Mission AFT SuperTwins riders
Logan McGrane (14), Cameron
Smith (34), Briar Bauman (3),
and Max Whale (18) race during
heats at the Lima Half-Mile this
past weekend
[Photo:
American Flat Track/Tim Lester]
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(July 1, 2025) – Progressive
American Flat Track,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing, will celebrate
Independence Day weekend in
explosive fashion with the
Memphis Shades DuQuoin
Mile at the
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
in DuQuoin, Illinois, this
Saturday, July 5.
The season’s first contest of
ultimate speed and strategy at a
high-speed Mile will actually
serve as the culmination of a
week-long celebration of one of
the most iconic and
intrinsically American forms of
motorsport. Again this year,
Progressive AFT is sharing the
spotlight with the Roof
Systems AMA Flat Track Grand
Championship.
In fact, the amateur
championship action is
already underway, with
the nation’s future stars having
kicked off their week on Sunday,
June 29 and running right up
until they hand the venue over
to the world’s greatest
professional motorcycle dirt
trackers on Saturday.
Red, White, and Blue By
You
While the Springfield Mile is
often regarded as the crown
jewel of the season’s schedule,
the DuQuoin Mile – a circuit
legendary for its outright
speed, non-stop drama, and
photo-finishes – is the perfect
host for the year’s first Mile.
Known as the “Magic Mile” – and
for good reason – the DuQuoin
Mile was famously the
battleground for the closest
ever finish in the
seven-decade-plus history of the
Grand National
Championship; in 2015,
Jared Mees beat
Bryan Smith by
an impossibly close 0.000
seconds to claim the victory.
Since returning to the annual
slate in 2023, the DuQuoin Mile
has seen four riders in with a
shot at victory right up to the
checkered flag.
Last season, Mees edged
Dallas Daniels (No. 32
Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07
DT), Brandon Price,
and Briar Bauman
(No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus
Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R)
by margins of 0.389, 0.444, and
0.686 seconds, respectively.
And that was a relative blowout
when compared with the showdown
in ‘23, where Mees overcame the
challenge of Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems
Harley-Davidson XG750R),
Daniels, and Bauman by 0.033,
0.097, and 0.160 seconds,
respectively.
Masters of the Mile
While a combined mastery of all
four dirt track disciplines –
Mile, Half-Mile, Short Track,
and TT – is the ultimate measure
of a dirt track racer, the Mile
is typically regarded as the
sport’s signature form.
It generally takes years for a
rider to master the finer points
of race-long strategy and
final-lap tactics. But once it
finally does click into place, a
rider can prove nearly
unbeatable in that arena.
Despite their ultra-close
nature, the finishing order of a
Mile is rarely random. Each
generation typically sees the
emergence of a Mile maestro who
racks up winner’s trophies while
leaving the opposition with
precious little opportunity for
glory.
That torch has been passed along
in recent decades from
Scott Parker to
Chris Carr to
Bryan Smith to
Jared Mees. Led by
Parker’s 55 Mile wins, all four
boast at least 25 Mile wins,
whereas only five other riders
have even broken into the double
digits dating back to the
series’ origins in 1954.
Interestingly, while the
presence of ten-time Grand
National Champion Mees loomed
large at Lima – the scene of his
maiden premier-class win and
where he now serves as
co-promoter – he might cast an
even longer shadow this weekend
in DuQuoin.
Early in his career, Mees made
himself a champion on the
Half-Miles.
Late in his career, he made
himself a legend on the Miles.
He completely dominated the
discipline in recent years, a
fact that served as the
cornerstone for his run to
immortality. During the full
breadth of the Indian era
(2017-2024), Mees won 66% of all
Miles (27-41), despite
overlapping with the later days
of Smith’s Mile mastery. Mees
became even more dominant as
time went on, claiming 13 of the
most recent 17 Miles (76%) since
2021.
As a result, his retirement left
just a combined eight Miles wins
spread out amongst the active
field of full-time racers –
three apiece for Bauman and
Robinson, and two for Daniels.
Which of the three is most
likely to take the torch and run
with it?
Daniels and his Yamaha will be
strong, there is little doubt of
that.
The Harley is more of a question
mark, just because it’s an
unknown on the Miles in its
current guise with its current
riders. However, the same was
said regarding the XG750R and
the cushion Half-Mile of Lima,
and looked how that turned out.
Open Up, It’s the FBI…
New generation Fast Boy from
Illinois, Declan Bender
(No. 70 Memphis
Shades/Corbin/OTB Racing Yamaha
MT-07) made a big impression in
his return to the scene at
Lima.
He went into Ohio with
relatively modest expectations.
How could it be any different,
considering he was new to the
team and the bike and riding a
track that isn’t perfectly
suited to his style?
And yet he did that.
Bender poked his way up into
fourth in Friday’s Main Event 3,
and then earned the position for
real by pushing Robinson to the
flag in search of a podium
result in Saturday’s rematch.
His confidence must be soaring
as he looks to defend his home
turf on a track where he
finished sixth a year ago and
where his new mount finished on
the box in the hands of
Brandon Price.
…And I’m Not Alone
Bender isn’t the only rider with
the potential to make this
another DuQuoin Mile where
finishing within fractions of a
second of the winner is no
guarantee of a podium.
Davis Fisher
(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790
Duke) and Jarod
VanDerKooi (No. 20
Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown
Racing KTM 790 Duke) both have
big-time skills and are
motivated for bounce-back
performances after battling
through relatively tough outings
at Lima. That and the KTM mill
packs a big punch and is a
proven Mile monster.
Meanwhile, the foursome of
Dan Bromley
(No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson
Construction Suzuki GSX-8S),
James Ott (No.
19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07),
Max Whale (No.
18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by
Royal Enfield 650), and
Trent Lowe (No. 48
American Honda/Progressive
Insurance Honda Transalp),
continue to impress week-in and
week-out while demonstrating the
success of the new
all-production bike ruleset.
Despite their diversity of
machinery, three of the four
managed to finish fifth or
better at Lima, while the one
holdout – Lowe – is knocking at
the door, picking up the second
and third sixth-place finishes
of his season last weekend.
It’s Independence Day
Weekend. Of Course, We’re Gonna
Party
This week-long celebration of
motorcycle dirt track racing
will also offer plenty of
activities away from the track.
The Rider Q&A
will take place during the
Fan Party that
leads directly into Opening
Ceremonies.
There will also be a multitude
of vendors, plenty of food and
beverage options, extensive
motorcycle parking, and an
abundance of good vibes.
That’s the Ticket
General Admission
Grandstand tickets for
the Memphis Shades
DuQuoin Mile are just
$35 (kids 12 and under free with
a paid adult ticket) while
Reserved Grandstand
tickets are just $45
(all ages). And new for 2025,
every ticket includes access to
the paddock’s where you can get
up close and personal with the
planet’s most incredible dirt
track riders and machines.
Visit
https://www.tixr.com/groups/trackenterprises/events/2025-duquoin-mile-129199
to reserve your seats today.
Gates will open for fans at 2:00
p.m. ET/11:00 a.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 Memphis
Shades DuQuoin Mile,
featuring in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras, will
premiere on FS1
on Sunday, July 13,
at 11:30 a.m. ET
(8:30 a.m. PT).
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
