Hancock clinches 7th Speedway National Championship

In a dramatic night of racing that saw the 2006 AMA USA Speedway National Championship come down to an A-Main showdown, Greg Hancock put an exclamation mark on a superb season on October 7 at Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn, Calif.

Hancock had the pole for the A-Main event, but lined up next to him was his pal and rival Billy Hamill, who minutes before had beaten Hancock in the 20th and final event of the evening’s Qualifying Rounds. Former champ Mike Faria and Tommy Hedden rounded out the main event field, but after three tough national events Hancock and Hamill were separated by just two points – the difference between first and second in the main event – in their championship battle.

Hancock had a two-point lead over Hamill, and if he won the feature he would secure his fourth straight AMA USA Speedway National Championship and equal Mike Bast’s revered record of seven career titles. But if Hamill could repeat his Heat 20 victory over Hancock he could force the third meeting of the evening between the former world champs in the form of a sudden-death runoff for the national championship.

A runoff for the national title would be nothing new for Hancock, two of whose six previous championships had come in pressure-packed runoffs at the expense of Bobby Schwartz and Ryan Fisher. He was determined to close things out with an A-Main victory, however, and a perfect gate from the pole allowed Hancock to dominate the four-lap finale and lock up the national title. Hamill chased him hard in the A-Main, hoping that Greg would open the door to a challenge, but had to settle for second on the night and in the championship.

Winning the AMA USA Speedway National Championship topped off a year in which Hancock earned a No. 2 world ranking in the FIM World Grand Prix Series and also led AMA Team USA Speedway to a No. 6 word team ranking.

The series ended with Hancock at 57 points and Hamill at 53, but there was still business to conduct, as Faria’s third-place finish in the A-Main lifted him into a tie with Charlie Venegas for third in the championship. Venegas, winner of the series opener at Costa Mesa Speedway in August, was having an off night (fourth in the B-Main), and Faria bested him in the runoff to claim the AMA No. 3 ranking. Venegas and Tommy Hedden ended the series in positions No. 4 and 5, and the top 10 also included Eddie Castro, Bryan Yarrow, Nate Perkins, Bart Bast and Shawn McConnell.

Hancock’s historic 7th national title was added to those the 36-year-old star earned in 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Mike Bast’s seven titles all came in the 1970s.

Round 3 results