Cycle News

FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK SERIES ROUND 7 / MAY 28, 2018 ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS / SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS P86 iii My Own Race: 23 JEFFREY CARVER 1ST AFT TWINS Jeffrey Carver was able to use a strategy much like the previous number-23, Kevin Atherton, used to success in the past on several occasions. "Kevin always comes by and gives me little tips here and there. His style was a little bit of what I needed," said Carver. "I was just try- ing to make those tires last with it being so hot. I think we were a little harder on the tires today than yesterday. It is mind over matter and just try to stay breathing out there. Every lap down the front stretch, just take a breath. Your body doesn't need a whole lot to run off of, you just learn to focus your mind." 1 JARED MEES 2ND AFT TWIN "In the beginning, me and Carver went back and forth. I felt like I was strong off the corner to the finish line," said Jared Mees. "He was getting me at the very end as we were tipping it in. I figured that I would back it off a little bit, because I figured that tires would be an issue. I backed it off and he kept pressing and pressing. I thought, all right, go for it. I figured that I would get him back. You could press the track so fast. It was so hard to make time on. It was so fast through the corners. Everybody seemed to be so hooked up that it was so hard to gain. When Davis [Fisher] got by me we kind of botched each other up. Honestly, I just made a mistake, I should have just pressed it. The tires lasted fine, I was just a little nervous with it. Jeffrey just dropped the hammer and went. I didn't want to drop the hammer quick. We reeled him in a little bit at the end, but he had such a gap and he was going so well. Hats off to him, he was flying all weekend." 2 KENNY COOLBETH 3RD AFT TWINS "As soon as Jeffrey got past Jared he put his head down. By the looks of it, he probably just held it wide open," said Kenny Coolbeth. "It was crazy how quick he gapped us. It kind of caught me off guard a little bit. I think Jared and I were kind of thinking the same thing. We were thinking about saving our tires. Tire wear was pretty bad, both front and rear, but Jeffrey was just hammered down. At the end, we kind of starting catching Jeffrey a little. I didn't want to start racing Jared, either. I knew Davis was right back there. He came around the outside of me on the last lap. It was pretty close. He actually nicked my boot a little bit. It was good racing. The temperature was a factor on the tires, I think. They didn't really go away. The front had more of an issue than the rear."

• Cover