DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(March 6, 2026) –
One night after his
history-making
Mission AFT SuperTwins
debut, Kody Kopp
(No. 12 Latus Motors Racing
Harley-Davidson XG750R)
raised the bar that much
higher with an even more
convincing repeat
performance in the
Royal Enfield Short Track at
DAYTONA II.
Kopp’s remarkable
DAYTONA Flat Track
double victory adds fuel to
an already scorching hot
Grand National
Championship
landscape, laying the early
groundwork for what should
prove to be a scintillating
2026 Progressive
American Flat Track
season, sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing.
Main Event 1
The series brought back the
high-stakes, high-intensity
Mission Triple
Challenge format
first introduced in ‘25 for
the second night of the
DAYTONA doubleheader. Under
those rules, three
successive Main Events – a
10-lap sprint, a 15-lapper
that pays double points, and
a final 20-lap Main which
concludes the night with
triple the points – combined
to determine the evening’s
overall winner.
And with lap times in the
17-second range, that first
10-lap battle immediately
threw the contenders into
the fire.
Reigning Grand
National Champion Dallas
Daniels (No. 1
Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07) lunged ahead of
surprise polesitter
Aidan RoosEvans
(No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors
Harley-Davidson XG750R) off
the line, but both riders
were immediately overtaken
by Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM
790 Duke).
After a bit of
back-and-forth, Daniels
settled in on Fisher’s tail,
while RoosEvans turned his
attention to fending off
Briar Bauman
(No. 3 RWR/Jacob
Construction/Parts Plus
Harley-Davidson XG750R).
Everything was reset on lap
6 of 10, however, when LCQ
winner Logan Mcgrane
(No. 14 Schaffers
MotorSports/Ryan Varnes
Racing KTM 790 Duke)
crashed, bringing out a red
flag.
Fisher resumed his advantage
off the staggered restart
and successfully held
Daniels at bay to the
checkered flag. RoosEvans
retained his position in
third as well, leaving the
major happenings behind the
top three.
Brandon Robinson
(No. 44 Mission Roof Systems
Harley-Davidson XG750R) got
a flier of a restart,
storming around the outside
of Bauman for fourth. While
Bauman fought back through,
Thursday winner Kopp powered
forward, pushing his way
past Sammy Halbert
(No. 69 Martin
Trucking/OnlyFans/Castrol
Yamaha MT-07) and then
closing in on Robinson for
fifth.
Kopp made good on that
threat, overtaking Robinson
on the final lap to claim a
spot inside the top five.
Meanwhile, Trent
Lowe (No. 48
American Honda/Mission Foods
Honda CB750 Hornet), who was
forced to burn his
provisional start just to
make the Main, fought his
way up to eighth to secure
himself a better starting
position and brighter
prospects for the subsequent
Mains.
Main Event 2
Momentum from Main Event 1
carried over for the
aforementioned pair of
rising stars. Starting on
the inside of Row 2, Kopp
continued his aggressive
push up the order, first
forcing his way under
Daniels and then doing the
same to Bauman to climb into
second on the race’s opening
lap. One lap later, the
Latus Motors Racing ace
slipped past Main Event 1
winner Fisher to take the
lead and promptly escape at
the front.
Lowe, too, picked up where
he left off. Starting from
the outside of Row 2, Lowe
followed Kopp through the
field, moving into second on
lap 3. From there, the
American Honda-backed Lowe
was the only rider who could
even keep Kopp honest –
finishing just under a
second back – while a field
packed with proven
premier-class heroes was
left to tangle for third.
Daniels and Bauman crossed
each other up for position
on more than one occasion
before the Estenson Racing
star got a firm hold on
fourth. Once there, he
reeled in third-placed
Fisher. But yet again, he
was unable to find a way
through at the stripe.
Bauman held on for fifth,
followed by Robinson,
Henry Wiles
(No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s
Harley-Davidson Kawasaki
Ninja 650), and Halbert.
