DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(March 17, 2026) – In
just two days of action, the
DAYTONA double opener to the
2026 Progressive
American Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA
Pro Racing, created
a fascinating dynamic for
this year’s Grand
National Championship fight
as it arrives at Senoia
Raceway for the Yamaha
Senoia Short Track in
Senoia, Georgia on Saturday,
March 21.
Three for Three?
The collective motorcycle
dirt track world was already
well aware that Kody
Kopp (No. 12 Latus
Motors Racing
Harley-Davidson XG750R) was
the real deal long before he
first turned a wheel in
anger in Mission AFT
SuperTwins competition.
But now we understand just how real.
While rookie wins are a rare
commodity, the respect for
Kopp’s talent and work ethic
were such that victories
were widely expected from
him at some point this
season. Few, however, could
have expected the first to
come so quickly.
How could they? No flat
tracker in the
seven-decade-plus history of
the Grand National Champion
had ever won in their first
attempt. King Kenny
Roberts – who Kopp
studied under last season –
along with Ricky
Winsett in a true
upset – had come the
closest, winning in their
second go.
And Kopp didn’t just do the
previously undoable. He went
two for two. That’s truly
historic stuff.
The Latus Motors Racing team
deserves a great deal of
credit in the achievement,
placing Kopp on a proven
race-winning machine in the
Harley-Davidson XG750R and
teaming him with a proven
championship-winning crew in
Dave Zanotti and Michelle
Disalvo. If there was any
combination that could have
come out swinging the way
Kopp did as a rookie, this
was it.
The question is no longer
whether or not they’ll win
races, but if they can make
a genuine run at the
championship. As convincing
as his opening salvo was,
that’s still a mighty tall
order.
Kopp acknowledged that the
gray clay of Senoia Raceway
will present a very
different challenge than the
welcoming confines of the DAYTONA
Flat Track where
he’s now won in seven of his
last eight attempts across
two classes.
The Washington native
admitted he hasn’t
registered many testing laps
on clay aboard the twin,
and, as a result, this
weekend should provide a
truer test to his staying
power.
When he first raced at
Senoia Raceway in ‘23, Kopp
struggled by his standards
(fifth place qualifies as a
struggle when you finish on
the podium at a greater than
60% clip). However, he came
back and won at the venue
with relative ease the
following season.
It’s not just the surface
he’ll be dealing with,
however. Expectations that
were already sky high have
reached escape velocity.
He’ll come into Round 3 with
a target on his back – one
placed there by the fastest
and most competitive dirt
track racers on the planet.
Yamaha’s Best
Defense is a Good Offense
Dallas Daniels (No.
1 Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07) is almost certainly
less than fully satisfied
with a winless DAYTONA
opener after having
dominated the track in
recent seasons, but he’s
probably less than
heartbroken about the
prospect of sharing the
target that had been his
alone.
But even when the spotlight
shines elsewhere, Daniels is
there collecting points all
the while, hauling in
runners-up points.
And he’ll be hugely
motivated to come through in
a big way on Yamaha’s home
turf this weekend.
Yamaha Motor Corporation has
enjoyed tremendous success
in locally hosted
Progressive AFT events since
relocating its USA
headquarters from California
to the greater Atlanta area
back in late 2018, having
cleaned up at both Dixie
Speedway in Woodstock,
Georgia, and the Yamaha
Super TT at Atlanta Motor
Speedway.
However, Yamaha has yet to
claim a victory in any class
at Senoia Raceway, which is
difficult to fathom
considering its latter-day
championship-winning ways in
both Mission AFT
SuperTwins and KICKER
AFT Singles.
Daniels has come close on
every previous occasion. He
battled for top honors with
the legendary Jared
Mees in ‘23
and ‘24. And last year, he
had a front row seat to
history (more on that in a
bit), crossing the line less
than three tenths of a
second off the win despite
finishing third.
Perhaps the arrival of Kopp
will provide that final bit
of motivation needed to push
him over the top.
He won’t be alone in
defending Yamaha at its home
race, with several other
capable riders aboard
MT-07s, including Brandon
Price (No. 92
Memphis Shades/Vinson
Construction Yamaha MT-07), Chad
Cose (No. 49 Parker
Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha
MT-07), and Declan
Bender (No. 70
Memphis Shades/Vinson
Construction Yamaha MT-07).
What’s Better than a
1-2?
While Kopp admitted to a
small measure of doubt
regarding his ability to add
to his unprecedented
undefeated premier-class
record when the series
arrives at Senoia Raceway,
his mount has already
demonstrated that it's up to
that task.
Last season, the
Harley-Davidson XG750R broke
through in spectacular
fashion in Georgia. Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems
Harley-Davidson XG750R)
controlled much of the race
before getting overtaken
late by the similarly armed Briar
Bauman (No. 3
RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts
Plus Harley-Davidson
XG750R), and the two carried
on to give the bike its
first-ever premier-class win
with an emphatic 1-2.
Bauman and Robinson will be
out to bounce back with
similar performances
following openers that –
while far from great –
probably deserve to get
logged in the ‘coulda been
worse’ category.
Bauman was slammed up into
the wall and sent sprawling
across the dirt moments
after the season’s first
Main got underway. Robinson,
meanwhile, crashed in
qualifying, suffered a bike
failure in his heat, started
from the back of the LCQ,
and then had to avoid Bauman
who was, again, sent
sprawling across the dirt
moments after the season’s
first Main got underway.
