With resumes that already
assure both spots among
the sport's all-time greats, an
increasingly heated rivalry driv-
ing them both to ever greater
heights, and a winner-take-all
Grand National Champion-
ship on the line, the Charlotte
Half-Mile was always destined
to deliver more drama than your
typical year-ender.
That certainly proved even
truer than expected, although
not exactly in the most pleasant
fashion.
Official Indian aces Briar
Bauman and Jared Mees each
brought their A-games to North
Carolina; Bauman won the semi
ahead of Mees, and then Mees
responded by taking top honors
ahead of Bauman in the four-lap
Mission Challenge dash-for-
cash.
The stage was properly set
for an epic main as the two
squared each other up while
running first and second over
the race's opening laps. After a
short squabble, Bauman took
point and maintained a gap over
Mees that fluctuated from seven
to nine tenths as they played
their game of cat and mouse.
As the race approached
half-distance, it was no longer a
game when Bauman's machine
nearly slid out from underneath
ROUND 16 / JULY 24, 2021
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
P76
FLAT TRACK I PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK
MYOWNRACE
95 JD BEACH
3RD SUPERTWINS
Estenson Racing's JD Beach opened the
season with a second and closed it out
with a third. Throw in a couple TT wins
and a fi h-place championship ranking
and 2021 proved to be a massive improve-
ment over a difficult 2020 season in which
he ranked 14th with an eighth-place ride
represen ng his only finish be er than
tenth all year long. He said, "Coming into
tonight, I was not expec ng a podium. We
just worked so good today, and it all went
fluid. Once we got racing in the main, I felt
really good. I was racing with Jared [Mees]
and I had a plan. I was kind of working the
inside of him to make him move down
and then I went up to get him to move up
because I wanted to square him off. I did
it with two laps to go but I didn't quite get
by him. And then the next thing I know,
Davis comes flying up the inside. But to
end the year like this is awesome and gives
us something to build on for next year."
67 DAVIS FISHER
1ST MISSION SUPERTWINS
BMC Racing/Dick Wall 60's Davis Fisher
contemplated skipping the finale follow-
ing a tough podium-less season. He not
only turned up… He not only got his first
