'Four Miles in four weeks' was not just a basic reality as slated on the 2017 American Flat Track calendar, it was also a personal challenge to Bryan Smith. Halfway through this month of Miles, the reigning Grand National Champion stands two for two and in sole possession of the AFT Twins championship lead.

The Indian Motorcycle Racing ace took the white flag of the Sacramento Mile down in third place, but put himself in first by 0.025 seconds the next time around. This came just one week after winning the Arizona Mile by a similarly tight 0.057-second margin. Both contests seemed to be anybody's race while they played out, but in hindsight it's hard to see how anyone but Smith could have won either one.

Having successfully taken a seventh consecutive Sacramento Mile victory, Smith will next turn his attention to adding an eighth Springfield Mile triumph to his resume. There too is shaping up to be a question of how anyone but Smith can win.

Could you have scripted that any better?

No, it was probably pretty exciting for the fans, and even nerve-racking for myself. Even if I was third off of turn four to the flag I thought I could double draft him for the win, but you’re risking the guy in second screwing you up. If he gets excited and lights the tire up, then you’re waiting and can’t get the double draft. I really wanted to be second coming off of four. Luckily, I just squeaked around him using the outside going into three. It wasn’t too much to go ahead and go by Brad. I set myself up just right. I could have went a couple different ways real easy. All of us just about blew the groove there a couple times there with five to go. You get kind of sucked in the corner and you’re just waiting, waiting, waiting – oh, okay, I just made it. So, it was one inch from disaster for all of us, more than once. Just fortunate to keep everything rolling and drafted him at the line. It was pretty special.

You wanted that really bad. 

Yeah. It took a minute for the whole seven thing to set in, but it was just such a scrap. I’m not getting away from how do you outsmart him? What do you got to do? Okay, I think I’m best being second off of four, but how do you get in second at the right time? So, it just turned into a chess match and I cruised for a while. I wanted it just like I always do, but obviously this track is special and I’m supposed to win, so I just wanted it.

You dedicated the race to Nicky Hayden…

Nicky has never got a mile win. Hopefully one day I can race against him and he can get one. For now, that one’s his.