AMA Grand National Preview -- The Springfield Mile
21 May 1997
CAMLIN FAVORED AT SPRINGFIELD MILE AMA GRAND NATIONAL R97050 Contact: Larry Lawrence May 20, 1997 Phone: (614) 891-2425 For Immediate Release Fax: (614) 891-7368 WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Illinois' own Dave Camlin looks to be the rider to beat this Sunday when the thundering bikes of American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Grand National Dirt Track Series come to the famous one-mile dirt oval at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. The Rock Island (Ill.) resident has a couple of things going for him coming into round four of the series: first, he won both races last year at Springfield; and second, he leads the point standings after the first two rounds (Friday night Camlin and the rest of the AMA riders will be running a make-up race in Parkersburg, W. Va., after the event was rained out earlier this month). Camlin, 27, has steadily worked his way up through the ranks of the AMA Grand National Series. Last year was his best season in his six-year pro racing career. He netted two victories (the aforementioned Springfield wins) and finished the season ranked in the top ten for the first time. So far this season Camlin finished fifth at Daytona Beach, Fla. in March, then followed that up with a sixth-place run at Harrington, Del., last Saturday. Those finishes were good enough to put him in the lead by three points over Waterloo, Iowa's Rich King after two rounds. Depending on how he does in Parkersburg Friday, Camlin has a good chance to have the series lead coming into Springfield and maybe even a better chance of heading the pack after this Sunday's race. In order to hold his lead, Camlin will have to top the one-and-only Scott Parker. Parker is the seven-time AMA Grand National Champion and the owner of a record ten wins at Springfield. As usual, Parker got off to a relatively slow start this year, failing even to qualify for the Daytona opener. The Swartz Creek, Mich. rider came back though, with a solid second-place finish in Delaware last week on the factory Harley-Davidson. Another tough challenger will be Californian Ricky Graham, who has won nine Springfield Miles. Graham is making another comeback after missing much of last year with injuries. Two of the all-time greats in AMA Grand National racing will be seeking their first win at Springfield. Former champion Jay Springsteen and perennial top-runner Steve Morehead are both 40-plus, but are both still very competitive. These two racing greats have amassed 63 AMA national wins between them, yet the most prestigious race in the series has somehow eluded both of them. Another rider from Illinois hoping to do well this weekend is Tim Mertens from Belleville. Mertens is 20th in the standings after the first two rounds of the series. PAST WINNERS Year Winner, Hometown Mach. 1996 Sept. 1 Dave Camlin, Rock Island, IL H-D 1996 Aug. 31 Dave Camlin, Rock Island, IL H-D 1995 (Fall) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1995 (Spring) Chris Carr, Valley Springs, CA H-D 1994 Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1993 (Fall) Ricky Graham, Salinas, CA HON 1993 (Spring) Ricky Graham, Salinas, CA HON 1992 (Fall) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1992 (Spring) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1991 (Fall) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1991 (Spring) Ricky Graham, Salinas, CA HON 1990 (Fall) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1990 (Spring) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1989 (Fall) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1989 (Spring) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1988 (Fall) Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI H-D 1988 (Spring) Bubba Shobert, Carmel Valley, CA HON 1987 (Fall) Bubba Shobert, Carmel Valley, CA HON 1987 (Spring) Scott Parker, Flint, MI H-D 1986 (Fall) Bubba Shobert, Carmel Valley, CA HON 1986 (Spring) Ricky Graham, Seaside, CA HON 1985 (Fall) Ricky Graham, Seaside, CA HON 1985 (Spring) Bubba Shobert, Lubbock, TX HON 1984 (Fall) Ted Boody, Sapulpa, OK HON 1984 (Spring) Ricky Graham, Seaside, CA HON 1983 (Fall) Ricky Graham, Seaside, CA H-D 1983 (Spring) Ricky Graham, Seaside, CA H-D 1982 Ricky Graham, Seaside, CA H-D 1966 Gary Nixon, Cockeysville, MD TRI 1965 Ralph White, Lawndale, CA BSA 1964 Sammy Tanner, Long Beach, CA BSA 1963 George Roeder, Monroeville, OH H-D 1962 Bart Markel, Flint, MI H-D 1961 Carroll Resweber, Cedarburg, WI H-D 1960 Troy Lee, Oceanside, CA H-D 1959 Carroll Resweber, Cedarburg, WI H-D 1958 Joe Leonard, San Jose, CA H-D 1957 Joe Leonard, San Jose, CA H-D 1956 Everett Brashear, Lake Charles, LA H-D 1955 Everett Brashear, Lake Charles, LA H-D 1954 Joe Leonard, San Jose, CA H-D 1953 Bill Tuman, Rockford, IL IND 1952 Bobby Hill, Columbus, OH IND 1951 Bobby Hill, Columbus, OH IND 1950 Larry Headrick, San Jose, CA H-D 1949 Jimmy Chann, Bridgeton, NJ H-D 1948 Jimmy Chann, Bridgeton, NJ H-D 1947 Jimmy Chann, Bridgeton, NJ H-D 1946 Chet Dykgraaf, Grand Rapids, MI NOR 1941 Frenchy Castonguay, Springfield, MA IND 1940 Melvin Rhoades, Harrisburg, PA IND 1939 Stanley Witinski, Reading, PA IND 1938 Woodsie Castonguay, Springfield, MA IND 1937 Lester Hillbish, Reading, PA IND Track Records: 1 lap: Scott Parker, Swartz Creek, MI, May 24, 1992, 34.264 4 laps: Kevin Atherton, White Pigeon, MI, August 31, 1996, 2:22.475 25 laps: Chris Carr, Valley Springs, CA, May 28, 1995, 14:26.77