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AMA: Grand National Championship Coming Down to the Wire

18 September 1998

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- The closest points battle in the 45-year history of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Grand National Dirt Track Series rolls onto the Sacramento Mile at the Cal-Expo State Fairgrounds on Sept. 26.

With just three races left in the 18-race series, four riders are locked within 2 points at the top of the standings. Total Control Racing's Will Davis shares the series lead with Corbin Racing Honda rider Rich King. Those two each have 239 points, with eight-time Grand National Champion Scott Parker just 1 point behind them, and Harley-Davidson of Sacramento rider Chris Carr 1 point further back.

The points battle tightened considerably as a result of the Sept. 6 Springfield Mile, where Chris Carr of Fleetwood, Pa., earned his second win on the Illinois State Fairgrounds track. King, of Dysart, Iowa, finished in second place, while Parker was fourth and Davis fifth.

Davis and King may be leading the series, but they have their work cut out for them in Sacramento, where Parker and Carr have won every race since 1988. Parker has 12 wins on the track and holds the four-lap track record, while Carr has eight wins and owns the 25-lap track record.

Meanwhile, in the Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Series that runs in conjunction with many Grand National races, Jess Roeder of Monroeville, Ohio, will go into the Sacramento race with a 37-point lead over Shaun Russell of San Jose, Calif.

Gates open at 5 p.m. For more information, call the Cal-Expo box office at (916) 263-3049.