Springfield Mile: What Could've Been
T
he 2022 Progressive Ameri-
can Flat Track season was
dealt a cruel blow by Mother
Nature, (largely) raining out the
series' crown jewel event. A
Labor Day weekend dirt track ex-
travaganza that was intended to
showcase six main events at the
Illinois State Fairgrounds—each
one promising significant title
implications—was reduced to a
single Mission Production Twins
presented by Vance & Hines
race before inclement weather
brought Saturday's Springfield
Mile I to an early conclusion and
washed out Sunday's Springfield
Mile II before it ever got rolling.
No rider was impacted by
this development on the same
magnitude as reigning Mission
SuperTwins presented by S&S
Cycle Champion Jared Mees,
who came into the weekend as
both the leader of a tight title fight
and the event's new co-promoter
alongside wife Nichole.
Mees the promoter was no
doubt left hugely disappointed.
Mees the racer almost certainly
was as well, although it's debat-
able what it means for his title
defense going forward.
The factory Indian ace came
into the weekend as the winner of
five of the last six Springfield Miles.
Last year, he took a timely double
win which played a critical role in
his reclaiming the crown back from
rival/teammate Briar Bauman. A
similar performance this season
would have put him in an excep-
tionally strong position heading into
the season's final two rounds.
If no replacement races are
added to the schedule (the pos-
sibility of which is still unknown),
Mees loses a pair of advanta-
geous opportunities to pad his
nine-point lead on Bauman before
the season concludes at two
venues where Bauman stands to
prove hyper competitive. And with
25 points going to the winner and
IN
THE
WIND
P36
James Rispoli (43) won the first
Production Twins main event at the
Springfield Mile before the rains
came and washed out the rest of the
weekend's racing.
PHOTO: BRIAN J. NELSON
Mile specialist Jared
Mees was hoping
to pad his modest
points lead at the two
Springfield Mile races
over the weekend, but
rain ruined his plans.
