August 5, 1990, was a good day to be Rob Muzzy as his pair of Team Muzzy Kawasaki riders finished one-two in the Wiseco 100 at Midi-Ohio Sports Car Course in what was round six of the 1990 Superbike National Championship.
And the two riders did it in entirely different ways. While Doug Chandler won from pole position, Scott Russell did it the hard way, finishing second after starting 38th on the grid.
The win was Chandler’s fourth of the season and fourth in a row and moved him closer to his first-ever AMA Superbike National Championship as all he would need to take the crown was eight points in the following round at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas.
While Chandler was able to cruise to victory, Russell started from the back after suffering a clutch failure in his heat race on Saturday. Although he came up short in his attempt to catch his teammate, Russell’s ride through the pack was one of the best of his career.
Third place went to Fast By Ferracci’s Jamie James with Commonwealth Honda’s Randy Renfrow and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Miguel Duhamel rounding out the top five finishers.
The Mid-Ohio track was resurfaced (and widened) over the winter and the result was faster lap times and more places to pass, but it was slippery and the threat of rain on Sunday had everyone worried. “When it comes down to the championship, you just have to be so careful,” Chandler said post-race. “I was sweating a little with three laps to go when I saw they were right there. There were so many things going through my mind, but I’m happy now.”