Main Event 3
Kopp hustled his
Harley-Davidson XG750R into
the lead at the start of the
third and decisive Main with
Lowe and Fisher in close
contention.
While those three streaked
away at the front, Daniels
was shuffled down to eighth,
trailing Brandon
Price (No. 92
Memphis Shades/Vinson
Construction Yamaha MT-07),
Halbert, Robinson, and
Bauman, in addition to the
leading trio.
For a moment, Kopp actually
looked vulnerable. He was
displaced by both Fisher and
Lowe in quick succession
with 16 of 20 laps
remaining. However, rather
than get discouraged, the
heralded premier-class
rookie regrouped, adjusted,
and retaliated. He reclaimed
his position out front with
11 laps to go and continued
to build upon his advantage,
taking the checkered flag
with a healthy 1.195-second
margin in the end.
That distance was actually
Daniels, who made a
characteristic charge late.
This time, he finally found
a way past Fisher, slipping
through on the final lap of
the final Main. That move
also saw him edge ahead of
Fisher in the combined
results with Kopp (5-1-1)
finishing first, followed by
Daniels (2-4-2) and Fisher
(1-3-3).
While Robinson passed Lowe
late in Main Event 3, Lowe
(8-2-5) wound up fourth in
the combined order, followed
closely by Robinson (6-6-4).
Title hopeful Bauman (4-5-7)
was credited with sixth
overall.
As a result, Kopp leads the
championship chase following
the opening two rounds with
a perfect 46 points.
Defending champ Daniels
ranks second at 38, followed
by Fisher with 29.
Kopp said, “I knew what I
had to do, and I know what
I’m capable of – that’s all
I’ve got to say. I work my
butt off for this, and this
is what I want to do for my
life. To have this
opportunity with George
Latus, Bob Lanphere, Dave
Zanotti, Michelle Disalvo…
this whole team has been
unreal to work with.”
KICKER AFT Singles
The KICKER AFT
Singles class
delivered an absolute
stunner for an encore to
Thursday’s opener.
Friday’s wild Main Event saw
the emergence of a maiden
winner in Bradon
Pfanders (No. 83
Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats
Yamaha YZ450F). However,
deep into the contest it
appeared that distinction
would actually go to rookie
Jordan Beaulac
(No. 156 Picotte
Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS MC
450F).
The race-shattering moments
came early and often with
Tom Drane
(No. 1 Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F) and
Chase Saathoff (No.
88 1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450) adding yet
another chapter to their
rivalry in the race’s
opening stages. While
actively disputing the lead,
Drane ran up the inside of
Saathoff and the two made
contact, leaving Saathoff on
the ground in a reversal of
their clash here in ‘24.
Saathoff picked up his bike
and continued on at the back
of the pack, while Beaulac
picked up the pieces of the
incident to steal away the
lead in the melee.
From there the young
Canadian ripped open a gap
of more than a second, with
Logan Eisenhard
(No. 66 Eisenhard
Racing/Pags Powersports KTM
450 SX-F) in second and
Drane in third.
The race took another
massive turn with just under
two minutes to go when
Saathoff suffered his second
fall of the Main, this one
bringing out the red flag.
Once back underway, Beaulac
and Eisenhard jumped back
into first and second off
the line but made
simultaneous mistakes while
working the opening lap of
the restart, stalling their
bikes and splitting the
field.
Original polesitter
Tarren Santero (No.
75 Roof Systems/Vinson
Construction Honda CRF450R)
came out of the chaos with
lead, followed closely by
Pfanders. Meanwhile, Drane
found himself in fifth,
trailing Justin
Jones (No. 91
Fairway Ford Chevy GMC
Yamaha YZ450F 450) and
Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 KMA
Racing/March Equipment
Yamaha YZ450F).
A five-way fight for first
played out for several laps
with Pfanders at last
securing the lead with just
two to go.
An undeniable Drane then
forced his way up to second,
creating an opportunity for
Kage Tadman
(No. 28 American
Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R)
to grab the final spot on
the box while following in
the Aussie’s wake.
