June 3, 2005
Springfield, IL - Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts rider Rich King continued his dominance at the Springfield Mile by winning round four of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, his fourth win in the past five AMA Grand National events at the fabled track on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. King led 16 laps during the 25-lap main and passed from fourth position on the last lap to take the win over Quality Checked Pre-Owned Ford/Lancaster Harley-Davidson rider Chris Carr and KTM/Mid-America Harley-Davidson rider Kenny Coolbeth.
“Anytime you win at the Mile, it’s a huge victory,” said King, who now has 19 AMA Grand National race victories. “The Screamin’ Eagle team put a great bike under me with the set up needed for the race, and we came out on top in a really competitive field.”
The Springfield Mile program was delayed almost three hours due to the rain. King won his qualifying heat and then took the lead on the first lap of the main. He found himself in a race-long battle with a group of Harley-Davidson-mounted riders that included Carr, Coolbeth, Latus Harley-Davidson/Jones Powersports rider Joe Kopp, Gerencer’s Harley-Davidson/Kerstings Cycle rider Kevin Atherton, and Bartels’ Harley-Davidson rider Shaun Russell, each of whom led at least one lap.
“The day was kind of a roller coaster with the rain, which made the track tough to navigate since there were a lot of different racing lines,” said King. “It was like a 25-mile sprint race, and we were battling each other the whole time.”
As the race wound down on lap 22, King led a pack that included Carr, Kopp and Coolbeth, but the Screamin’ Eagle rider found himself shuffled back to fourth place as Coolbeth led at the white flag for the final lap. The group was four abreast into the first corner. King was on the low side and wrestled his way into the lead coming out of it. He led the rest of the race, beating Carr and Coolbeth across the line by less than a second at the checkered flag.
“The team has worked really hard in the last year navigating the changes we’ve had, and it all came together with today’s win,” said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso. “Rich rode with such determination and did a terrific job. The team is really looking forward to the next event.”
With his second-place finish, Carr added to his lead in the AMA Flat Track Championship season points race. After four of 13 events, Carr has 67 points. Coolbeth and Kopp are tied for second with 53 points, and American Suzuki rider Jake Johnson is fourth with 50 points.
Round five of the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship series is scheduled for June 11 at the Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill.
