DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (June
26, 2026) – It
took five
consecutive Mission
AFT SuperTwins
victories to make it
so, but Briar Bauman
(No. 3 Super.com/RWR
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) at last
seized control of
the Grand National
Championship with a
triumphant run in
Friday night’s
Super.com
Lima Half-Mile I
presented by Drag
Specialties, Round 8
of the 2026
Progressive American
Flat Track season,
sanctioned by AMA
Pro Racing.
The win was also
Bauman’s fifth at
the Allen County
Fairgrounds in Lima,
Ohio, and one that
proved historic on
multiple fronts. It
was the 39th victory
of his illustrious
career, moving him
into a tie with the
iconic Ricky Graham
for fifth all time,
while also putting
him in position to
match Graham’s
premier-class record
of six straight wins
tomorrow night.
And believe it or
not, Bauman earned
those honors despite
being the underdog
for much of the
night.
Main Event
1
The Super.com
Lima Half-Mile I
marked the second of
three ‘26 rounds
that utilize the
Mission Triple
Challenge format.
First introduced at
this very venue a
year ago, the
Mission Triple
Challenge determines
the evening’s
overall
premier-class winner
via three successive
Main Events – a
10-lap sprint, a
15-lapper that pays
double points, and a
decisive 20-lap Main
that concludes the
night with triple
the points.
Rookie phenom Kody
Kopp (No. 12 Latus
Motors Racing
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) got the
evening program off
to a quick
start, throwing down
the gauntlet in a
daylight dash.
Reigning Grand
National Champion
Dallas Daniels (No.
1 Estenson Racing
Yamaha MT-07) spun
off into the lead at
the green light with
the
Harley-Davidson-mounted
duo of Kopp and
Bauman giving
chase.
The championship
contenders immediately established themselves
as the primary
players, leaving
the remainder of the
field a couple
seconds in arrears
just a few
circulations in.
Eager to work his
way past, Kopp cuts
under Daniels twice,
only to see the
Yamaha runner
counter with the
faster line on exit.
Undeterred, Kopp
made it work on
attempt #3 and then
grabbed himself some
space at the front
once out of the
roost.
Kopp raced off to a
1.244-second win,
while Daniels held
off Bauman to finish
second. Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley
Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC
Racing KTM 790 Duke)
and
Aidan RoosEvans (No.
26 FRA Trust
Advisors
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) proved the
best of the rest in
fourth and fifth,
respectively.
Main Event
2
Even with five more
laps to contend with
and twice as many
points on the line,
it was more of the
same from Kopp in
Main Event 2.
Bauman attempted an
opening-lap lunge
hoping to prevent a
second Kopp escape
but just missed out
on the bid. And
while the RWR runner
matched the leader’s
pace for several
laps,
by mid-distance Kopp
was again racing off
into the sunset.
Kopp ultimately
claimed the
checkered flag with
more than three
seconds in hand.
Meanwhile, Daniels –
who was never really
in contention in
this 15-lapper – was
another two seconds
back in third. In
fact, the champ had
to defend the
position from Fisher
for a spell, who
again finished
fourth
with RoosEvans back
in fifth.
Decorated part-timer
Henry Wiles (No. 911
DL Racing/HYMMC
Yamaha MT-07) came
home sixth while
Royal Enfield
returnee Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79
Moto Anatomy X
Powered by Royal
Enfield 650)
finished seventh.
Main Event
3
Kopp’s dream evening
then took a
nightmarish turn in
Main Event 3. Not
only did Bauman beat
him off the line,
but he was
immediately shuffled
back behind Fisher
and Daniels…
Before
long RoosEvans was
through as well, and
soon enough, it was
all
too apparent Kopp
was suffering from a
mechanical issue.
That
issue ultimately
forced him out of
the race completely
and marred his
combined record to
an unbalanced
1-1-16.
Up front, Bauman
never looked back.
Daniels recovered
from a start-line
near-fall to drive
forward from sixth
to second. He made a
respectable push
to chase
down Bauman, but his
rival was simply too
strong.
Bauman took the
checkered flag 2.611
seconds ahead of
Daniels with Fisher
another two-plus
seconds back in
third. The triple
points paid by Main
Event 3 sealed that
same order for the
combined results as
well, with Bauman
(3-2-1) taking the
overall win, Daniels
(2-3-2) second and
Fisher (4-4-3)
third.
“I’m
bummed for Kody,”
Bauman said.
“I’ve had that
happen, and
it doesn’t feel
good. I want
everyone to know
that I want to race
everyone at their
best,
and it’s a bummer
that that
happened. I think
I’m more bummed
because my bike was
really good – at
least I think it was
– and I’m ready for
tomorrow. We made
some huge changes,
and we’d kind of
been on the same
motorcycle for the
last several
nationals, so this
was great.
“We just worked our
butts off. This
whole Rick Ware
Racing Super.com
team is so eager. We
keep running scared.
I will say
I wasn’t the fastest
guy today, I know
that for a fact.
That doesn’t sit
well, but
we didn’t give up on
it.”
Kopp’s misfortune
dropped him down to
fourth in the final
Mission Triple
Challenge placements
and seeking his
revenge come Saturday
night.
