Coolbeth, Harley-Davidson Win Springfield Mile

Coolbeth, Harley-Davidson Win Springfield Mile

Harley-Davidson rider Kenny Coolbeth Jr. executed a perfect last-lap pass to score a thrilling victory in the Harley-Davidson GNC1 event presented by Vance and Hines at the historic Springfield Mile.

Aboard a Zanotti Racing/Gator H-D XR750, Coolbeth stalked race leader Bryan Smith for the entire 25-lap main before making his move for the win as the pair blasted out of the final turn at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The strategy paid off for the veteran Harley-Davidson racer as Coolbeth beat Smith to the finish line by 0.009 seconds.

“I knew I wouldn’t get all the way around him going down the straightaway like a legit draft pass,” said Coolbeth, who has now won five times at Springfield, “so I buried it off in there just like I did when I beat him the other time and it worked out.”

Coolbeth, a three-time AMA Grand National champion, has more wins than any active rider in series. The win at Springfield is the 36th of his career. Harley-Davidson Factory Team rider Brad Baker finished fifth, 1.357 seconds behind Coolbeth, with Jake Johnson in 13th place on the Zanotti Racing/Classic H-D XR750.

After 13 of 14 races on the 2016 Harley-Davidson GNC1 calendar, Johnson is third in points with 169, Coolbeth is sixth with 134 and Baker is seventh with 124.