DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(April 30, 2024) – The
2024 Progressive
American Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing, picks right
back up this week with the
Silver Dollar Short
Track in Chico,
California, on Saturday, May 4.
The occasion marks the inaugural
Grand National
Championship round at
the fabled Silver Dollar
Speedway. While new to
the Progressive AFT circuit, the
track boasts six decades of
history and has earned iconic
status among numerous auto
racing superstars, including the
likes of Kyle Larson
and Brad Sweet,
who now serve as the venue’s
co-promoters along with business
partner Colby Copeland (together
SLC Promotions).
The ‘24 Mission
SuperTwins title fight was
widely expected to be a sequel
to last year’s epic featuring
all-time great Jared
Mees (No. 1 Rogers
Racing/SDI Racing/Indian
Motorcycle FTR750) and the
prodigious Dallas
Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07
DT).
And both riders have come out
swinging, Daniels logging a win
among his perfect podium record,
and Mees finishing first and
second in his last two outings.
That said, they actually find
themselves chasing the red-hot
Brandon Robinson
(No. 44 Mission Roof Systems
Indian FTR750), who leads the
early-season championship chase
with two victories to highlight
his run of four consecutive
podium finishes.
The shape of the season to date
might just call for another
rider to step forward and claim
top honors this weekend; the
Silver Dollar Short Track is the
fourth ST on the calendar and
the three previous each saw a
different rider come out on top
(the aforementioned Daniels,
Robinson, and Mees).
Two-time Grand National Champion
Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Rick Ware
Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790
Duke) leads a large contingent
of riders eager to do just that,
a group that also includes the
likes of Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian
FTR750), Brandon Price
(No. 92 Memphis
Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha
MT-07), Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio
Indian FTR750), and
Johnny Lewis (No. 10
Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal
Enfield 650).
There’s no shortage of potential
storylines, including the return
of Sammy Halbert
(No. 69 Dodge Bros.
Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson
XR750), who will make another
attempt at giving the legendary
Harley-Davidson XR750 a 503rd
win after coming oh-so-close to
doing so in Daytona.
Meanwhile, Mission SuperTwins
rookies Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti
Racing KTM 790 Duke),
Max Whale (No. 18 Latus
Motors Racing/Liqui Moly
Harley-Davidson XG750R),
Declan Bender (No. 70
GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin
Trucking Indian FTR750), and
Morgen Mischler
(No. 13 Big Red Super Twins/Al
Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp)
should face better odds of
impressing this weekend as the
entire field heads in looking to
learn the nuances of the
circuit.
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
Two-time defending Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles presented
by KICKER king
Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick
Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450
SX-F) has utilized a rare
combination of speed and
consistency to rule over the
category the past two-plus
seasons.
That trend is very much alive
and well in 2024 as Kopp boasts
a sizable early lead thanks to
alternating runs of first and
second this season.
His five nearest rivals are
pretty much exactly those most
would have predicted prior to
the start of the season:
Chase Saathoff (No. 88
JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R),
Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F), Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R), Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79 D&D
Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F),
and James Ott (No.
19 1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450).
But if any of them hope to
challenge Kopp for the crown,
they’ll need to start beating
him on track with regularity.
Drane has shown himself capable
of doing so since the middle of
last season, although he needs a
bit more luck on his side for
that to be reflected in the
points.
Saathoff, meanwhile, comes in
with his confidence boosted
after having finally earned his
maiden Progressive AFT victory
while simultaneously motivated
to claim his first actual
checkered flag following last
weekend’s red-flagged affair.
Jared Lowe (No.
63 BigR/Little Debbie Racing
Honda CRF450R) is another rider
stepping up his game, fresh off
his first career Progressive AFT
top-five and eager to follow it
up with a second in the span of
seven days.
There will be plenty to keep
spectators entertained off the
track as well, including
numerous vendors, plenty of food
and beverage options, live
music, activities for kids, and
extensive motorcycle parking.
General Admission
Grandstand tickets are
just $30 (kids 12 and under
free), while Reserved
Grandstand tickets are
$40 (all ages),
Trackside Box tickets
are $60 (all ages), and
Pit Grandstand tickets
offer premium viewing
experiences for $70 (all ages).
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/silver-dollar-short-track-89147
to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 6:00
p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT) with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00
p.m. PT). You can catch the
livestream of all the weekend’s
racing activities on
FloRacing. Motorsports
fans can subscribe to FloRacing
to enjoy over 1,000 live
motorsports events in 2024.
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.
FansChoice.tv
remains Progressive AFT’s home
for video-on-demand and archived
content, including the addition
of Road to AFT amateur races and
select American Hillclimb rounds
in 2024.
FOX Sports coverage
of the Silver Dollar
Short Track, featuring
in-depth features and thrilling
onboard cameras, will premiere
on FS1 on
Sunday, May 12,
at 12:30 p.m. ET
(9:30 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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