That flat, oval dirt track out at the state fairgrounds is known by motorcycle racers and enthusiasts across this nation as The Springfield Mile. But to Jared and Nichole Mees, it’s the Speedway of Love.
The Clio, Michigan, couple returns this weekend to compete in today’s Springfield Mile, and they are set to carve out a little slice of history for themselves at the track where they already have quite a history.
“I’m really excited,” said Nichole. “It’s going to be very cool just because there’s never been a husband and wife team that’s raced against each other in any kind of motorsports, so this will be the first time that has happened.”
Technically, the first time that happened was on Jared and Nichole Mees’ wedding day last September, a boon for Springfield fans who had watched Jared surprise Nichole a year earlier when he proposed to her on the stage as she was being interviewed prior to the September, 2012, Springfield Mile. When Nichole accepted Jared’s proposal, she didn’t know he intended to marry her on the same dirt track where he proposed to her, but it was perfect after all.
The Springfield Mile is where Jared and Nichole first met.
“Racing brought us two together,” said Jared, who was just a kid from Pennsylvania when he met Nichole, a Michigan girl. “We got to know each other at Amateur Nationals in Springfield (in 2004). That’s the place where I met Nichole for the first time. It’s the place where I proposed to Nichole and it’s the place where I married her.”
Last September, prior to the Labor Day edition of the Springfield Mile, Jared donned a white shirt and a pink tie with matching vest and Nichole wore a short white dress. They exchanged their vows right on the straightaway in front of the racing crowd. They kissed, were pronounced married, and then they got down to business.
“We did a little victory lap thing after being pronounced husband and wife,” said Nichole. “And then we put our leathers on and got out and raced.”
Jared took sixth that day. Nichole finished 13th. Today, they’ll go to it again at the Springfield Mile, for the first time as members of the same racing team, the Harley Davidson Wrecking Crew. Jared races for the Las Vegas crew and Nichole for Black Hills.
Legendary stop
While the sentimental angle will make today’s return extra special for the Meeses, the race itself is a pretty big deal. It’s one of 15 stops on the AMA Flat Track Grand National circuit and one of its biggest events. Think of it as the Daytona International Speedway of flat-track motorcycle racing.
“The Springfield Mile is a prestigious track with a lot of history dating back to 1937,” said Miriam Deitcher, from Flat Track Live. “To win the Springfield Mile is a big achievement. Only six current racers have won there.”
Jared Mees happens to be one of those six. He won the Mile back in 2011 and captured the 2012 Grand National Championship by winning or finishing high enough in the 15 circuit races to earn the most points over the season. Jared competes in about 50 races every year, hitting non-AMA events for the sheer joy of it — and some extra purse money, of course.
Nichole, who is a full-time kindergarten teacher, races 12 to 15 times a year, mostly at AMA Pro Flat Track spins. She’s often asked if or when she’ll ever hang up her motorcycle gear and start having kids. Not anytime soon.
“For the last year or so I’ve wondered if maybe I should settle down and have kids eventually, but nope, I’m not ready yet,” Nichole said. “It’s like being addicted to a bad drug, basically. You say you want to quit but you just can’t quit. Eventually I do want to have kids, but it’s hard to say when.
“For now, I’m just going to keep (racing) until I’m not having fun anymore.”
1. Brad Baker (Harley-Davidson); 2. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (Harley-Davidson); 5. Jake Johnson (Ducati 749); 7. Sammy Halbert (Harley-Davidson); 9. Jared Mees (Harley-Davidson); 10. Johnny Lewis (KTM LC8 950); 11C. Shane Fox (Harley-Davidson); 14. Briar Bauman (Kawasaki EX650); 15. Nichole Mees (Harley-Davidson); 16. Wyatt Maguire (Suzuki SV650); 17. Henry Wiles (Kawasaki EX650); 20T. Michael LaBelle (Kawasaki EX650); 21. Duke Erickson (Harley-Davidson); 22. Lucas Scherb (Harley-Davidson); 23. Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Harley-Davidson); 25A. Shayna Texter (Triumph Bonneville); 27. Robert Pearson (Kawasaki EX650); 28P. Michael Bickerton (Suzuki SV650); 31. Daniel Ingram (Kawasaki EX650);
32. Shawn Baer (KTM LC8 950); 41. Bradley Hazel (Harley-Davidson); 42. Bryan Smith (Kawasaki EX650); 44. Brandon Robinson (Kawasaki EX650); 46. Aaron Lindfors (Harley-Davidson); 47G. Colt Chebultz (Harley-Davidson); 51. Steve Murray (Harley-Davidson); 59. Willie McCoy (Harley-Davidson); 61. Dustin Crow (Harley-Davidson); 64C. Jerry Steele (Ducati 749); 65. Cory Texter (Kawasaki EX650); 73. Doug Lawrence (Harley-Davidson); 74G. Ronnie Jones (Kawasaki EX650); 74P. Chaz Landers (Harley-Davidson); 80. Stevie Bonsey (Harley-Davidson); 81C. Zakk Palmer (Kawasaki EX650); 81G. Bret Sowders (Suzuki SV650); 88G. Kent R. Briggs (Harley-Davidson); 89. Evan Baer (KTM LC8 950); 91. Mikey Martin (Triumph Bonneville); 93X. Danny Koelsch (Harley-Davidson); 96B. Cody Johncox (Harley-Davidson).
