August 23, 2004
Rapid City, SD - Screamin� Eagle Performance Parts rider Rich King raced with the lead pack for the first ten laps at Black Hills Speedway before a flat rear tire brought an early end to a promising race for the veteran rider. The AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship event, sponsored by Screamin� Eagle Performance Parts, was the first AMA Grand National race at the track since 1999, an event that Rich King won.
King rode his Screamin� Eagle Harley-Davidson XR750 to a win in his qualifying heat on the half-mile track. At the start of the 25-lap main, King held down third place behind KTM USA/Jones Powersports/Mid-America Harley-Davidson rider Joe Kopp and Chris Carr, riding for the Quality Checked Pre-Owned Ford/Lancaster Harley-Davidson team, as that pair battled for the lead. But on lap nine, King felt his rear tire lose pressure which forced him to drop out of the race on the next lap. Carr did take the lead on lap 15, but Kopp stayed close and passed the defending Grand National champ on lap 23 and held on for the win.
�The Screamin� Eagle team had some tough racing luck tonight, but it�s great to be back in action in front of all these Harley-Davidson fans during the Sturgis Rally,� said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso. �There�s no place we�d rather be this week.�
The victory helped Kopp move a little closer to front-runner Carr in the season points race. After 10 of 18 races on the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship schedule, Carr has a 25-point lead over Kopp. KTM USA/Jones Powersports/Mid-America Harley-Davidson rider Ken Coolbeth, who was third at Rapid City, is now 45 points behind Carr.
The next stop on the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship series is August 22 at Peoria Race Park in Peoria, Ill.
