

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