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One for the aged

Posted September 02, 2007 11:00 pm

Hal Pilger

Top All-Time Springfield Mile Winners

Scott Parker 14

Chris Carr 11

Ricky Graham 9

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One of the first things 40-year-old Chris Carr did Sunday afternoon after winning for the 11th time on the Springfield Mile was to declare a dedication.

"I just want to dedicate this race to everybody who's got bald or gray heads," shouted Carr, who turned 40 in May and won for the first time as a 40-something during Sunday's 25-mile AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship feature on the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile dirt track.

Carr edged May Mile winner, defending series champion and current points leader Kenny Coolbeth Jr. by .047 of a second (a fraction of a wheel width) at the checkered flag. Bryan Smith, who won the Mile last September, came home third, just .204 of a second behind Carr. All three rode Harley-Davidsons.

"That was a helluva race, you know, with the three of us," said Carr, who's from Fleetwood, Pa. "I know there was a big freight train behind us. I checked back a couple times and saw a bunch of guys. But I think the three of us were so equally matched, it was going to be hard for anybody to get up in the middle of us.

"These guys were strong. We were all heat race winners, so I knew it was going to be a tough, long 25 laps. We set a pretty hot pace, and I just wanted to stay at the front. I told myself I wasn't going to let this No. 1 guy (Coolbeth) get away from me this time.

"I stuck to my guns and rode it out. I got the opportunity to win it at the end, and that's all that I wanted."

Coolbeth, who won an uncharacteristic May race when he finished first by nearly a front straightaway lead (4.71 seconds) over runner-up Carr, said he knew it wasn't going to be that easy this time.

"They took their notes off of me, and they sure as heck didn't want it to happen the way it happened earlier this year," said Coolbeth, from Morris, Conn. "So I knew they were going to be right there coming into it.

"It was a fun, smart, safe race. It was great - the Springfield Mile. And I'm kind of glad Chris won, because he's not really into the points (now fifth, 70 points behind Coolbeth). He's been struggling, so hats off to him. He's just a great competitor and a great guy to be in this sport with us."

Calling Carr "a sly dog," Coolbeth said the veteran "just outsmarted me, really," on the final lap.

"I thought he was going to go to the inside, so I kind of swerved to the inside, and he shot right by on the outside of me. He was in the right place at the right time.

"Chris is pretty fly on these miles. I'll go back and I'll watch the tape and see what I did wrong."

Smith, from Flushing, Mich., had a narrow lead when the white flag came out but had to settle for a close third by the end of the final lap.

"Yeah, I could go from third to first at the end of the straightaway and first to third before the start-finish line, so I was kind of stuck in the middle," Smith said. I couldn't lead it all the way to the line. I did a couple times but not at the end.

"So I knew it was going to be hard for me to win. I felt I could get second if I could get around one of them, but it's just tough racing with Chris and Kenny - they're really tough competitors. But it was a really fun, safe race.

"Chris has got a lot of knowledge on this track. He's been beat here a lot and he's won here a lot. He knows every trick there is, so it's hard to beat him. And Kenny Coolbeth beat us in the spring, and I didn't want to let him make us look that silly again."

Glen "J.R." Schnabel of West Bend, Wis., finished fourth on a Suzuki, while Joe Kopp of Mica, Wash., rounded out the top five on his Harley. Jared Mees of Clio, Mich., started the day in second place, just six points behind Coolbeth, but saw his second-place position slip 15 points behind the leader when he finished ninth.

Henry Wiles, who won Saturday night's short track event, escaped serious injury when he went down between turns three and four on what was the first lap before a complete restart. The ensuing 25 laps were accident free.

Hal Pilger can be reached at 788-1548 or hal.pilger@sj-r.com.

AMA GRAND NATIONAL TWINS CHAMPIONSHIP

25-Lap Main Event

1. (No. 4) Chris Carr, Fleetwood, Pa., Harley-Davidson; 2. (1) Kenny Coolbeth, Morris, Conn., Harley-Davidson; 3. (42) Bryan Smith, Flushing, Mich., Harley-Davidson; 4. (33) Glen J.R. Schnabel, West Bend, Wis., Suzuki; 5. (3) Joe Kopp, Mica, Wash., Harley-Davidson; 6. (22) Nick Cummings, Mount Morris, Mich., Harley-Davidson; 7. (28) Shaun Russell, San Jose, Calif., Harley-Davidson; 8. (14) Jake Johnson, Franklinville, N.J., Suzuki; 9. (21) Jared Mees, Clio Mich., Harley-Davidson; 10. (27) Robert Pearson, Morton, Harley-Davidson; 11. (80) Rich King, Dysart, Iowa, Harley-Davidson; 12. (43) Sam Halbert, Graham, Wash., Yamaha; 13. (69) Jethro Halbert, Graham, Wash., Harley-Davidson; 14. (72) Tim Eades, Colonial Heights, Va., Harley-Davidson; 15. (89) Kevin Varnes, Mohnton, Pa., Harley-Davidson; 16. (24) Logan Myers, Wheeler, Mich., Harley-Davidson; 17. (59) Willie McCoy, Justin, Texas, Harley-Davidson (23 laps); 18. Henry Wiles, Blanchard, Mich., Aprilla (0 laps, accident, DNF)

Race time: 14 minutes, 31.741 seconds (103.24 mph average speed). Fast qualifier: Carr (34.377). Total purse: $50,000; winner's share $7,165 (plus $100 for fast qualifier). Attendance: 10,000 (est.). Current point leaders: 1. Coolbeth 183; 2. Mees 168; 3. Smith 132; 4. Johnson 121; 5. Carr 113.

10-Lap Heat Races

(Top 3 To Main Event)

First heat - 1. Carr; 2. Pearson; 3. Wiles. Second heat - 1. Coolbeth; 2. Cummings; 3. Schnabel. Third heat - 1. Kopp; 2. Russell; 3. Myers. Fourth heat - 1. Smith; 2. McCoy; 3. Mees

8-Lap Semis

(Top 2 To Main Event)

First semi - 1. Johnson; 2, Eades. Second semi - 1. S. Halbert; 2. Varnes. Third semi - 1. King; 2. J. Halbert

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