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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1505613
ROUND 16 / AUGUST 12, 2023 CASTLE ROCK RACE PARK / CASTLE ROCK, WASHINGTON FLAT TRACK I PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK, SANCTIONED BY AMA PRO RACING P84 year, so I felt we were going to be good here off the bat, and we were," he said. "The bike was working well, and I was feeling good. I didn't get off to the greatest start in the main. I came off P2, and it's so hard to pass here. I just threw everything at Brun- ner and just couldn't make a pass stick. It was a crazy race. I had guys behind me and Trevor in front of me, so I didn't really want to open the door too much." MYOWNRACE Daniels, Mees and Beach celebrate on the Castle Rock podium. Mees, meanwhile, focused on coming home second to hold on to the points lead. That ultimately proved an uphill climb as the remounted Beach came storming for him from several seconds back. But first, Beach was forced to find a way around Royal Enfield's Johnny Lewis, and he did so in an unconventional around-the- outside fashion. He then reeled in the defending Grand National Champion, finally closing to within striking distance with less than a minute remaining on the clock. Despite seeing his chance to earn a ninth win in the series' most recent 10 TTs blown up, Beach still had hopes of playing the hero for both his team and his teammate if only he could complete the pass. Rather, it was Mees' heroism that won the day, as he success - fully defended the position to the flag. As a result, Mees will go into the decisive Springfield Mile doubleheader with a one-point lead (342-341) instead of a two- point disadvantage (341-339). In practice, that means Daniels must now plan on winning twice at a venue where Mees has won five of the last six main events instead of "merely" equaling his results. On the bright side, that's far better for him than if Mees had won and Daniels finished second at Castle Rock, in which case even two victories at Springfield wouldn't have been enough to guarantee Daniels the crown. "Lining up for that main, I was feeling pretty confident," Daniels said. "I felt that even if I didn't get a good start, I could pin a tail on JD. Unfortunately, I did get a bad start, and Jared got by me and Briar did too, but I was able to get by him quick. I got by Jared, and as soon as I did, JD fell down. 'Oh, my God.' That kind of freaked me out, and I had to loosen up. Two of the best TT guys [Beach and Bauman] had just crashed, and I didn't want to make the same mistake, especially with Jared behind me. "I was looking back a lot and was riding tight. I wasn't very happy with how I rode, but I was so nervous. I hate to get a win like that, and I hate to break JD's TT streak like that, but it's racing. You've got to get to the finish line first. "A big thanks to the whole team. This stretch of races was so fun. I'm happy to cap it off with a win, and I'm feeling good going into Springfield." While the stage was set for the finale once the top three riders crossed the stripe, the Castle Rock TT had yet to play out completely behind them. There, TT legend Henry Wiles hustled the Briggsauto.com/