Larry Lawrence | June 7, 2018
Meticulous preparation, both on and off the track, has been a hallmark of Kenny Coolbeth, Jr’s successful racing career. (Larry Lawrence photo)
We had a great opportunity to talk with three-time AMA Grand National (American Flat Track) Champion Kenny Coolbeth Jr. at last month’s Springfield Mile. The winningest active rider in the championship has announced 2018 is his final season of racing. Over his 25-year pro career, Coolbeth quietly built one of the most impressive records in the history of American Flat Track racing.
When Coolbeth came into his own, he was one of the first riders to change the way flat trackers approached their profession. Of track training became Coolbeth’s calling card, and a rider who perhaps never had the most natural talent, found a way to rise to the top by way of hard work. Others noticed and Coolbeth’s approach to physical training eventually became the norm for riders in the championship.
It’s safe to say the series won’t quite be the same without a rider who has been among the elite for better than 20 years, but even though he’s still one of the best, Coolbeth felt the time was right to move on to the next phase of life.
Here’s what the King of Cool had to say.
CN: This is your last time around. One more Springfield to go. What are your feelings?
Coolbeth: It’s bittersweet. It’s all I’ve ever done, so it’s going to be a huge change in my life, but it’s time. It’s been good. I’ve had a great career. Just now I’ll live a normal life. I’ve got a little boy, and be a soccer dad or a ball guy, follow him around. Whatever he chooses to do. Just enjoy life like a normal person. This stuff made me who I am and everything I have is because of this, so I’m fortunate that all these years I made a living doing what I love. It’s pretty cool. Hopefully raise my little dude, and hopefully he doesn’t race. Hopefully we’re away before he really gets into it.
CN: You’re still very much on the top of your game, still capable of winning. Was that important to you to go out while you were still very competitive?
Coolbeth: My goal is to win the championship this year. That’s how I want to go out. That’s a long reach right now, but I want to do good. Podiums are my goals right now. I work hard still. I owe it to all my sponsors. They put a lot of effort and money into my program, so I work hard for an old guy. Just have fun on my motorcycle. That’s the biggest thing. Have the guys around you that you enjoy being around and have the same goals.
CN: How many times have you sat in a rain delay at Springfield?
Coolbeth: This is the part I hate about what we do, man. It’s kind of stressful because if we do get going here, the track’s not going to be that great. It’s mentally challenging more than anything. But it’s safe for everybody. Hopefully they make the right choice and let it set, and tomorrow is another day.
CN: You’re riding for an independent team now. What kind of support are you guys getting from the factory? Do they give you guys any support or is it pretty much just a customer team?
Coolbeth: John Weiss actually owns everything. He’s just a guy out of Indiana that loves racing. Him and Dave Atherton hooked up. I got a hold of Gary Gray at Indian over the winter and was trying to get a little money for myself to kind of get me to the racetrack. Obviously, we don’t have the big salaries anymore, which is fine. Indian is helping me personally. It’s cool. They’ve built an amazing motorcycle. The FTR is turn-key. You go and buy it and you win races. It’s amazing. You wouldn’t think that we’d have the same bikes as Bryan Smith, but we pretty much do. It’s pretty cool.
A longtime factory Harley-Davidson rider, Coolbeth is ending his career racing with factory support from Indian. (Larry Lawrence photo)
CN: Are there any other private teams that they are helping out? Or is it pretty much a special deal for you since you’re a multi-time champion?
Coolbeth: I’m not sure who they’re helping out. All I know is what they’re doing for me. It’s an honor for them to come on board personally that they still have faith in me and this is my last year. It’s pretty cool. Just want to run up front with those guys. That’s the biggest thing.
CN: I think about your legacy in the sport and to me, the thing you change about the sport is how you approached it in terms of physical training and things of this nature. You changed the game of that. Do you feel that legacy?
Coolbeth: In a way. It’s all I know how to do. I love riding my motorcycle, so I rode during the week a lot and cycled. Jared Mees stepped it up with the training and all the mental stuff. So it’s cool to see that. Back in the day, it was like party until we have to go out to practice, and they had talent. That’s what got them through it. It would have been crazy to see if they really did what we did. They would have been animals. But times have changed. It’s even getting more so that you have to work your tail off just as much off the motorcycle.
CN: You were one of the first guys in flat track racing to do that.
Coolbeth: Yeah, in a way I would say. It’s been a good ride. I shouldn’t have let them know all that, but it’s all good. It only gets harder too with age. You have to work triple hard. I got a good home life, so it’s good. Mentally I’m pretty strong.
CN: What do you think you’re going to do post racing? Any ideas?
Coolbeth: My wife and I actually bought a business. We’re actually a distributor for Spectro Oils, which is a huge sponsor of mine and have been a sponsor of mine through the years. we’re the main distributor for all of Florida and the lower half of Georgia right now. So we’ve been doing that for like six months now. I just wanted to have something to fall back on and the chance came. It’s cool. It’s going to be pretty cool to see what comes about it. Right now we’re doing good and I haven’t even really approached any new clients.
CN: It’s been a pleasure getting to cover part of your career. I hope to see you at a couple more races.
Coolbeth: The rest of the season, and then we’ll be around watching. When I’m done, I’m done. I’ve seen a lot of guys come back and, “I’ll do Springfield, or I’ll do Lima, or whatever.” It’s like, that’s when you’re not on your game, so I’ve seen a lot of guys kind of get hurt. I made up my mind. Do some local racing probably, just kind of mess around and still ride a lot at home I’m sure. It’s going to be way different. It’s going to be a big change in my life.
CN: You’ve stepped up the level of the game and you really changed the way people had to approach this. I think that’s a pretty cool thing to leave the sport.
Coolbeth: The sport’s going in the right direction I think. It kind of sucks (grins).
CN: Wishing you were in the beginning of the game?
Coolbeth: The riders are going to start getting, by the sounds of it, some pay checks that they deserve. It’s cool. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for AFT.
