VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P87
BY CHRIS MARTIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM LESTER
A
lready the series' crown jewel, the Spring-
field Mile has taken on further elevated
importance in recent seasons since being
deployed as a late-season doubleheader. How-
ever, even then, it has rarely carried the weight
and significance of this year's consequential
meeting, one that may have just tipped the bal-
ance in the Grand National Championship.
That possibility was widely expected to
come. Rick Ware Racing's Briar Bauman had
skillfully built an 11-point lead over Estenson
Racing Yamaha's Dallas Daniels before Spring
-
field, but the worry was it might not be enough.
In DuQuoin, the season's only previous Mile,
Daniels led a Yamaha 1-2-3 podium sweep,
while Bauman could only manage fifth on a
Harley-Davidson XG750R that had proven to be
a powerful weapon at smaller venues, despite
lacking in sheer acceleration.
Therefore, it was all about damage control
for Bauman. The goal was to keep things even
enough for a fair fight at the Lake Ozark Short
Track finale, where the advantage could shift
back in his favor.
AHEAD
