Briar Bauman (3) and Dallas
Daniels (32) battle it out
during the Mission AFT
SuperTwins Main Event in Peoria.
[Photo: American Flat Track /
Tim Lester]
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(August 26, 2025) – A
thrilling Grand National
Championship fight is
well and truly racing down the
backstretch as it arrives for
the Springfield Mile I &
II presented by Drag Specialties
at the Illinois
State Fairgrounds in
Springfield, Illinois, on
Saturday, August 30, and Sunday,
August 31.
The victory of Briar
Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts
Plus/Latus Motors
Harley-Davidson XG750R) over
Dallas Daniels
(No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha
MT-07 DT) at the 78th
World Famous Peoria TT
was big in
terms of their ongoing
Mission AFT SuperTwins
title conflict.
This weekend’s
Progressive American Flat Track
doubleheader,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing,
at the series’ crown
jewel event promises to have
even bigger implications.
The Stage is Set
As a result of Bauman’s win in
Peoria, he now leads Daniels by
11 points (266-255). With just
three races remaining, that puts
the Estenson Racing Yamaha ace
in a position where he needs to
win out to be assured of the
crown.
Considering the form of Daniels
and his machine at the season’s
only other Mile (DuQuoin) –
further amplified by the
desperation of his current
situation – he’s likely viewed
as the favorite this weekend.
However, even if he doubles in
Springfield, he could still
potentially face a scenario in
which he’d need to win over
Bauman at the Lake Ozark
Short Track finale.
And there he’s destined
to be swapped into the role of
underdog considering that Bauman
has beaten Daniels head-to-head
in each of the five most recent
Short Tracks.
Still, even if Bauman is
completely confident in his
ability to overcome Daniels in
Missouri, he can’t feel overly
comfortable coming into
Springfield due to some
complicating factors.
More on those in a bit.
King Maker
The Springfield Mile has always
loomed large in determining the
Grand National Championship.
That’s only been made truer
since being slotted in as a
late-season doubleheader.
Last season, Jared Mees came
into Springfield with just a
six-point championship
advantage. A pair of wins later,
he left up 22 with just Lake
Ozark remaining to secure his
unprecedented tenth
premier-class crown.
In 2023, Mees led Daniels by
just a single point prior to the
Springfield Mile double finale.
His 1-2 – contrasted by his
young challenger’s 5-4 –
stretched the final separation
open to 16.
In 2021 (the event was rained
out in ‘22), Mees used a
Springfield sweep to springboard
his comeback title campaign.
Down 25 points at the time, Mees
won both races in Springfield
and then in Sacramento to turn
the tables on Bauman.
In 2019 and 2020, Bauman proved
it possible to weather a
Springfield championship
drubbing, although under
considerably different
circumstances than what he now
faces. ‘19 saw Bauman go into
Springfield with a massive
38-point advantage. Mees’ 1-1
vs. his 3-2 slashed the
difference down to a still hefty
25.
And in ‘20, Bauman came in up
three points and left down 13,
as a result of his 7-3 vs Mees’
2-1. However, the Springfield
Mile doubleheader came early
that season due to the pandemic
scheduling shakeup, and Bauman
managed to respond with four
consecutive wins to get his
championship campaign back on
track.
Complicating Factors
As previously alluded,
Springfield is a special case.
While Bauman has finished first
or second in 11 of 13 races this
season (with one of the two
misses being a third in which he
had to race up through the field
after being placed at the back
of the pack), this weekend poses
a steeper climb toward that end
goal.
Bauman finished fifth at the ‘25
DuQuoin Mile and looked rather
overmatched in doing so. Even
though DuQuoin and Springfield
have their own particular
characteristics, that recent
data point has to be a bit
alarming for the Rick Ware
Racing outfit.
And at Springfield, if you’re
off by even a fraction, it can
cost you huge in the points
payout.
Looking for some numbers to back
up that assertion? How’s this?:
In the last 30 Springfield
Miles:
23 have been decided by less
than a second at the checkered
flag.
18 of those 23 had at least
three riders finish within a
second of victory.
11 of those 18 featured at least
five riders within a second of
victory.
Home track hero Jeffrey
Carver, Jr. (No. 123
Happy Trails Racing/Carver's BBQ
Kawasaki Ninja 650), won the
Springfield Mile in 2018 over
Mees by 0.819 seconds. The
following year, he finished
0.653 seconds behind race winner
Mees… and finished tenth!
And that wasn’t the only such
race, as there were two among
the 11 that saw 10 riders take
the checkered flag within a
second of the win.
A similar outcome for Bauman (or
Daniels) would likely prove
catastrophic to their
championship chances.
The Cascade
That sort of variability is
liable to have ramifications all
throughout the championship
tables.
At the moment, Brandon
Robinson (No. 44
Mission Roof Systems
Harley-Davidson XG750R) is
relatively secure in third with
176 points compared to the twin
158-point efforts of
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).
