Rispoli Claims Dramatic Mission Production Twins Win at Springfield Mile I

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – September 4, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Progressive American Flat Track’s undercard stars took center stage during the Mission Springfield Mile I presented by Drag Specialties at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois.

Shortly after the completion of the first of three scheduled Main Events, a late afternoon rain shower brought Saturday’s activities to an early conclusion as the day’s Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle and Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER were delayed until Sunday afternoon (see below for complete details).

Fortunately, the Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines class brought the drama in its thrilling and significant Main Event. The constantly evolving title fight delivered its latest twist when championship leader Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) suffered a mechanical DNF while fighting for the lead early in Saturday’s Main Event.

While that would normally open the door for defending champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) to blast through, Texter had his own problems on the day, uncharacteristically searching for pace after only narrowly advancing to the Main through his Semi.

Instead, Saturday’s spotlight initially shone down on ‘22 part-timers Michael Rush (No. 15 Helipower Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R) and James Rispoli (No. 43 Wally Brown Racing/Haversack KTM 890 Duke). In fact, Janisch later admitted he was merely attempting to slow the two down before breaking and bringing out the red flag.

After dominating their respective Semis, Rush and Rispoli went bar-to-bar when racing resumed. After breaking the draft to sever the tenuous tie connecting them to a big ten-rider pack in pursuit, they went about trading first and second back and forth repeatedly.

Ultimately, Rispoli stretched out a small advantage while Rush fell back into the clutches of teammates Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) and Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), who smartly worked together to slingshot back into contention.

With less than a minute remaining on the clock – and moments after Bromley and Zabala powered by on either side of Rush to move into second and third, respectively – a second red flag was shown following a Michael Hill (No. 47 Pacific Auto Trim/Jim Speer Yamaha MT-07) crash,…