Cycle News Staff | January 5, 2000
Reigning AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr got a big surprise after the recently held AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet in Las Vegas when his race team owner, Mike Shattuck of Harley-Davidson of Sacramento, took the Carr family and a few friends to the Race Rock restaurant for lunch. There in all its splendor, complete with brand new number one plates, was one of Carr’s Harley-Davidson XR750s. The machine was prominently perched atop the back of the bar that marks the entry into the Race Rock. It will reside amongst the plethora of motorsports memorabilia that is the restaurant chain’s claim to fame for an indefinite period. According to Shattuck, the induction of the motorcycle was simply a pat on the back for a job well done during the 1999 race season.
“It was all about the element of surprise,” Shattuck said. “It was something that I could give to a guy who seems to have everything. It was really hard to keep it quiet, especially with these dirt track guys, who seem to have way too much time on their hands to talk about stuff. Winning that AMA Grand National Championship was probably one of the greatest things that ever happened to me in my life, and I want everyone to know it.”
Carr, who never appears to excite easily, was seen sporting a rather proud grin after spotting the motorcycle.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” Carr said. “There are a lot of big names associated with the Race Rock, such as Scotty Parker, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace. To have my bike placed in such a prominent place in the restaurant is quite an honor. I’ve really got to give Kenny Tolbert a lot of credit for building such a beautiful bike for the display. It’s definitely an original piece. We could take that thing down tomorrow, tweak it and go racing with it. But for right now, I think it’s pretty good where it is.”
The Race Rock is located at the corner of Freemont Street and Las Vegas Blvd. in downtown Las Vegas.
