DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (August
27, 2024) – An
unexpectedly tight
Grand
National
Championship
battle arrives at
the Illinois
State Fairgrounds
in Springfield,
Illinois for the
Springfield
Mile I & II
presented by Drag
Specialties
on August
31-September 1, the
penultimate weekend
of the 2024
Progressive American
Flat Track season,
sanctioned by
AMA Pro
Racing.
Reigning
Mission AFT
SuperTwins champion
Jared Mees
(No. 1 Rogers
Racing/SDI
Racing/Indian
Motorcycle FTR750)
entered the
preceding
Arrowhead Brass
Sturgis TT eying
a realistic pathway
to clinching an
unprecedented tenth
Grand National
Championship this
weekend at the
iconic event he
co-promotes with his
wife, Nichole.
However, an incident
that took place
while Mees was
attempting to charge
his way up through
the field resulted
in a
disqualification in
Sturgis along with a
significantly closer
points chase.
Mees now leads
second-ranked
Brandon
Robinson
(No. 44 Mission Roof
Systems Indian
FTR750) by just six
points and
third-placed
Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Rick Ware
Racing/KTM/Parts
Plus KTM 790 Duke)
by just 12.
Further complicating
Mees’ march to
history is the fact
that both Robinson
and Bauman have
stood atop the
podium at
Springfield –
Robinson in
doubleheader fashion
on August 31 and
September 1 of 2013
and Bauman the last
time the Mission AFT
SuperTwins lined up
at the venue less
than a year ago.
However, the champ
is far from
defenseless in his
mission to retain
the #1 plate. One of
the sport’s all-time
great milers, Mees
has repeatedly
proven himself up to
the task when under
pressure, as
evidenced by his
record-tying nine
championships, and
at Springfield
specifically, where
he boasts an
incredible eight
victories.
Of course, Mees,
Robinson, and Bauman
won’t be on track
alone. Several
potential spoilers
could play an
outsized role in
swaying the
championship
standings one way or
the other at a track
that lends itself to
incredibly close and
unpredictable
racing. Ten of the
most recent twelve
Springfield Miles
have been decided by
under a second. And
of those twelve,
half have seen three
riders finish within
a second of victory,
four with four
riders in
contention, two with
seven or more, and
one that featured
ten riders crossing
the stripe at the
checkered flag
separated by less
than a second.
During that span,
Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC
Racing Indian
FTR750) and
Bronson Bauman
(No. 37 Fastrack
Racing Mission Foods
KTM 790 Duke) have
finished on the
podium and within a
second of victory at
Springfield, while
Brandon
Price (No.
92 Memphis
Shades/Sody Ent/OTBR
Yamaha MT-07) and
Jarod
Vanderkooi (No.
20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway
Ford Ohio Indian
FTR750) have
finished within a
second of the win.
Meanwhile, rookies
Trevor
Brunner
(No. 21 Mission
Foods/Zanotti Racing
Indian FTR750),
Declan
Bender (No.
70
GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian
FTR750), and
Max Whale (No.
18 Latus Motors
Racing/Liqui Moly
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) are primed
to join that list as
they return to
Springfield armed
with the experience
of engaging in last
year’s huge pack war
for victory aboard
450s.
Parts
Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by
KICKER
By scoring his sixth
win of the ‘24
season, Kody
Kopp (No. 1
Rick Ware
Racing/Parts Plus
KTM 450 SX-F) has
put himself in
strong position to
clinch the
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by
KICKER
title early for the
third year in
succession.
To do so, he need
only end the weekend
with 25 points in
hand (perhaps 26
depending on how
tiebreakers continue
to shake out). At
the moment, his
advantage stands at
34 points over
Chase
Saathoff (No.
88 JPG Motorsports
Honda CRF450R) and
40 over Tom
Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F).
While the margin
separating first
from second and
third in the
championship chase
is considerable,
that doesn’t reflect
the recent reality
on track, where
Kopp, Saathoff, and
Drane have taken two
wins apiece over the
last six races.
Expect that same
sort of
competitiveness to
continue at
Springfield with the
likes of
Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R),
James Ott (No.
19 1st Impressions
Race Team Husqvarna
FC450),
Tarren Santero
(No. 75 Vinson
Construction/P&M
Motorcycles Honda
CRF450R),
Evan Renshaw
(No. 265 American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R),
Tyler Raggio
(No. 55 Raggio
Racing/Sluggo Racing
KTM 450 SX-F), and
Jared Lowe
(No. 63 BigR/Little
Debbie Racing Honda
CRF450R) liable to
turn this into a
ten-rider barnburner
for the top step on
the podium.
There will also be
plenty of off-track
activities for fans
to enjoy throughout
the weekend,
including the
CAT Command
Trailer,
numerous vendors,
expansive food and
beverage options,
and dedicated
motorcycle parking.
All tickets are $10
off if purchased
prior to Wednesday.
If you act fast,
Infield
Standing Room
Only tickets
remain just $20
(kids 12 and under
$5),
Reserved Grandstand
tickets are $35, and
Premium Reserved
Grandstand are $45.
Fans also have the
opportunity to enjoy
a VIP
Experience
by selecting a
special ticket
option that provides
access to a premier
reserved seat in
front of the
start/finish line
and includes food,
beverage, and a Pit
Pass for $150.
Pit Pass
Upgrades
are also available
for purchase for
non-VIP tickets,
which provide
all-day access to
the pits where fans
can scope out the
world’s fastest dirt
track motorcycles
and get up close and
personal with the
stars of the sport.
Fans who purchase
Saturday and Sunday
tickets will receive
a $5 discount at
checkout. To reserve
your tickets today,
visit:
Mission Springfield
Mile I & II:
https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-i-and-ii-89223
Mission Springfield
Mile I:
https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-mile-i-89224
Mission Springfield
Mile II: https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-mile-ii-89225
Gates will open for
fans at 10:00 a.m.
ET (7:00 a.m. PT)
both days, with
Opening Ceremonies
set to begin at 2:30
p.m. ET (11:30 a.m.
PT) on Saturday and
Sunday. You can
catch the livestream
of all the weekend’s
racing activities on
FloRacing.
Motorsports fans can
subscribe to
FloRacing to enjoy
over 1,000 live
motorsports events
in 2024. FloSports
is available by
visiting
https://flosports.link/aft
or by downloading
the FloSports app on
iOS, Android, Apple
TV, Roku, Amazon
Fire and Chromecast.
FOX Sports coverage
of the
Springfield Mile I &
II presented by Drag
Specialties,
featuring in-depth
features and
thrilling onboard
cameras, will
premiere on FS1
on Sunday,
September 8.
The Springfield Mile
I will air at
7:00 a.m. ET
(4:00 a.m. PT) with
the Springfield Mile
II scheduled for
11:00 a.m.
ET (8:00
a.m. PT).
For more information
on Progressive AFT
visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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