Note: This is part of an occasional series produced by AMA Pro Racing to highlight the background of some of our top riders

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 8 2015) – Kenny Coolbeth has been winning races for a long time.

In fact, the Connecticut native is the winningest active rider on the AMA Pro Flat Track circuit, and sits tied for sixth all-time with Kenny Roberts with 33 Grand National Championship victories.

Being on a short list with names like Scott Parker, Chris Carr, Jay Springsteen, Ricky Graham and Bubba Shobert is impressive, and Coolbeth, at 37 years old, is still at it. That means Coolbeth’s been riding motorcycles as fast as he can for more than 30 years, longer than many of his GNC competitors have even been alive.

“My first race, I was 4 and a half years old, on a JR50, so a long time ago,” Coolbeth said. “My dad actually raced scrambles back in the day, and as he got older, he started flat track. I just followed my dad around.”

Like most people involved in the sport, Coolbeth started out for the pure enjoyment of racing motorcycles. It wasn’t until nearly a decade of riding that it became apparent he might be able to make a living through flat track. He was still pretty young, though.

“As I progressed and stuff, around 13 or 14, my dad said, ‘You can make money at this if you’re smart,’” Coolbeth said. “That’s when we started taking it very serious.”

The decision to make a run at a flat track career has clearly paid off for Coolbeth. His 33 wins have come over 12 seasons, a long time to be running up front with the best in the sport. He’s not a one-trick pony either, as he’s won Half-Mile, Mile and Short Track races. He’s only yet to take a checkered flag on a TT (Tourist Trophy).

Coolbeth has shown no signs of slowing down just yet, either. Reinvigorated riding for Zanotti Racing, Coolbeth won four races in 2014 on his No. 2 Harley-Davidson, second-most behind only Bryan Smith. He also missed the finale at Pomona due to an injury, but still finished fourth overall in the GNC1 point standings.

Growing up in the north, Coolbeth also has plenty of experience racing on ice, although he now makes his home in Florida.

A fixture of the AMA Pro Flat Track paddock for such a long time, it’s hard for even Coolbeth to imagine what he’d be doing if her weren’t racing flat track.

“I’m not sure,” Coolbeth said. “I’m sure I’d be doing something with a motor.”