DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May
14, 2024) – Progressive American
Flat Track, sanctioned
by AMA Pro Racing,
will complete its run of five
Short Tracks in its opening six
races with this weekend’s
inaugural Silver Dollar
Short Track at
Silver Dollar Speedway
in Chico, California, on
Saturday, May 18.
While two weeks later than
originally scheduled due to
inclement weather on the
original date, the visit to the
historic venue is actually
overdue by measure of decades
rather than weeks. The track is
fabled among West Coast auto
racing superstars and finally
has its opportunity to earn its
place in the esteem of the
world’s elite motorcycle dirt
trackers starting this weekend.
There have been different
winners in each of the four
Mission AFT SuperTwins
Short Track Main Events to date
this season: points leader
Dallas Daniels
(No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07 DT), second-ranked
Brandon Robinson (No.
44 Mission Roof Systems Indian
FTR750), reigning Grand
National Champion
Jared Mees (No.
1 Rogers Racing/SDI
Racing/Indian Motorcycle
FTR750), and last weekend’s
victor, Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Rick Ware
Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790
Duke).
Solid arguments can be made for
all four heading into this
weekend. But that level of
parity combined with the novel
nature of the Silver Dollar
Short Track makes it difficult,
if not impossible, to predict
who is most likely to hold the
upper hand.
Of course, the ‘24 season could
continue on brand and deliver
fans a fifth winner in as many
STs. Brandon Price
(No. 92 Memphis
Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha MT-07)
and Sammy Halbert
(No. 69 Dodge Bros.
Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson
XR750) have both earned
runners-up in the discipline
this year, while Jarod
Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio
Indian FTR750), Davis
Fisher (No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing
Indian FTR750), and
Bronson Bauman (No. 37
Fastrack Racing Mission Foods
KTM 790 Duke) have all stood
atop the box in recent seasons.
Historically, Short Tracks have
a way of springing surprises. So
perhaps one of a number of
talented underdogs will step to
the fore in Chico, a group of
riders that includes the likes
of Kolby Carlile
(No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing
MT-07), Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti
Racing KTM 790 Duke),
Max Whale (No. 18 Latus
Motors Racing/Liqui Moly
Harley-Davidson XG750R), and
Dan Bromley (No.
62 Memphis Shades/Vinson/Al
Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp).
Parts Unlimited AFT
Singles presented by KICKER
By contrast, this year’s four ST
wins in the Parts
Unlimited AFT Singles presented
by KICKER category have
been split evenly by just two
riders, reigning class champ
Kody Kopp (No.
1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus
KTM 450 SX-F) and his most
persistent challenger,
Tom Drane (No. 59
Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F).
Outside of a last-lap incident
in the opener that cost
Australian Drane what could
prove to be a vital haul of
points, the two have been nearly
perfectly matched, with each
rider boasting two wins among
four podium finishes this
season.
Chase Saathoff (No.
88 JPG Motorsports Honda
CRF450R), Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79 D&D
Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F),
and Trent Lowe
(No. 48 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R) haven’t been too
far off that form. Saathoff
boasts a pair of top threes
including his maiden victory,
former class champ Gauthier has
reeled in two runners-up among
three podiums, while Lowe has
taken a pair of thirds.
Others to watch include
Californians James Ott (No.
19 1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450), Travis
Petton IV (No. 82 ECG
Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F),
Tarren Santero
(No. 75 Vinson Construction, P&M
Motorcycles Honda CRF450R), and Tyler
Raggio (No. 55 Raggio
Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450
SX-F), as well as up-and-comers
Logan Eisenhard
(No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson
KTM 450 SX-F) and Evan
Renshaw (No. 265
American Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R).
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).
New for 2024 is the
Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan
Experience ($150 all
ages). This ticket option
provides reserved seating with
Pit Pass access, a guided tour
of, and photo opportunities at,
the infield podium and
start/finish line, infield
viewing of Opening Ceremonies
and the heat races, and a track
talk and photo opportunity with
2016 Grand National Champion
Bryan Smith.
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.
FOX Sports coverage
of the Silver Dollar
Short Track, featuring
in-depth features and thrilling
onboard cameras, will premiere
on FS1 on
Saturday, May 25,
at 11:00 a.m. ET
(8:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
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