The center punch method worked well for me when I worked on my BMX bikes back in the 1980's. There was always plenty of surface area on the bottom side of the race visible and available for whacking. However, I recently needed to get the race off a skareb elite shock. There wasn't any surface area to hit at all. glenzx's advice, to use the utility knife blade, did the trick. I was surprised how easily the race came off. I simply held the blade between two fingers, and tapped the back side gently with a hammer. I did not drive it in all the way first, but rather worked around the circumference twice before getting it all the way in. (When I did get it in a little deeper, I used pliers to pry it loose, just to be safe). Like glenzx, I also then moved up to a thicker putty-knife multi-tool (the kind you can also use to clean a paint roller) with a tapered edge. After that, the race just slid off easily. No prying with a screwdriver needed. The job was quick--it took me less time than it took me to write this post.