Santero came home fourth,
with 2015 DAYTONA winner
Jones fifth. Saathoff
somehow made his way up to
sixth, while the unfortunate
duo of Eisenhard and Beaulac
could do no better than 12th
and 14th, respectively,
after earlier looking like a
strong bet to land the top
two spots on the box.
The win is the first of
Pfanders’ KICKER AFT Singles
career after previously
demonstrating front-running
on multiple occasions since
making his Progressive AFT
debut in 2024.
“This is unreal,” Pfanders
said. “I never had a real,
legitimate podium, and to do
it with a win is insane. My
whole family is here. I got
to give (my) little sister a
victory lap that’s been
promised for three years. I
can’t thank everybody behind
me enough. I’m glad I can
repay their faith in me.”
As a result of his opening
week 1-2, reigning champ
Drane holds an early
advantage in the ‘26 title
fight with 42 points.
Pfanders is second at 33,
followed by Saathoff with
31.
AFT
AdventureTrackers™
The 2026 AFT
AdventureTrackers
opener was a test of
patience, determination and
toughness.
The contenders were clearly
caught off guard by the
changing track conditions at
the start of the Main Event,
with William Harris
(No. 45 OTB Racing/Memphis
Shades BMW F 900 GS),
Austin Luczak
(No. 97 Memphis
Shades/Corbin/Sody Concrete
BMW F 900 GS), and class
champion Dan Bromley
(No. 1 Big Momma
and Daddy Deep Pockets
Suzuki V-Strom 1050) all
crashed while still on the
race’s opening lap.
Bromley’s fall was
particularly brutal and
prevented him from
re-entering the fray in the
restart.
Incredibly, with all the
riders tiptoeing their way
around as they searched for
grip, the two who pushed the
hardest were remounted
crashers Harris and Luczak.
Harris worked into to the
lead early and held it until
nearly the very end, with
Luczak fighting his way
through with just seconds to
go on the clock.
While Luczak and Harris
completed the BMW 1-2,
Matt Beland
(No. 278 Memphis
Shades/Corbin/Sody Concrete
Honda Africa Twin) made a
late pass on Michael
Hill (No. 47
Weirbach Racing/Berry Bros
Triumph Tiger 1200) to
complete the podium.
Royal Enfield Build.
Train. Race. (BTR)
Emma Gottsch
(No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts
Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars)
finished off her DAYTONA
double in Friday’s
Royal Enfield Build. Train.
Race. (BTR) Main
Event.
Gottsch was again the class
of the field, breaking away
to secure her third career
win at the venue after going
1-2 in last year’s opener.
She was followed to the flag
by Julia Hess
(No. 13 Royal Enfield/Parts
Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars)
and Madicela
Rodriguez (No. 113
Royal Enfield/Parts
Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars)
to complete a repeat of last
night’s podium.
Next Up
America’s Original Extreme
Sport will head north for
the Yamaha Atlanta
Short Track at
Senoia Raceway in Senoia,
Georgia, on
Saturday, March 21.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-atlanta-short-track-165280
to purchase your tickets
today!
How to Watch
FloRacing
For those that can’t catch
the live action at the
track, FloRacing is the live
streaming home of
Progressive American Flat
Track. Motorsports fans can
subscribe to FloRacing to
enjoy over 1,000 live
motorsports events in 2026.
FloSports is available by
visiting
https://flosports.link/AFT2026
or by downloading the
FloSports app on iOS,
Android, Apple TV, Roku,
Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
FS1
FOX Sports coverage of the
Royal Enfield Short Track at
DAYTONA I, featuring
in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras,
will premiere on FS1 on
Saturday, March 14, at 8:30
a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT), with
the Royal Enfield Short
Track at DAYTONA II set to
air on Saturday, March 21,
at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m.
PT). The full listing of
American Flat Track’s
television premieres can be
found at
https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.