Meanwhile, Wiles
(7-6-4) took fifth, while Gauthier
(10-7-5) earned sixth in his first
ride back with
Royal Enfield.
Ben Lowe (No. 25
Rackley Racing/Roof
Systems KTM 790
Duke) (11-10-6),
Chad Cose (No. 49
PRO Roofing/Parker
Racing Yamaha MT-07)
(8-9-8), and Declan
Bender (No. 70
Memphis
Shades/Vinson
Construction Yamaha
MT-07) (9-8-9),
and Trent Lowe (No.
48 American
Honda/Mission Foods
Honda CB750
Hornet) (12-12-7) rounded
out the evening’s
top ten.
RoosEvans was blacked-flagged
in Main Event 3,
which dropped him
down to
12th (5-5-16) after
previously looking
all set for yet
another top-five
overall result.
As mentioned at the
start, Bauman now
leads the Grand
National
Championship with
154 points. Kopp is
second at 150,
followed closely by
Daniels at 145.
KICKER AFT
Singles
Defending KICKER AFT
Singles champion Tom
Drane (No. 1
Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450)
equaled Kody Kopp
for most victories
in class history
with his 23rd career
win in the category.
And fittingly, he
did so at the
Lima Half-Mile where
he made his stunning
Progressive AFT
debut with a
runner-up result to
Kopp back in 2022,
and where he has now
won four times in
succession.
While Drane was all
by his lonesome by
the time he hit the
stripe for the final
time, he had a
serious fight on his
hands for much of
the race.
Walker Porter (No.
10 American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) used an
extreme high line to
sling around the
corners and close in
on Drane down the
straights. He even
pulled alongside
Drane as the race
neared its
half-distance, but a
minor mistake on the
Turner Racing Honda
pilot’s part gave
the Estenson runner
a chance to stretch
back open his gap.
That mishap also
gave second life to
2025 Nicky Hayden
AMA Flat Track
Horizon Award
recipient Bodie
Paige (No. 165 BS
Ranch/RWR/American
Honda CRF450R), who
made a Tom
Drane-esque Progressive
AFT debut on the
night.
Paige edged ahead of
Porter late to
finish second and
match fellow
Australian Drane’s
Lima feat of four
years prior.
Porter couldn’t be
too upset, however,
as he also (at last)
claimed his first
career pro podium by
hanging on in third.
And that was in
doubt to the very
end, as Chase
Saathoff (No. 88 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450) raced his way
up from seventh to
finish less than a
half-second back in
fourth.
Canadian Jordan
Beaulac (No. 156
Picotte Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS
MC 450F) nipped Kage
Tadman (No. 28
American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) at the flag
for fifth.
Tarren Santero (No.
75 Roof
Systems/Texas
Utility
Studies/Vinson
Construction Honda
CRF450R) slashed his
way up from the back
of the grid to earn
seventh, while
rookie Jack Brucks
(No. 113 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450),
Honda-mounted Trevor
Brunner (No. 21 KMA
Racing/March
Equipment Honda
CRF450R), and
DAYTONA winner
Bradon Pfanders (No.
83 Memphis
Shades/Corbin Seats
Yamaha YZ450F)
completed the top
ten.
Drane now boasts a
commanding 31-point
lead over Tadman
(157-126), while
Saathoff is two
further points
adrift in third.
AFT ProSport
450
The final AFT
ProSport 450 Main
Event of the season
had a distinctly
international flair
with a field that
included a couple
fast Canadians
capitalizing on a
familiar pea-gravel
surface and a pair
of talented
Australians in the
States ahead of the
fast-approaching
2026 Roof Systems
AMA Flat Track Grand
Championship amateur
nationals to be held
at the DuQuoin State
Fairgrounds from
July 5-10.
Among them, Aussie
Jed Fyffe (No. 23
Fyffe Racing Yamaha
YZ450F) stood
tallest, blasting
out to a second-plus
advantage on the
race’s opening lap.
While the race
looked to be one for
runner-up honors
from its earliest
stages, Michigan
native Charlie
Jaques (No. 110
Charlie Jaques
Racing KTM 450 SX-F)
made a concerted
charge to give Fyffe
a late-race scare.
Fyffe responded to
the challenge,
however, regathering
to hold on for a
1.202-second margin
of victory.
Fellow Australian
Neiko Donovan (No.
177 Donovan Racing
KTM 450 SX-F)
secured the final
spot on the box,
with Canadian Matéo
Racine (No. 23X
Picotte Motosport KTM
450 SX-F) finishing
fourth.
Silver Dollar ST
winner Adam
Costan-Wood (No. 88
Turner Racing Honda
CRF450R) rounded out
the top five,
finishing just ahead
of another rider
from north of the
border, Loic Nadeau
(No. 21 Racine
Racing KTM 450
SX-F).
Next Up
The Super.com Lima
Half-Mile
doubleheader will
conclude tomorrow,
Saturday, June 27.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/day-2-lima-2026-165651 to
purchase your
tickets now.
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
Super.com Lima
Half-Mile I,
featuring in-depth
features and
thrilling onboard
cameras, will
premiere on FS1 on
Sunday, July 5, at
1:00 p.m. ET (10:00
a.m. PT). The Lima
Half Mile II will
air the following
Sunday, July 12, 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.
