An ignition failure prevented King from making the start for his first heat race, forcing him to attempt to qualify for the main event from the third row of a later semi-final heat. Starting 48 feet behind the line on his back-up bike, King rode furiously and worked his way from 12th to fourth place in the eight-lap heat, but had to finish first to transfer to the main and thus was finished for the night. JR Schnabel, aboard his Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited Yamaha, won the event.

�I think we all saw the true potential of the new XR550 in that semi-final heat,� said Screamin� Eagle Racing Manager Anne Paluso. �Rich rode hard and moved up through the field. We had some tough luck tonight but this team will be back and competitive on the short tracks this season.�

�We�re really optimistic about this bike�s potential,� said tuner Bill Werner. �We�re still learning what we can do with it. But we feel it�s going to be a viable contender.�

The XR550, a purpose-built �framer� racing motorcycle, is powered by a 492cc single-cylinder, Blast-based Harley-Davidson engine. The XR550 will replace the team�s Rotax-powered short-track bikes for the 2004 season. The factory Harley-Davidson team also debuted its new Screamin� Eagle livery at Daytona, with new styling on the team�s uniforms, transporter and King�s racing leathers.

The Screamin� Eagle team also competed in the AMA Daytona Hot Shoe Series event on March 3 at Daytona Municipal Stadium. Riding the Harley-Davidson XR550, King won his heat to qualify for the 60-rider field. He crashed while leading his first heat race and did not qualify on the restart. King then won the last semi-final heat of the night to transfer to the main event, where he was forced to start from the back row in the 15-lap race. The team decided to use the race to shake down the back-up bike, and King finished 11th.

The next stop on the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship is the Cow Palace Indoor Short Track, May 1, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, Calif.