Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Newly-crowned 2002 AMA Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden put another page in his scrapbook Sunday, August 18 by winning the 54th running of the Peoria TT, round 13 of the 20-round Progressive Insurance AMA Grand National Championship U.S. Flat Track series, at Peoria Race Park in Peoria, Illinois.

Hayden crashed out of his qualifying heat while running in second place, caused a red flag and the heat was called complete. Nicky’s older brother Tommy Hayden was credited with second place in the heat and earned a transfer to the main. Nicky was forced to go to the semi heat races.

Nicky Hayden came back to win his semi heat race from the second row while another road racer, Larry Pegram, fourth in the same semi, failed to transfer to the main.

Roger Lee Hayden took the win in his semi heat race, earning a spot in the big show.

A full 50 racers tried but only 18 made the main event.

Nicky Hayden lined up for the 25-lap main event on the third row but made his situation worse by jumping the start and getting moved back to the fourth and final row of the grid.

In the race, Nicky steadily worked his way through the field and made the pass for the lead and the win on the final lap. Glen Schnabel, Jr. took a close second. A 13-time Peoria TT winner, Chris Carr, also known as the “Prince of Peoria”, placed third. Tommy Hayden was fifth while Roger Lee Hayden finished 12th.

Nicky Hayden has competed in four AMA Grand National Championship dirt track races this year and has won three of them. The only other racer on the AMA dirt track series to have more than one race win is series point leader Carr, who has two wins.

Nicky Hayden is 10th in the AMA flat track point standings, 103 points behind Carr.

Nicky Hayden has said several times that one of his personal goals in racing is to complete the Grand Slam, which consists of winning a TT, a short track, a half-mile and a mile Grand National Championship dirt track race plus a Superbike road race. Nicky is only short of a win on a mile but has two opportunities left in the 2002 season; September 1 in Springfield, Illinois, and September 28 in DuQuoin, Illinois.

Peoria TT Race Results:

1. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 25 laps
2. Glen Schnabel, Jr., Honda
3. Chris Carr, ATK
4. Joe Kopp, KTM
5. Tommy Hayden, Honda
6. Rich King, Harley-Davidson
7. Johnny Murphee, Rotax
8. Bryan Bigelow, Honda
9. Shaun Russell, Rotax
10. Stephen Beattie, Honda
11. Dan Stanley, Honda
12. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda
13. Willie McCoy, ATK
14. Kevin Varnes, CCM
15. Kevin Atherton, Honda
16. Terry Poovey, Honda
17. John Hlebo, III, Honda
18. Chris Boone, Honda