VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P69
BY CHRIS MARTIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM LESTER
T
he disqualification of
reigning Grand National
Champion Jared Mees
at the previous round in Sturgis
manufactured some renewed
title intrigue, which had been in
short supply ever since Dallas
Daniels went missing with a
broken femur that he suffered in
a training accident while holding
a 19-point advantage.
Mees' zero-point outing in
South Dakota, after he was later
DQ'ed from the race following
an incident with Brandon Price
while coming up through the
field, created a scenario heading
into the Springfield Mile double
-
header where either Brandon
Robinson or Briar Bauman could
have stolen away the champion-
ship with a run of three straight
wins to close out the year. It
also put Mees in a position
where he would be forced to get
at least one more victory and
finish no worse than second in
the final three races to guaran-
tee that he retained his crown.
Leaving the Springfield Mile,
a more genuine reality of the
season was placed firmly back
in focus, one in which the cam
-
paign largely centered around
two riders, Mees and Daniels,
while serving as a reminder of
what actually is, what it could
have been, and what is likely to
become.
MEES SPRINGS
TO WORK
MEES CLOSES IN ON
NUMBER NINE WITH
SPRINGFIELD MILE SWEEP