However, he’s arguably somewhat
less secure than he was two
rounds back when he led them
158-141-128. That current
18-point advantage sounds even
shakier when you factor in the
possibility of a 15-point shift
a la Carver in 2019.
There’s also a tight race for
sixth waged by Trent
Lowe (No. 48 American
Honda/Progressive Insurance
Honda Transalp), James
Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing
Yamaha MT-07), Dan
Bromley (No. 62 Memphis
Shades/Vinson Construction
Suzuki GSX-8S), and Max
Whale (No. 18 Moto
Anatomy X Powered by Royal
Enfield 650).
Lowe leads them in that order,
137-131-128-127.
Behind those four,
Declan Bender (No. 70
Memphis Shades/Luczak Racing
Yamaha MT-07) sits a distant
tenth at 83 after joining the
chase halfway in.
Daniels and Yamaha would love to
see Ott and Bender make big
moves this weekend, ideally
replicating their DuQuoin 1-2-3.
There, a Yamaha podium lockout
was significant. Here, it could
be of Grand National
proportions.
Even assuming a win at Lake
Ozark, Bauman needs to score at
least 31 points in Springfield
to fend off a 1-1-2 season’s
finish by Daniels. Two thirds
would do it. A third and a
fourth would not.
It may not prove to be podium or
bust for Bauman, but he should
probably plan on viewing it as
such.
The Magic is Back
And if all that doesn’t make for
enough intrigue, this weekend
will mark the racing return of
the one, the only, and the
aforementioned Jeffrey
“The Wizard”
Carver, Jr.
Carver’s entry at Springfield
marks his first premier-class
race since 2022. While he’ll be
pressed to quickly brush off
whatever rust has accumulated in
the time since, he’s a
spectacular natural talent and
one of the more entertaining
riders the sport has produced in
recent times.
Carver's bona fides are legit.
He’s a four-time Mission AFT
SuperTwins winner and 22-time
podium finisher. Additionally,
he won the AFT Singles
crown in 2010.
And he’s continued to have an
impact on the sport even from
the fences; Aidan
RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA
Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha
YZ450F) credits Carver with
playing a significant role in
the breakthrough season his
fellow Illinois native has
enjoyed in AFT Singles
competition this season.
That said, it’ll be fun to see
Carver back out on track and
flexing those Springfield Mile
muscles again.
Up for the (Triple)
Challenge
And don’t forget, the
Springfield Mile I marks the
third and final time this season
the Mission Triple Challenge
format will be utilized.
The shorter distances involved
are likely to only bunch things
up even further, creating all
the more opportunities for photo
finishes and the unexpected.
Grand National
Atmosphere
Bring the family and enjoy not
only the greatest spectacle on
two wheels, but also live music,
big-screen viewing, vendor
displays, dedicated motorcycle
parking, and a variety of food
and beverage options.
All ticketholders will have
access to the AMCA
Motorcycle Swap Meet
taking place both days in the
infield. In fact, there will be
three bike shows in all – the
Infield Bike Show
as part of the AMCA Motorcycle
Swap Meet, the Flat
Track Racing Show at
the entrance of the grandstands,
and the Vintage Iron
Rider’s Motorcycle Club
display.
At the Springfield Mile,
Bikes and Tickets Move
Fast
And you had better move fast too
because tickets are $10 off if
purchased prior to Wednesday.
Act now and Infield
tickets are still just
$20 (kids 12 and under free with
a paid adult), while
Reserved Grandstand
tickets start at $35 (all
ages).
For $150, fans also have the
opportunity to receive a
VIP Experience
that provides an upgraded
Reserved Grandstand
ticket of their choice, food and
beverage in the VIP area, and
all day access to the pits.
Camping is also available
through the Illinois State
Fairgrounds campgrounds. For
reservations or any questions,
please call (217) 725-0120.
To purchase Springfield
Mile I tickets,
click HERE.
To purchase Springfield
Mile II tickets,
click HERE.
And to save an additional $5 by
purchasing Saturday and Sunday
tickets together for the
Springfield Mile I & II,
click HERE.
For more information or media
inquiries, please contact Mees
Promotions by phone (217)
632-0277 or email:
meespromotions@gmail.com.
Gates will open for fans at
10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT)
both days, with Opening
Ceremonies set to begin at 2:30
p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) on
Saturday and Sunday.
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
Springfield Mile I presented by
Drag Specialties,
featuring in-depth features and
thrilling onboard cameras, will
premiere on FS1
on Saturday, September 6,
at 10:00 a.m. ET
(7:00 a.m. PT). The
Springfield Mile II
presented by Drag
Specialties will air
the following Saturday,
September 13, at
10:00 a.m. ET
(7:00 a.m. PT)
For more information on
Progressive AFT visit
https://www.americanflattrack.com.
