Four former Sedalia Half-mile winners are slated to meet head-to-head this Saturday, August 28, at the State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Missouri, for round 12 of the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship.Chris Carr, Ken Coolbeth, Rich King and Joe Kopp have all tasted victory on the fast half-mile. These four riders will be hoping to add to their already strong reputation at Sedalia.
For Carr and Kopp a win this weekend could determine the tone of the series going into the final five rounds of 2004. Carr, the defending series champ from Fleetwood, Pa., is leading the championship by 23 points. He will try to extend that cushion with a win at Sedalia. Carr has a series leading four wins coming into this race.
Kopp whittled away at Carr’s lead by a few points by finishing third at the Peoria TT last week to Carr’s fifth. The veteran and former champ from Mica, Washington will try to narrow the gap even further with a strong finish at Sedalia.
Ken Coolbeth broke through to win his first Sedalia half-mile last year. The rider from Warren, Connceticut, is third in the series standings and a back-to-back win on the State Fair Speedway would be just what the doctor ordered.
The fourth rider to have a Sedalia win to his credit is factory Harley-Davidson rider Rich King. King, ranked 15th coming into this round, is out of championship contention, but he still has a major incentive to win this weekend. If the Iowan manages a victory it would mark his third win at Sedalia. That would tie him with the late Will Davis for the record for the most Sedalia half-mile AMA Grand National wins.
The 2004 AMA Grand National Championship is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The championship has been very competitive on this anniversary season with six riders winning so far, including first-time winner Henry Wiles, who took the surprise victory at Peoria last Sunday.
Sedalia will also host a round of the Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Series. Christopher Hart, of Farmington, New York, leads the series over defending Sedalia Sportster winner Scott Scherb.
For additional information on the Sedalia AMA Grand National contact (660) 826-2925 or visit www.centralmissourispeedway.com.