As a result, Robinson and
Bauman currently stand 5th
and 7th, in the points. They
didn’t expect to be there,
and they certainly don’t
expect to stay there.
This weekend should provide
a good opportunity to
perform a bit of
hierarchical rehabilitation.
What’s possible in 2026?
Last year’s 1-2 was a
notable highlight for
Harley-Davidson in a season
that didn’t lack for them.
Kopp’s arrival means a 1-2-3
podium sweep isn’t out of
the question.
And should any of the three
falter, there’s still some
hope for that elusive podium
lockout.
Don’t sleep on rookie Aidan
RoosEvans (No. 26
FRA Trust Advisors
Harley-Davidson XG750R). Not
only was he Friday’s fast
qualifier and Main Event 1
third-place finisher at the
DAYTONA Flat Track, he’s
also something of a Senoia
standout.
Some of RoosEvans’ best
Progressive AFT moments have
come at the venue, including
back-to-back fourth place
runs in 450cc action in 2024
and 2025.
On Fire
The DAYTONA woes of Bauman
and Robinson pale in
comparison to those suffered
by Trent Lowe (No.
48 American Honda/Mission
Foods Honda CB750 Hornet).
Lowe consistently ranked as
among the very fastest
riders at the opener – a
promising sign for a program
hoping to take that next
step forward in 2026. But
while the potential was
there for a double podium,
Thursday went from sure-fire
top three to just fire
(literally). And even though
Friday ended with a strong
fourth-placed salvage job,
it came at the cost of his
provisional start.
Ultimately, however, Lowe’s
overall performance in the
opener indicated that the
team continues to be on the
right track, backing up last
year’s encouraging finish
with a strong offseason.
KTM/Kawasaki/Royal
Enfield/Aprilia/Suzuki
Eight manufacturers were in
the mix in DAYTONA and each
one of them had their
moments to shine.
Davis Fisher (No.
67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM
790 Duke) looked like a
potential race winner on
Friday, and he worked
wonders to keep Daniels
trapped behind him on two of
three occasions.
Unfortunately for Fisher,
Daniels made his way through
on the last lap of the last
race, which allowed the
Yamaha runner to edge ahead
103-102 in the final tally.
As a result, Fisher’s podium
came in the form of a third
as opposed to a second.
Still, not a bad way to get
things rolling in 2026. And
we should not forget, he was
right there with Bauman,
Robinson, and Daniels in
Senoia a year ago, finishing
in fourth only 0.865 seconds
behind the win.
Meanwhile, Henry
Wiles (No. 911 J&M
Logging/Ray C’s
Harley-Davidson Kawasaki
Ninja 650) gave Kawasaki its
first Mission AFT SuperTwins
podium since he pulled off
an identical magic trick at
DAYTONA a year ago.
Dalton Gauthier (No.
79 Parts Bros/D&D
Cycles/Fairway Ford Aprilia
Tuareg 660) guided the
all-new and unique-looking
Aprilia Tuareg 660 to a
top-ten finish in its first
real shakedown race.
Evan Renshaw (No.
95 Moto Anatomy X Powered by
Royal Enfield 650) flashed
in his premier-class debut
on the Royal Enfield by
clocking Thursday’s third
fastest lap in qualifying.
He’ll also carry high hopes
into Senoia – the scene of
his maiden Progressive AFT
podium a year ago.
And Suzuki has expanded its
premier-class presence. Dan
Bromley (No. 62
Memphis Shades/Lisa Niner
Racing Suzuki GSX-8S)
repeatedly demonstrated the
GSX-8S’s potential in 2025,
and now he’s joined by Billy
Ross (No. 29
Digitrace/Mission Foods/John
Franklin Suzuki GSX-8S), who
is already calling it his
personal favorite SuperTwin
racebike to date.
Time to Shine
Beyond the incredible
racing, fans will have an
abundance of entertainment
options available to them at
Senoia Raceway. Included
among them will be a meet
and greet with even Grand
Marshals Mark Ramsey and Digger
Manes of Moonshiners fame,
the Kids Zone, along with a
wide variety of food and
beverage options to choose
from.
Your Seat Awaits
(and So Does Your Promo
Code)
General Admission
Grandstand tickets
are just $50 (students $30
with a valid ID and kids 12
and under free with a paid
adult ticket) while Reserved
Grandstand tickets
start at $60 (all ages).
Even better, if you use the
Promo Code RESERVED25 you
can get one Limited
Reserved Grandstand ticket
for a mere $25.
H.O.G. Members can
purchase a special ticket
package that includes
dedicated Reserved
Grandstand Seating
and dedicated parking for
H.O.G. Guests for $100.
There’s also a Military/First
Responder Discount available,
allowing GOVX fans
to purchase tickets at
reduced rates.
The Practice Viewing and Opening
Ceremonies Trackside Fan
Experiences offer
General Admission seating, a
guided tour of the infield
podium and start/finish line
complete with photos ops.
The Practice Viewing Fan
Experience is available for
$110, while the Opening
Ceremonies Trackside
Experience, which also
includes up-close viewing of
Opening Ceremonies, can be
purchased for $135 per day.
Trackside Parking ($150)
and Multi-Day
Camping Passes ($75)
are also available to
purchase.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-atlanta-short-track-165280 to
reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at
3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT
with Opening Ceremonies
scheduled to begin at 7:10
p.m. ET/4:10 p.m. PT.
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
Yamaha Senoia Short Track,
featuring in-depth features
and thrilling onboard
cameras, will premiere on
FS1 on Sunday, March 29, 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.
