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FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 18 / OCTOBER 6, 2018 MEADOWLANDS / EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY P94 FLAT TRACK iii My Own Race: 1 JARED MEES 2ND PLACE AFT TWINS "It was a lot of fun. A good way to end the season in a place like this," said Jared Mees. "It was a dog fight. My bike worked well. We made some changes before the main event. Hats off to my entire team that worked so hard all season long. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have clinched that championship that quick. Bryan passed me down the back straightaway going into three on the last lap. I thought that maybe I could make something stick, but I couldn't. He rode well. He rode smart. On the miles I feel like I try to get too aggressive and control too much. I needed some time to tame it down. I did not want to let him in front of me because I was out of tear-offs. I was riding higher and carrying more momentum. It is just cat and mouse. If I could do it over, I would want to be the cat instead of the mouse." 23 JEFFREY CARVER 3RD PLACE AFT TWINS "We swapped the shifter around and I missed a couple shifts. I don't know, I just couldn't get it into gear," said Jeffrey Carver. "I knew immediately that I had to make up some ground quick, so I went to the top. I went to the old 23, Kevin Atherton style. I went to the top and passed like five guys in each corner. Once I got up there far enough, then it started misting and I couldn't see up there. I liter- ally was almost blind. I moved back down and started working the low line. I just charged. Sometimes that happens when you make mistakes in the beginning; it just puts a fire under you. Briar and I started battling. We swapped positions, he got me, and I almost ended up in the grandstands coming off four trying to get by Chad on one lap. I was completely off the seat. I just charged, charged, charged. I worked my lines and slowly crept up on them. I passed Bryan coming off four going to the white flag. I got myself in a decent position, but they had a little more straightaway speed on me." 14 BRIAR BAUMAN 4TH PLACE AFT TWINS "Visibility wasn't as bad going into one because I think we were going with the mist. Going into three I would just go black," said Briar Bauman. "I couldn't see anything. I ran out of tear-offs, couldn't see. I ended up ripping my left glove off because I was wiping with my glove and that was making it worse. I ripped it off and used my bare hand. We ran them down from a way back. I thought we were good. Suddenly I couldn't see anything at all. I thought I was in a bad spot. I've got a broken foot, and can't see; I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Once that happened I quit worrying about the win. I just needed to get home. I didn't know what to do or how to do it. Things were getting scary quickly. It was a long main. I saw Carver was still ripping tear offs so I think he was in a good spot. The blast wasn't so bad; it was just the mist. I think if it wasn't misting that we wouldn't have had any problems racing without tear offs." 4 BRYAN SMITH 1ST PLACE AFT TWINS "I was thinking about fuel mileage the whole race. I got the holeshot, then I didn't know how easy I should go when I had the lead," said Bryan Smith. "When he [Mees] went by me, I thought, alright perfect. I can just run his pace. I could just sit in his draft and not use up my fuel. Things got a little tight a couple times, especially when Carver went by me. I checked back a couple times and thought the gap was staying the same. It felt like with five to go, we slowed up a little bit. I don't know if Mees was just trying to hit his points or what. I was letting off earlier in the corners than I was early on. I thought we would be alright because we had a good gap. Here comes Carver roosting me. Jared gapped us a lot. I thought that was it. Luckily with that low line in turn one I was able to reel them right back in. I drafted him down the back straightaway. I just cut it good at the entrance of turn three where he couldn't get underneath me. I knew he couldn't get underneath me off four because it was slick. I went in hard and low into three and shut the door and didn't leave any room. It's not very often for me, or anybody that has raced Jared, to sit behind him and think about where you are going to pass him and run his pace and think about the rest of the world. Usually you are just hanging on for dear life trying to figure out how you are going to pass him, not when."

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