Jared Mees: The Grandmaster
Every Progressive American Flat Track season is a story unto itself. And on nine separate occasions that epic tale ended with Jared Mees crowned the Grand National Champion – a number never bettered and only once previously managed so famously by the legendary Scott Parker.
There’s been a great deal of variance in those nine Mees championship scripts. Some were grinding affairs, pieced together by whatever points necessary, such as a winless maiden GNC earned back in 2009.
Others were towering showcases of individual brilliance, as was the case with his twin 10-win runaways of 2017 and 2018, earned by 89- and 93-point margins, respectively.
In some years, the spotlight has been shared and in others monopolized. Some were about the climb, some about the reign. Others still were stories of redemption and reclamation, such as in 2021 when he returned to the throne despite contending with a devastating knee injury and after being edged for top honors by single digits in both 2019 and 2020.
The latest – #9 on the historic championship list – was, quite simply, a masterpiece. 2023 was defined by its drama, relentless virtuoso performances, and the compelling narrative of an established master confronting the challenge of a prodigious rival.
To stay on top, Mees was forced to somehow raise his game, a grim reality that was made apparent to the factory Indian pilot from the start when Estenson Racing’s emerging Mission SuperTwins ace, Dallas Daniels, ripped off a pair of convincing victories to open the season under the lights at Daytona International Speedway.
And that was merely the opening salvo in an early-season run that saw Daniels score three wins without finishing any worse than second over the year’s opening eight rounds.
“Yeah, for sure, he came out swinging,” Mees said. “Daytona was a little bit of a struggle for me, and he went out and banged off some wins.
“I knew that he was going to be tough for sure, but it was a little bit of a surprise how consistent he was. At the Arizona TT, we were running really good, but we had a little bit of a problem with the front brake (and ended up sixth). Basically, I knew right then, I’ve got to nail the podiums and win whenever I can from here on out. I need to capitalize at all the events that were going to be good for me – the Miles and Half-Miles.
“I had to make them all count.”
Mees did exactly that. He matched Daniels’ pace and intensity and took it up a notch further. In the end, he sat atop the standings boasting nine victories and 15 podiums – the final 14 taken in succession.
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