Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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FLAT TRACK AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 14/AUGUST 31, 2015 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS/SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS P70 My Own Race: 2 KENNY COOLBETH JR. 1ST Kenny Coolbeth Jr. earned one of the most exciting victo- ries of his career with a strategic move that worked exactly as he planned. "I had it planned just like the last Spring- field," Coolbeth said. "I wanted to blow around the outside and he [Bryan Smith] actually chopped off pretty quick and I had so much corner speed that I just kind of gapped them at the end there and nobody drafted me. It was awe- some. We finally got a good track to ride on. We've been riding on some really bad racetracks the last couple of weekends and the IMDA did a great job. You know, great team, great motorcycle and it's all good – I'm having fun. Coming out of four I actually peeked over my shoulder and I thought, 'Man, they're quite a ways back. I might have this.' And it just feels so slow when you're out front like that and you're waiting for them to blow your doors off, but we made it to the checkers first, so it's good." 42 BRYAN SMITH 2ND Having been so dominant on the miles of late, Bryan Smith was the prohibitive favorite coming into the Labor Day Springfield Mile weekend. He controlled most of the race, leading 20 of the 25-lap National on his Villa-Esparza/Cro- sley Radios/Howerton Products Kawasaki, but Smith said an overly aggressive throttle hand might have cost him the win today. "I knew he was coming," Smith said of Cool- beth's charge. I just gassed it up too much trying to match him and broke it loose and Jared [Mees] stuffed me. I was on the inside, protecting the line and I checked up and I heard him [makes motor sound] going around me and I thought I'd better go a little harder and block him like I did in the spring and it didn't happen. I was in control, kind of dominating even though we didn't win. I knew whoever was behind me was going to try to go around the outside. I checked up to hold the inside line and heard Kenny com- ing and I gassed it up and it broke loose. Coming out of four I knew it was going to be borderline and I came up a half-a-wheel short." 9 JARED MEES 3RD Jared Mees was close and had a chance to win the La- bor Day Springfield Mile, but he said a poor line choice ultimately cost him. "When Coolbeth went around the out- side it kind of stood Bryan up and left the door open," Mees said of the final lap moves in turns three and four. "I just wasn't quite close enough because I was going to try to swing around Coolbeth and Bryan, but I was late get- ting there. If I would have stayed put I probably could have got Bryan. It's mile racing. You could line us up again for another five laps and have another winner and then do it again and probably have another winner. I just put myself The finish: Coolbeth barely beats Smith to the line after 25 laps.