Title Fight in the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Heads to the Springfield Mile II for the Final Mile Event of the Season

With just three events left and only one mile race remaining in the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship, tomorrow's round 14 of the season at the Springfield Mile II could very well hold some of the final cards to be dealt in terms of which of the three riders left in the championship battle walks away with the best hand before heading west for the final two half-mile races of the season.

With just 18 points separating the three title contenders with a realistic shot at the championship, tomorrow's final mile race will undoubtedly lay the final groundwork in the fight for the 2014 AMA Grand National Championship. And as everyone knows by now, those fighting to keep championship points leader Bryan Smith from claiming the double at the Springfield Mile II tomorrow will have to bring their best 'A' game in order to keep those title aspirations alive heading into the final two events of the season on the left coast.

In the shot above, riders line up and ready themselves to do battle at the Springfield Mile I on May 25 in round 3 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.

Front row (L-R): Brandon Robinson on the #44 USC Kawasaki/Hart Racing/Stevens Racing Kawasaki EX650, Jared Mees on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Las Vegas H-D XR750, Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the #2 Zanotti Racing/Moroney's H-D/Burt Ives Honda-sponsored Harley-Davidson XR750, Henry Wiles on the #17 Don's Kawasaki/DPC Racing/EA Racing Kawasaki, Jake Johnson on the #5 Ramspur Winery/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Parkinson Brothers Racing Ducati and Bryan Smith on the #42 Villa-Esparza/Crosley Radio/Howerton Products Kawasaki head the field as they ready for the green light to go for 25-laps in the National main at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mecca of speed.

Second row (L-R): Sammy Halbert on his #7 South East H-D/White's H-D/Specialty Fabrication-backed XR750, Brad Baker on the #1 Harley-Davidson Motor Co/Screamin' Eagle Racing Parts/Dunlop-sponsored factory Harley-Davidson XR750, Shawn Baer on his #32 Baer Racing Products/KB 5/Kam's Peformance-sponsored KTM LC8 950, Mikey Martin on the #91 Bonneville Performance/Factory Triumph Racing/Castrol Racing-sponsored Triumph and Willie McCoy on his #59 H-D of Wausau/Tucker Rocky/Independence H-D-backed XR750 ready themselves for the flash of the green light.

Third row (L-R): Johnny Lewis on the #10 KTM/GE Capital/Waters Autobody-sponsored KTM LC8 950 and Dustin Crow on the #61 Greg Crow Racing/Gardner Racing/Harley-Davidson of Salina-backed XR750 bring up the back of the field in the 18-rider National main.

We could go on about all of the possibilities that could transpire tomorrow at Springfield, but most of them have been hashed around that at this point it wouldn't add much more fire to the burning of the outcome in what will undoubtedly be another great event, so if any way possible you can be there tomorrow, you need to do so or you will miss one of the premier events of the season put on by AMA Pro Flat Track and the great promoters of the Springfield Mile, the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association. And like all of the other races this season, if you can't, FansChoice will have you covered--but nothing like being there!

We wish everyone good luck, safe and fast racing as we get ready to close out the Midwest portion of this year's AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship!

AMA Pro Flat Track returns to Springfield Mile for second time in 2014

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2014) - The AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship battle is heating up as it nears the end, and it'll roll back to Springfield Illinois, for the second running in 2014 of the Springfield Mile on Sunday.    On-track action begins at 10:15 a.m. CT (11:15 a.m. ET, 8:15 a.m. PT) with the Pro Twins main scheduled for 3:40 p.m. CT (4:40 p.m. ET, 1:40 p.m. PT) and the Expert main is set for 4:10 p.m. CT (5:10 p.m. ET, 2:10 p.m. PT). Fans can catch all the action, live in high definition at FansChoice.tv.   Bryan Smith was the victor on the hallowed grounds back in May, and the Michigan native and pilot of the No. 42 Villa-Esparza/Crosley Radio Kawasaki enters the eventwith a six-point lead over Rodgers Racing's Jared Mees in the title hunt. Smith, who is famously comfortable on longer tracks, is coming off a win at the circuit's longest stretch, the 1.25-mile Virginia Mega Mile. But in May, he needed every ounce of speed out of his Kawasaki, as he won by just .041 seconds over Kenny Coolbeth. Mees was third, just .153 seconds behind Smith.       Bryan Smith #42 leads Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. #2 and Jared Mees #9 to the checkers at the Springfield Mile I on May 25. Round 14 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds tomorrow will be the place to be to see whether Smith can continue his overall dominance on the big tracks and at the mecca of speed. Smith's only non-victory on the mile tracks this season came three weeks ago at the Indy Mile where Coolbeth dominated the evening's events. AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.         Coolbeth, who is fourth in points with 171, has shown speed all season, and would be firmly entrenched in the title hunt if not for a little bad luck and lackluster showings in the season's two TT events. The pilot of the No. 2 Zanotti Racing Harley-Davidson even has a win on a mile track, taking the checkered flag at the Indy Mile. Coolbeth also owns three Springfield victories.   Jake Johnson has been the model of consistency this year, standing on the podium six times to keep the title within grasp. The Ramspur Winery rider has also found speed on four different bikes this year, including the Kawasaki he rode to third in Virginia. Johnson is third in points, 18 behind Smith and 12 back of Mees.   Henry Wiles shot up the points standings with wins in both TT events. The fifth place Don's Kawasaki rider took his No. 17 machine to sixth in the last Springfield Mile and has now been in the top 10 in the last four events. Wiles is five points ahead of defending GNC champion Brad Baker (154-149). Baker has been solid during the latter part of the season, finishing no worse than sixth in each of the last six races. He was fifth in Springfield in May, and was riding in third until a last-lap mechanical in Virginia.   Sammy Halbert will look to rebound from a string of bad luck. The South East Harley-Davidson pilot missed the main in Virginia following a crash in his heat race and was 15th and 19th the two races prior. But the rider of the No. 7 machine has five top fives this year, including the Sacramento Mile, where he was the fast qualifier. Halbert is still seventh in points with 139. Brandon Robinson (USC Kawasaki), Stevie Bonsey (Zanotti Racing) and Briar Bauman (Monster Energy Kawasaki) round out the top 10 in points heading into Springfield.   At Springfield, the Pro class will run the twins for just the second time this year. When the up-and-comers visiting the track in May, Jarod Vanderkooi had his coming out party.   The Ohio Johnny's Vintage Motorcycles rider dominated every time he was on-track even though it was the 16-year-old's first ever AMA Pro Flat Track race. Vanderkooi, who turned 16 after the season-opener in Daytona, cruised to a 6.656-second victory over T. J. Burnett Farms' Davis Fisher.   Vanderkooi and Sylvester Farms' Brandon Wilhelm were the only two Pro Twins riders to clock a lap in the 35-second range in the main event. Wilhelm was fourth while Jamison Minor (Roy Miller Racing) was third. J.R. Addison will also be a rider to watch in the Pro Twins. The Parkinson Brothers Racing pilot was injured in a crash at Springfield in May, but returned this past weekend at Virginia and took the checkered flag, showing he's already back up to speed and knows how to get around a bigger circuit fast.   How to Watch: FansChoice.tv will be the official home for live streaming coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track and AMA Pro Road Racing events in 2014.    About AMA Pro Flat Track: AMA Pro Flat Track is a national motorcycle racing series in North America and is considered one of the oldest forms of motorcycle racing. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, the Series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. The 2014 schedule consists of 16 rounds on the country's finest flat track courses. For more information on AMA Pro Flat Track, please visit www.amaproracing.com/ft.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.   For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com