(Kage
Tadman (228) Tom Drane (59), and
other AFT Singles riders await
the green light at Silver Dollar
Speedway during round five;
Photo: American Flat
Track/Kristen Lassen)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(June 4, 2025) – An
AFT Singles presented by
KICKER title fight that
has both met and defied
expectations resumes on
Saturday, June 7, with the
inaugural Short Track at
Lucas Oil Speedway,
Round 6 of the 2025
Progressive American
Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing.
The Big Picture
As the series arrives in
Wheatland, Missouri, the
championship standings stand
precisely as predicted in the
preseason – at least from a big
picture perspective – with
Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson Racing Yamaha
YZ450F) and Chase
Saathoff (No. 88
RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R)
leading the way.
Drane has a narrow five-point
advantage due to superior
consistency, while Saathoff
holds the upper hand in having
shone brighter on his brightest
nights thus far in ‘25.
However, the domination that was
both hoped and feared from the
duo in the wake of Kody
Kopp’s (No. 1 Bob
Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM
450 SX-F) transition to
roadracing has not
materialized.
Drane is currently mired in the
longest winless streak of his
pro career since waiting until
his eighth start to get a maiden
Progressive AFT win, while
Saathoff is still seeking to
attain the sort of podium
regularity that frequently
defines a successful
championship campaign.
Meanwhile, 80% of this season’s
wins belong to either the
exiting champion who
participated in only the opening
two races or the fresh-faced
newcomer who has participated in
just the most recent two.
With a month to regroup, look
for Drane and Saathoff to come
out swinging this weekend in an
attempt to re-assert their
assumed authority over the class
with 11 races still in play.
Bigger than the Big
Picture
As alluded to above, the
stunning emergence of rookie
Kage Tadman
(No. 288 Roof Systems/Old Oak
Ranch KTM 450 SX-F) during the
California swing is arguably the
class’ biggest story of the
season to date, whatever the
championship standings may
suggest.
Tadman became the first rider in
AFT Singles history to win each
of his first two Main Events as
a professional. Not only that,
he did so with remarkable speed
and style, while snaring every
available checkered flag along
the way, be it heat race,
challenge race, or Main Event.
What can Tadman possibly serve
up as an encore to the encore?
It’ll be fascinating to see how
he reacts as the spotlight
brightens while he travels
further away from home to
compete.
The pressure is on, and at some
point he has to actually look
like a rookie, doesn’t he?
While there’s a lot standing in
his way if he hopes to make it
three-for-three, he’ll be aided
by the fact that Lucas Oil
Speedway is an unknown for
everyone involved, not just the
rookies.
On the Horizon
The focus on Tadman has both
removed some pressure from, and
raised the bar for, another
heralded rookie set to make his
class debut this weekend.
Before the season, it was
Walker Porter
(No. 100 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R) not Tadman, who
garnered the lion’s share of the
attention afforded to the
series’ newcomers.
Having finally turned 16 earlier
this month, 2024 Nicky Hayden
AMA Flat Track Horizon Award
winner Porter will join his
teammate, 2019 Nicky Hayden AMA
Flat Track Horizon Award winner,
Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 American Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R), under the Turner
Racing banner.
Porter is a big-league talent.
Ignoring the accomplishments of
Tadman, it’ll be interesting to
see how quickly he adapts when
presented with pro-caliber
competition.
Meanwhile, while the focus on
Tadman could allow Porter to
come in somewhat under the
radar, the same could be true
for Brunner in regards to
Porter.
Don’t look now, but Brunner has
positioned himself as a sneaky
strong title contender. Off to a
quiet start in his return to AFT
Singles action, Brunner beat
Drane and Saathoff to score his
first podium of the season last
time out, closing to within 14
points of the title lead in the
process.
Brunner is a highly decorated
rider with Rookie of the Year
honors in both AFT Singles and
Mission AFT SuperTwins to go
along with his Horizon Award. He
also ranks in the career top ten
in AFT Singles victories and
stands as just one of five
career Grand Slammers in the
class.
