(Dallas
Daniels (32) and Briar Bauman
(3) in Ventura this past
Saturday; Photo: American Flat
Track/Tim Lester)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(April 29, 2025) – An
intriguing 2025
Progressive American Flat Track
season, sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing,
picks right back up this weekend
with the second annual
Silver Dollar Short Track
at Silver
Dollar Speedway in
Chico, California, on Saturday,
May 3.
Last year’s inaugural visit
introduced the world’s greatest
motorcycle dirt track racers to
one of the West Coast’s most
iconic auto racing dirt track
facilities. A formative venue
for a multitude of four-wheeled
superstars, including the
track’s current co-owners
Kyle Larson and
Brad Sweet
(along with business partner
Colby Copeland), Silver Dollar
Speedway added another dimension
to its proud history in 2024 by
playing host to a triumphant
performance from ten-time
Grand National Champion
Jared Mees.
Daniels vs Bauman
With Mees now retired, many
predicted that Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT)
would assume the vacated
Mission AFT SuperTwins
throne. Many still do.
However, after four rounds, the
series doesn’t just feature a
heated title fight, it also has
a new championship leader.
That honor, of course, belongs
to Briar Bauman
(No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus
Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R),
who took the Harley-Davidson
XG750R to its second-ever
premier-class victory one race
after delivering its first.
Bauman took the two wins from
the third and second row,
respectively, a fact that will
undoubtedly create at least a
small amount of doubt for
Daniels whenever he lines up for
a Main Event, no matter how
perfectly the day has transpired
to that point.
The flipside, however, is that
Bauman needs to continue making
strides on the Harley so as to
avoid putting himself and the
Rick Ware Racing team in the
position where they are forced
to make significant set-up
gambles come race time.
While their pre-race adjustments
have paid off handsomely as of
late, the most difficult aspect
of defeating Daniels in a
season-long championship battle
is not beating him on any single
given evening but somehow
matching (and exceeding) his
unrelenting excellence – a rare
trait that has seen the Estenson
Racing superstar collect 17
podiums in succession.
Daniels may carry just an extra
bit of motivation into this
weekend as well; not only did he
just lose the points lead, he
also returns to a track where he
came up just one corner short of
beating Mees for victory.
On the Fastrack
While Daniels and Bauman have
been a constant presence on the
podium this season, they have
been joined on the box by a
different rider on each
occasion.
Jarod VanDerKooi
(No. 20 Fastrack
Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM
790 Duke) became the latest to
make a podium appearance,
joining Henry Wiles
(No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s
Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja
650), Brandon Robinson
(No. 44 Mission Roof Systems
Harley-Davidson XG750R), and
Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790
Duke).
In doing so, he also sidled up
next to Robinson and Fisher in
the points race, forming a
powerful second group of
contenders working hard to keep
Bauman and Daniels in sight.
Beyond just getting his campaign
properly on track, the
third-place finish represents a
significant milestone for VDK
and Fastrack Racing. One race
after giving the squad its
first-ever top five since being
established as an independent
race team following a long
association with Latus Motors,
VanDerKooi earned the squad’s
first premier-class podium.
It was also VanDerKooi’s first
finish this season as the top
KTM, as he finally got the
better of Fisher, who has
immediately taken to the Rackley
Racing KTM 790 Duke.
Who’s Next?
Who might be the next rider to
step up to the podium this
season? There is no shortage of
contenders in a young season
that has already boasted an
impressive depth of color in
terms of bikes and riders making
their presence felt near the
front.
Dan Bromley
(No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson
Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) has
shown huge potential on the
Suzuki this season – potential
that has never been more obvious
than it was this past weekend at
Ventura Raceway. There Bromley
won a heat race, won the Mission
#2Fast2Tasty Challenge and
battled to a top-five result. A
podium is not beyond his reach.
Max Whale (No.
18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by
Royal Enfield 650) finally
looked at home on the Royal
Enfield, running in a podium
position in the early going this
past weekend before getting
shuffled down just outside the
top five. The race provided a
much-needed confidence injection
along with front-running
experience that should continue
to pay dividends moving
forward.
Meanwhile, Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American
Honda/Progressive Insurance
Honda Transalp) strung together
his fourth top ten in four
attempts, while James
Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing
Yamaha MT-07) continues to look
increasingly racey.
One other name to track is
Logan McGrane
(No. 14 Schaefer’s Motorsport
KTM 790 Duke), who not only
earned his first-career
Progressive American Flat Track
top ten this past weekend but
actually gave Bauman fits in
their heat race and ran in third
position for the opening four
laps of the Main Event.
Family Fun
The incredible race action won’t
be the only attraction for fans.
Along with the Fan Party,
complete with a Rider
Q&A session, that
directly precedes Opening
Ceremonies, attendees can also
expect a multitude of vendors,
big screen viewing, designated
motorcycle parking, and a
variety of food and beverage
options.
Step Right Up… Get Your
Tickets Here
General Admission
Grandstand tickets for
the Silver Dollar Short
Track are just $40
(kids 12 and under free) while
Pit Grandstand
tickets ($50, all ages),
Reserved Grandstand
tickets ($60, all ages), and
Trackside Box
tickets ($85, all ages) offer
premium viewing experiences. And
new for 2025, every level of
ticket automatically includes
paddock access.
Also available for purchase is
the Opening Ceremonies
Trackside Fan Experience
($105), which includes reserved
seating, a guided tour of the
infield podium and start/finish
line, photos opps included, and
up-close viewing of Opening
Ceremonies and a portion of the
night’s race action.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/silver-dollar-short-track-123441
to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 5:30
p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m.
PT.
How to Watch
FloRacing
For those that can’t catch the
live action from the circuit,
FloRacing is
the live streaming home of
Progressive AFT. Motorsports
fans can subscribe to FloRacing
to enjoy over 1,000 live
motorsports events in 2025.
FloSports is available by
visiting
https://flosports.link/aft
or by downloading the FloSports
app on iOS, Android, Apple TV,
Roku, Amazon Fire and
Chromecast.
FS1
FOX Sports
coverage of the Silver
Dollar Short Track,
featuring in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras, will
premiere on FS1
on Sunday, May 11,
at 12:30 p.m. ET
(9:30 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
