CARR IN CHARGE AS PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP COMES TO SCIOTO DOWNS
13 September 2004 - AMA Pro Racing

Chris Carr leads the nation’s top riders slated to compete in the 3rd Annual A. D. Farrow/Buckeye National Motorcycle Race, round 15 of the 17-race AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship.

The event is scheduled to be held on Sunday, Sept. 19 in Columbus, Ohio. A victory at the Labor Day weekend race in Springfield, Ill., propelled Carr to a 40-point lead over rival and 2000 AMA champ Joe Kopp.

Carr, a 20-year racing veteran from Fleetwood, Pa., comes into the Scioto Downs event not only leading the AMA Grand National Series standings, but is the defending winner on the finely groomed, limestone half-mile Scioto Downs harness racing circuit.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Columbus and Scioto Downs,” said Carr, who will ride a Quality Checked Certified Pre Owned Ford-sponsored Harley-Davidson. “Ohio motorcycle racing fans are some of the most passionate in the country and the track is one of the best we race on all year.”

Carr’s victory in Springfield was his fifth of the year, which matched his win tally during last year’s championship campaign. Earlier in the year Carr passed the legendary Jay Springsteen as the winningest active rider on half-miles. Carr is now third on the half-mile wins list with 22-career victories, all of which is not terribly good news to Carr’s opponents this weekend.

Kopp had closed to within 19 points of the series lead before the recent Springfield doubleheader weekend where he slipped back with subpar pair of 10th and 7thplace finishes on his KTM USA / Jones Powersports machines. While Kopp’s chances of earning a second AMA Grand National Championship are slipping away, the Mica, Washington native isn’t quite ready to concede. “A lot of things can happen in three races,” Kopp says optimistically, who finished third in Columbus last year.

Kopp’s teammate Ken Coolbeth, of Warren, Conn., is the only other rider in the series besides Carr and Kopp with at least a mathematical opportunity at the championship. Coolbeth is a proven winner at Scioto Downs. He took the victory in the inaugural race on the track in 2002 and was runner-up to Carr last year.

The Scioto Downs race is a homecoming of sorts for the series since AMA Pro Racing is headquartered in nearby Pickerington, Ohio. In just two years the race has already become one of the most popular with the riders and a fan favorite. Scioto Downs is a perfect setting for racing enthusiasts with its enclosed clubhouse and covered grandstands. The event drew over 11,000 spectators last year.

This season the Scioto Downs, AMA Pro Racing’s hometown race, is especially significant since the AMA Grand National Championship Series is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Scioto Downs is located in Columbus two miles south of I-270 on Route 23. For additional information on the race call (877) 274-1184 or visit www.sciotodowns.com.

For immediate post-race results, points, in-depth series and rider information, regular columnists and much more, log onto www.1800FlatTrack.com, the official website of the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2004

8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Registration at the track

8:00 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. - Tech Inspection at the track

10:15 a.m. - Mandatory Riders Meeting

10:30 a.m. - Practice

11:30 a.m. - Qualifying Heats

1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Opening Ceremonies

2:00 p.m. - 2:10 p.m. - 1st Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Heat

2:10 p.m. - 2:20 p.m. - 2nd Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Heat

2:20 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - 3rd Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Heat

2:30 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. - 1st Progressive Insurance Grand National Heat

2:40 p.m. - 2:50 p.m. - 2nd Progressive Insurance Grand National Heat

2:50 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - 3rd Progressive Insurance Grand National Heat

3:00 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. - 4th Progressive Insurance Grand National Heat

3:10 p.m. - 3:25 p.m. - HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER PERFORMANCE FINAL

3:25 p.m. -3:35 p.m. - Victory Circle for Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Final

3:35 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. - 1st Progressive Insurance Grand National Semi

3:45 p.m. - 3:55 p.m. - 2nd Progressive Insurance Grand National Semi

3:55 p.m. - 4:05 p.m. - 3rd Progressive Insurance Grand National Semi

4:20 p.m. - 4:35 p.m. - AMA PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE GRAND NATIONAL FINAL

4:35 p.m. - Victory Circle for Grand National Final

www.amaproracing.com

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