Quality Checked Certified Pre-owned Ford Racing’s Chris Carr picked up his third win of the season and stretched his series points lead during round eight of the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships series at Atomic Speedway in Oak Ridge, Tennesse, tonight. The race, which was rained out completely one month ago and had to be rescheduled, was called after only 15 laps when rain began to fall again during tonight’s main event.
It might not have mattered, as Carr and his Kenny Tolbert-tuned Rotax were the fastest man and machine on the track all night. Carr was never defeated, as he won his scratch qualifier and then returned during the regular program to win the first heat, posting the fastest time to take the pole for the 16-rider main event.
Carr was in the lead when the main had to be red-flagged on lap eight due to a three-rider shunt involving Raun Wood, Rick Winsett and Garth Bastian. Carr re-assumed the lead on the restart and held it until the rain came.
KTM/Jones Powersports’ Joe Kopp was running second when the race was called, and his runner-up finish allowed him to minimize Carr’s points gain and keep the Washington rider’s title hopes intact. Carr’s net gain on Kopp was four points, and he now leads Kopp in the standings, 142-128. Kopp’s teammate, Kenny Coolbeth, finished third in the race and remains a strong third in the series standings, with 104 points.
The main event finishing order from Atomic Speedway is as follows:
1. Chris Carr (Rotax)
2. Joe Kopp (KTM)
3. Kenny Coolbeth (KTM)
4. Mike Hacker (Rotax)
5. Rob Pearson (Rotax)
6. Willie McCoy (Rotax)
7. Jake Johnson (Honda)
8. Jared Mees (Rotax)
9. Johnny Murphree (Rotax)
10. Jethro Halbert (Honda)
11. Terry Poovey (Rotax)
12. Chris Hart (Rotax)
13. Rick Winsett (Rotax)
14. Charlie Italia (Rotax)
15. John Raun Wood (Rotax)
16. Garth Bastian (Rotax)
