DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (June
27, 2026) – Reigning
Grand National
Champion scored a
desperately needed
victory with a
flawless ride in
Saturday night’s
Super.com Lima
Half-Mile II
presented by Drag
Specialties, Round 9
of the Progressive
American Flat Track
season, sanctioned
by AMA Pro Racing,
Daniels’
third-career win at
the Allen County
Fairgrounds in Lima,
Ohio, provided both
his title defense
and his confidence a
massive boost at
just the right time
– a fact doubled up
by the contrasting
misfortune of Briar
Bauman (No. 3
RWR/Jacob
Construction/Parts
Plus Harley-Davidson
XG750R), who had
streaked his way to
the top of the
Mission AFT
SuperTwins title
standings one day
earlier.
Rather, Daniels’
challenge came from
Kody Kopp (No. 12
Latus Motors Racing
Harley-Davidson
XG750R), who
rebounded from his
own bout of bad luck
on Friday.
Kopp launched into second
from Row 2 at the
start of the Main
Event and spent the
majority of
the subsequent ten
minutes pushing
Daniels from close
behind, searching
for a line or a move
that would allow him
to steal the lead
the entire time.
With around a minute
to go, Kopp decided
he could wait no
longer and took a
gamble that failed
to pay off. That
gave the Estenson
Racing star nearly
a second worth of
padding as the race
neared its
conclusion.
A tight grouping of
four lappers offered
the Latus Motors
Racing
Harley-Davidson
rookie one final
hope, but instead it
sealed the deal as
Daniels carved a
neater path through
the slower riders.
Daniels stormed past
the stripe 1.583
seconds up on Kopp
to claim his second
win of 2026 and his
first in his last
six outings.
“It was a super
tough Main Event,”
Daniels said. “The
first Lima I ever
won, I just kind of
ran away with it,
and it was more or
less easy.
You don’t really
have a lot of those
in your career,
as I’m learning.
Leading the whole
Lima Half-Mile is so
tough. Kody has been
riding so good this
year, and he was
riding so good
yesterday… I think
he would have won if
he didn’t have his
mechanical.
I definitely
wanted to answer
today. I wanted to
answer for a long
time. It’s been a
long couple rounds
for the whole team.
We made some
good headway tonight.
“This one is
tough. It’s a little
bitter. It was a
tough day for the
whole pit area.
We don’t take it
lightly. We know
what we’re signing
up for, and it’s not
easy. I want to keep
all the riders who
had some falls in
our thoughts and
dedicate this one to
them.”
Meanwhile, Bauman,
who came into the
day with a
record-tying sixth
straight win in his
sights, got away in
third and ran right
with Daniels and
Kopp approximately
a third of the way
into the race.
At that point he
dropped off the
chase. He was then
tracked down and
overtaken by Davis
Fisher (No. 67
Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC
Racing KTM 790 Duke)
just prior to
half-distance and
had Jeffrey Carver
(No. 123 Happy
Trails Racing
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) on his tail
as well.
It only got worse –
much worse – from
there, as Bauman was
forced out of the
race altogether with
a mechanical issue
with around two
minutes left on the
clock. He
was ultimately
credited with 14th
position.
Fisher continued
on to complete his
double-podium
weekend, while
fourth went to a
charging
Aidan RoosEvans (No.
26 FRA Trust
Advisors
Harley-Davidson
XG750R), who edged
mentor Carver for
the spot.
Chad Cose (No. 49
Parker Racing/Pro
Roofing Yamaha
MT-07) finished in
sixth, while Ben
Lowe (No. 25 Rackley
Racing/Roof Systems
KTM 790 Duke), Trent
Lowe (No. 48
American
Honda/Mission Foods
Honda CB750 Hornet),
Declan Bender (No.
70 Memphis
Shades/Vinson
Construction Yamaha
MT-07), and
Logan Mcgrane (No.
14
Schaffers MotorSports/Ryan
Varnes Racing KTM
790 Duke) rounded
out the top ten,
respectively.
Naturally, the
results had a
dramatic effect on
the Grand National
Championship as
it opened its second
half. Kopp is now
back in front,
albeit by just a
single point over
Daniels (169-168).
Bauman’s standing
took a hit, slotting
him down from first
to third. That said,
he remains well
within
striking distance just
ten points removed
from Kopp at 158.
KICKER AFT
Singles
In one fell swoop,
KICKER AFT Singles
king Tom Drane (No.
1 Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F)
redefined the depth
of his domination
over the class on
multiple fronts –
claiming his fifth
win of the season,
his fifth straight
at Lima, and a
record-setting 24th
for his career – in
a runaway
performance Saturday
night.
Kage Tadman (No. 28
American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R) challenged
Drane in the Main’s
opening stages, but
the high-risk riding
required just to
keep things close
proved
unsustainable.
Tadman – who had
crashed twice on the
weekend
in previous attempts
to run with the
Estenson Racing
Yamaha ace –
eventually dropped
off the chase and
down the order,
while the
effortlessly smooth
Drane snaked away at
the front.
In the end, Drane
broke his tie with
Kody Kopp for most
wins in KICKER AFT
Singles history with
an overwhelming
4.525-second margin
of victory at the
track where he made
his series debut in
2022.
Drane said, “I
always dreamed of
being the champion,
and to do that last
year was awesome.
And now to be the
winningest Singles
rider is just
amazing.
I couldn’t have done
it without my whole
Estenson Racing
Monster Energy
Yamaha team. They
backed me and
believed in me the
whole way.”
Drane’s long-time
rival, Chase
Saathoff (No. 88 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450), came home
second, running down
Tadman and leaving
him in his roost
right around the
race’s halfway
point.
Tadman was also
overhauled by the
prodigious
Australian, Bodie
Paige (No. 165 BS
Ranch/RWR/American
Honda CRF450R), who
finished off his
Drane-like
Progressive AFT
debut with his
second podium in as
many attempts.
Tadman’s descent
ended with a
respectable fourth,
while
Bradon Pfanders (No.
83 Memphis
Shades/Corbin Seats
Yamaha YZ450F)
picked up his
first top-five since
scoring a
breakthrough win at
DAYTONA back in
March.
Evan Kelleher (No.
31 Schaeffer's
Motorsports KTM 450
SX-F), Tarren
Santero (No. 75 Roof
Systems/Texas
Utility
Studies/Vinson
Construction Honda
CRF450R), Walker
Porter (No. 10
American
Honda/Mission Foods
CRF450R), Jordan
Beaulac (No. 156
Picotte Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS
MC 450F), and Trevor
Brunner (No. 21 KMA
Racing/March
Equipment Honda
CRF450R) completed
the race’s top ten
in that order.
Drane’s third
straight victory of
‘26 also blew open
the championship
fight, which he now
leads by a mammoth
37 points (180-143).
That gap is to
Saathoff, who
slipped back past
Tadman (140) to
reclaim control of
second in the title
fight following nine
of 16 rounds.
Note: AMA
Pro Racing earlier
announced the tragic
passing of Dan
Bromley following an
on-track incident
during
the event. AMA Pro
Racing and the
American Flat Track
community extend our
deepest condolences
to Dan’s family,
friends, teammates,
fellow competitors,
and all who knew
him.
Information regarding memorial
arrangements and any
further updates will
be communicated
when appropriate.
Next Up
Progressive American
Flat Track will be
in action on
Independence Day
with the first Mile
of the 2026 season,
the Drag
Specialties DuQuoin Mile
at the DuQuoin State
Fairgrounds
in DuQuoin,
Illinois, on
Saturday, July
4th.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/trackenterprises/events/2026-duquoin-mile-185583 to
purchase your
tickets today.
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.
