Vanderkooi Steals the Show at Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – October 15, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Despite all the advance hype of a four-way title fight, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) stole the show by earning his long-awaited maiden Progressive American Flat Track premier-class victory in Friday night’s Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida.

After working past holeshot winner Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) approximately one minute into the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event, ‘VDK’ spent the remainder of the race with the title contenders packed up close behind him, each one viewing him as a potential points buffer should they prove capable of slotting him between themselves and their rivals.

But after coming oh-so-close so often before, Vanderkooi refused to be their pawn and was instead the king, on this night at least.

“I’ll always remember getting my first win here in Barberville, Florida,” Vanderkooi said. “I’ve been racing here for a long, long time – 85s, 250s, 450s. I’ve got a lot of laps around this place, but that didn’t help my nerves any with two champions right behind me.

“That was awesome. Thank you to everyone who believed in me so much. My mechanic, my girlfriend, my parents, Ben Evans, everyone on the Mission Roof Systems team… I can’t wait to line them back up tomorrow – this was the spark I needed.”

Still, the championship complexion was altered drastically even with the 25-point prize off the board. Daniels ultimately crashed out of fourth with less than three minutes to go. Forced to start from the back of the staggered restart, the rookie ace could manage just 12th and was mathematically eliminated from title contention as a result.

At the same time, Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) pulled off a sensational, around-the-outside overtake on Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) to steal away runner-up honors in the race’s final corner, which all but eliminated Bauman as well.

Just behind, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) took full advantage of the restart to leap up the order and then hold off Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) for fourth by 0.060 seconds at the checkered flag.

Due to Mees’ last-lap heroics, the reigning champ now leads Beach and Bauman by 23…