DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(March 18, 2026) – The
possibilities are endless as
the KICKER AFT
Singles and AFT ProSport
450 classes roll into
the Senoia Raceway in
Senoia, Georgia, on
Saturday, March 21, for
the Yamaha Atlanta Short
Track, Round 3 of the
2026 Progressive American
Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing.
Some Things Never
Change…
The first race of the ‘26
KICKER AFT Singles season
ended in familiar fashion,
lining up the class’ three
most accomplished active
riders on the box.
Reigning champion Tom
Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F), Chase
Saathoff (No. 88 1st
Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450), and Trevor
Brunner (No. 21 KMA
Racing/March Equipment
Yamaha YZ450F) came into the
year as the title favorites
and for good reason.
Each one has reeled in
multiple wins over the past
few seasons, and
together, they’ve provided
precious little space for
anyone else to join in on
the podium celebrations.
And if you needed a little
bit of familiar drama to go
with the familiar results,
Drane and Saathoff obliged,
clashing yet again in a
dispute over first place
that left Saathoff on the
ground and with more bitter
feelings. It was not the
first chapter of this
particular tale, and it’s
unlikely to be the last.
Drane and Brunner will be
competing to hand Yamaha its
first-ever win in its home
round at Senoia Raceway.
Drane already looks to be in
fighting form, grabbing the
early points lead in his
title defense with a DAYTONA
1-2.
Brunner, meanwhile, appeared
loose and relaxed on the KMA
Racing Yamaha. While riding
for big factory teams
certainly has its perks, it
also comes with a bright
spotlight and big
expectations. Brunner tends
to ride his best
when he’s flowing and free,
and perhaps his new
surroundings will allow him
to do just that.
And despite lacking a bit of
luck, Saathoff, too, looked
fast and confident at the
opener. He’s clearly happy
to be back on a Husqvarna
after riding one throughout
his amateur career.
Having Jared Mees and Andrew
Butler in his corner doesn’t
hurt either.
And neither does
this week’s return to a
track he won at a year ago.
…And Some Things Do
While Thursday’s top three
came as no surprise, the
class retains its propensity
for radical and immediate
change.
Remember how Kage
Tadman (No. 28 American
Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R)
came from seemingly nowhere
a year ago to dominate
back-to-back rounds to
launch his progressional
career?
Well, there were
triple-digit numbers galore
pushing their way up the
timesheets and the order at
the DAYTONA Flat Track.
Combined qualifying times
for the opening race of the
season featured four such
riders in the top ten, with
rookies Jack Brucks (No. 113
1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450), Aaden
Savage (No. 277 J&M Logging
Husqvarna FC450), Jaymes
Arnaiz (No. 227 Arnaiz &
Goss Racing KTM 450SX-F),
and Jordan Beaulac (No. 156
Picotte Motosport/Dofralex
GASGAS MC 450F) running 3rd,
5th, 7th, and 9th fastest,
respectively.
Brucks backed that speed
with a fourth-place run in
his Progressive AFT debut
later that night, while the
others all finished in the
points.
And Beaulac – the son of
Canadian flat track legend
and ‘06 Lima Half-Mile
winner Dominic Beaulac – was
the story of Friday night
until he wasn’t. Short of a
late-race red flag, we would
be talking about an all-new
winner.
Dues Paid
Actually, we still are.
While Beaulac’s night took a
turn for the worse following
the red flag and subsequent
restart, fortune smiled
instead
on Bradon Pfanders (No. 83
Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats
Yamaha YZ450F)... finally.
Rookie routes à la Tadman
are uncommon. More often,
riders have to pay their
dues, gain experience, and
enjoy a bit of luck before
they are able to win.
But ultimately
talent perseveres. And
talent was never a question
for Pfanders. Luck,
however…
Pfanders was well positioned
to get that first win here
at Senoia Raceway a year
ago, slated to start the
Main Event from pole after
winning his heat. Instead,
he was ruled out after going
down hard in a scary crash
involving Dalton
Gauthier that occurred while
Pfanders was leading the
four-lap 1st Impressions
Challenge race.
There are several others in
the field who have shown the
potential to break
through.
In this year’s double
opener, Logan Eisenhard (No.
66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags
Powersports KTM 450 SX-F)
was the fastest qualifier
and won his heat on Thursday
and then ran up front with
Beaulac on Friday before
suffering a similar fate.
Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof
Systems/Vinson Construction
Honda CRF450R) took his turn
as the fastest qualifier on
Friday and led late in the
race before getting bumped
off the podium altogether.
Santero now owns three
career second-place finishes
while still hunting that
maiden victory.
Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R
Racing/Vinson Construction
Honda CRF450R) and Evan
Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer's
Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F)
have each finished inside
the top five, as has Walker
Porter (No. 10 American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R), who is
representative of a big
group of sophomores looking
to level up following
respectable rookie
campaigns.
The Road Less
Traveled
Sam Drane (No. 7 Estenson
Racing Yamaha YZ450F) stood
victorious when the AFT Pro
Sport 450 class made its
official debut with the Road
to AFT Amateur
Invitational on Thursday at
DAYTONA.
Drane’s win over
runner-up Ryder
Bitz-Hay (No. 14 Bitz-Hay
Racing KTM 450 SX-F) came
one day after finishing
second to Bitz-Hay in the
qualifying 450 Road to
AFT race held at the
AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods
CTR Showcase Event.
Drane wasn’t finished. After
going second on Wednesday
and first on Thursday, he
made his way over to the
high banks of Daytona
International Speedway to
compete in
the MotoAmerica Twins Cup
aboard a Yamaha BLU CRU
Estenson Racing YZF-R7.
There he finished second on
Friday, and then – you
guessed it – won on
Saturday.
2-1. 2-1.
Not a bad four-day run for
the young Australian.
The future stars of the
sport will showcase their
skills on Friday and
Saturday at Senoia Raceway,
with Friday’s Mission Foods
CTR Showcase Event set
to determine the amateur
entries for Saturday’s
AFT ProSport 450
competition.
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.
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 Atlanta 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.
