The two-time champ is certainly spinning out wins. On a night when the show was only slightly delayed by local weather, then modified and run with precision by Steve Morehead and the AMA crew, Chris put his head down, got down to business, and slung Lima pea gravel all over those turn four fanatics for his third straight victory, taking control of the points from Joe Kopp, who finished second on the night after fighting with local hero Geo Roeder throughout the main event.
"Three in a row...the whole night went pretty good for us. We were one of the fastest guys in practice. There was about four guys that stood out from the rest of the field, and I happened to be one of them - but then Mother Nature came along and decided to dump on us for about a half-hour to forty-five minutes, and I think that's just what the racetrack needed (laughs.)
"Morehead and the crew, the track crew there at Lima, did a great job getting that track back into shape, and they ran a modified program of five heat races and three semis instead of running scratch heats.
"We went out in the first heat race with Will Davis and Johnny Murphree, and the track was just absolutely awesome. I think the first three laps we ran it wide-open. The cushion there at Lima - Gawd, it was so much fun.
"Got off the line third and chased Murphree around for about three or four laps, and was able to go around him - it took me a whole lap around the outside to finally make the pass stick. Was running down Will Davis, just kind of ran out of time there at the end of the heat race, and ended up a real close second.
"With the five heat-race format, I was praying that we had the fastest heat race, because that would have given me a front-row start for the main event. Fortunately for us, I guess being in the first heat, we were the quickest heat, so we got to line up on the front row for the main event.
"Got a great start in the main event - went side-by-side with Will Davis into turn one and was able to run around him on the outside of him coming off of turn two, and we pretty much set sail. The track was groomed to perfection the first five laps - I put my biggest amount of gap on 'em, and was able to get away, and steadily pulled away the first half of the race, then pretty much maintained that lead over Kopp the second half.
"We ended up winning by a straightaway, so we couldn't have asked for a much better night than what we had. "
DuQuoin Illinois and the mile oval there are the next target for the H-D of Sacramento crew as they enter the humid and hot nucleus of the summer season. This time the Southern Illinois event will held at night under the newly installed Musco lighting system.
"They've got a new lighting system there, I hear it's pretty good. I guess Morehead's going to go test it on Thursday this week, and we'll see how she goes. It's going to be a new racetrack for all of us, even though we've all been around it. We haven't seen what the track will do at nighttime with moisture coming up, if it comes up at all.
"I think it's going to be a new deal for everybody, and it should be exciting for, not only us riders, but certainly for the fans as well. "