CHAMPION JARED MEES
VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P105
year award in 1992, Mees is just
the third flat-track racer ever to
receive it; he joins dirt track leg-
ends Ricky Graham (1993) and
Scott Parker (1996).
Welcome to the club, Jared.
RAISING THE BAR
You can't really talk about 2017
season without beginning with
last year's season finale at the
Santa Rosa Mile. Mees came
from behind, hunting down
championship rival Bryan Smith
for the biggest prize—the Grand
National Championship—but fell
just short in the final corner. To
say that stung a bit is an under-
statement.
"I hate to lose," Mees said.
"I'm not a sore loser, I just hate to
lose. I was just bitter that I lost it."
He had 167 days to think
about that loss, 167 days until
Daytona to wait for a chance to
redeem himself.
"I ran Bryan down from a
straightaway and passed him on
the very, very last lap," he said
recounting the 2016 season fi-
nale. "That ran through my mind
every day until we got to Day-
tona, every day. I can look back
on it right now like it just hap-
pened. Me going into that last
corner and passing Bryan and
then coming off the corner and
see that thing coming screaming
by me and him beating me. No
disrespect by any means to the
other team. They won it. They
"Yeah, I
think I raised
my game, but
I just don't
know where I
raised it at."
Mees (left) and Kenny Tolbert
(right) go well together.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
DAVE
HOENIG
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
ANDREA
WILSON
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
ANDREA
WILSON