While Drane and Saathoff
continue to search for answers,
Brunner has an opportunity to
provide his own solution and at
last secure the championship
that has thus far eluded him.
Embarrassment of Riches
Beyond the riders already
discussed, the class boasts a
number of riders who have
demonstrated the potential to
break out to claim a first
Progressive AFT victory on any
given weekend.
Fourth-ranked Tarren
Santero (No. 75 Mission
Roof Systems Honda CRF450R) was
on the box two rounds again at
Ventura.
Fifth-ranked Aidan
RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA
Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha
YZ450F) is performing as well as
he ever has on a week-in,
week-out basis and is
notoriously strong at four-wheel
biased venues.
2023 Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track
Horizon Award winner
Evan Renshaw (No. 65
1st Impressions Race Team
Husqvarna FC450) claimed his
first podium earlier this season
and is hungry for more.
Bradon Pfanders
(No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders
Racing KTM 450 SX-F) is the
definition of a breakout waiting
to happen, flashing
front-running speed whenever
Lady Luck allows.
Build. Train. Race.
Royal Enfield’s hugely
successful and popular
Build. Train. Race. (BTR)
program is back in action this
weekend for its penultimate
round.
Since its inception, BTR has
injected new talent and
excitement into the series as
highlights, celebrates, and
encourages the involvement of
women in flat track racing.
Through three races, three
different riders – Emma
Gottsch (No. 5 Royal
Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai),
Taia Little
(No. 11 Royal Enfield/Parts
Unlimited/Arai), and
Madicela Rodriguez (No.
113 Royal Enfield/Parts
Unlimited/Arai) – have split top
honors.
Can someone else step forward to
make it four in four?
It’s a Whole Vibe
Fans in attendance this weekend
will have an opportunity to
experience all that Progressive
AFT and Lucas Oil Speedway have
to offer, both on the track and
off.
The Fan Party –
complete with a Rider
Q&A session – will run
from 5:00 p.m. local time right
up until opening Ceremonies at
7:00 p.m.
A DJ will keep the energy levels
high between sessions, and a
fireworks display will close out
the evening’s festivities.
Additionally, spectators can
enjoy on-site go-karting, the
Kids Zone, the Diamond Bar, a
multitude of vendors lining the
midway, Jumbotron viewing,
designated motorcycle parking,
and a variety of food and
beverage options.
Ticket Talk
General Admission
Grandstand tickets for
the Short Track at Lucas
Oil Speedway are just
$25 (kids 12 and under free with
a paid adult ticket), while
Reserved Grandstand
tickets are available for $40
(all ages). Students can
purchase a GA Grandstand
ticket for just $20 at the gate
the day of the event with a
valid ID.
There are multiple options to
enjoy the facility’s 21 VIP
Luxury Suites, starting with an
Individual Suite
ticket ($99), which includes a
private outdoor box seat along
with access to the indoor
lounge.
Private Indoor Suites
are available for groups of up
to 18 ($2000) and 30 ($3000),
both of which include infield
group experience with a guided
tour of the infield podium and
start/finish line, photo op
included, and earlyrace viewing
from the infield.
Also available for purchase is
the Opening Ceremonies
Trackside Fan Experience
($99), which includes reserved
seating, a guided tour of the
infield podium and start/finish
line, photo op included, and
up-close viewing of Opening
Ceremonies and a portion of the
night’s race action.
Finally, fans have the option to
purchase the Practice
Viewing Trackside Fan Experience
as a $25 upgrade to a GA
Grandstand or Reserved
Grandstand ticket, which
provides a guided tour of the
infield podium and start/finish
line, photo op included, and
up-close viewing of a practice
session.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2025-lucas-oil-short-track-141381
to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 3:00
p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT with
Opening Ceremonies scheduled to
begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 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 Short
Track at Lucas Oil Speedway,
featuring in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras, will
premiere on FS1
on Sunday, June 15,
at 11:00 a.m. ET
(8:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
