FLAT TRACK
2017 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHP
ROUND 15 / SEPTEMBER 2-3, 2017
ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS / SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
P80
move from eighth to battling in
the lead pack.
After the restart the lead pack
was made up of Mees, Smith,
Halbert, Baker, Robinson, Bau-
man and Jeffrey Carver (Ben
Evans Racing/Carver's BBQ,
Kawasaki).
Bauman, Robinson and
Carver got to fighting among
themselves, lost the draft and
were soon joined by Davis Fisher
(Bob Lanphere Beaverton Mo-
torcycles, Kawasaki) and Jake
Shoemaker (Roy Built/Greg A.
Vietsi, Kawasaki).
The near-capacity crowd
jumped to its feet as the leaders
ond away from the win.
The race had to be red
flagged on lap 17 when Kenny
Coolbeth's Harley-Davidson
XG750R blew up going into turn
one, sending Coolbeth onto
the ground. Coolbeth had been
running as high as seventh and
leading the "second" pack when
his engine failed. Coolbeth's
Harley-Davidson Motor Com-
pany/Vance & Hines teammate
Brandon Robinson was able to
take advantage of the restart and
out high. It was kind of a back-
wards line, but it was better for
me to go in straight then cut off a
bunch of the track and turn right
away," said Smith. "Jared could
stay high, right on the edge of
the groove, way up there. I've
never rode that high. We were
almost hitting the hay bales
coming off of turn two a couple
times."
Baker brought the third Indian
home in third just over seven
hundredths of a second behind
Mees. Halbert's Yamaha had
been strong and he actually led
four laps, but came up just short
at the line, only 0.179 of a sec-
Mees and teammate Baker battle
it out. Baker is still seeking his
first win of the season
