FLAT TRACK
AMA PRO FLAT TRACK SERIES
ROUND 11 / SEPTEMBER 6, 2015
ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUND / SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
P58
outside and take the lead. Maybe I
should have tried going around the
outside, but I did what I thought was
best at the time."
Johnson (standing in for the injured
Brad Baker) was stellar in his substi-
tution ride with the Harley-Davidson
factory team. He led coming out
of the last turn and thought he had
enough of a cushion to take the win. "I saw the flag and
thought I had it," Johnson said. "But then zoom-zoom,
they both went by me."
The 25-lap National boiled down to a three-rider
battle. Johnson led coming out of the final turn ahead of
Jared Mees, but Smith was right there too, and he was
able to power his Kawasaki into the lead just before the
finish line ahead of Mees and Johnson in that order. The
official margin of victory was 0.026 seconds. Johnson
was only 0.027 seconds back in third. Sammy Halbert
and Kenny Coolbeth Jr. were close as well in fourth and
fifth, respectively, but not quite there to be in the draft-
Bryan Smith leads
Brandon Robinson,
Jake Johnson,
Jared Mees,
Sammy Halbert and
Kenny Coolbeth, Jr.
in the latter stages
of the 25-lap Grand
National main.
