DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla.
(September 5,
2026) – A
destiny promised
is now a destiny
realized. Dallas
Daniels (No. 1
Estenson Racing
Yamaha MT-07)
joined the
exclusive ranks
of multi-time
Grand National
Champions with a
victorious
performance in
Saturday’s
Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
I at the
Illinois State
Fairgrounds in
Springfield,
Illinois.
Racing in front
of his
home-state fans
at the crown
jewel of the
Progressive
American Flat
Track season,
sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing,
Daniels once
again did
exactly what he
needed to do
when it mattered
the most.
Main
Event 1
The Mission AFT
SuperTwins
competitors
lined up for the
season’s third
and final
Mission Triple
Challenge
contending with
not just one
another but
near-triple-digit
temperatures to
boot. That
extreme heat
carried over
into the
competition,
which was
scorching hot
from the opening
lap.
An
initial ten-lap
sprint properly
set the tone for
the day with an
eight-rider lead
pack scrapping
for top honors
as the contest
settled in.
Two-time Grand
National
Champion Briar
Bauman (No. 3
Super.com/RWR/Rocket
Doctor
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) grabbed
the holeshot but
was immediately overhauled
by last year’s
hero of
Springfield,
Trent Lowe (No.
48 American
Honda/Mission
Foods Honda
CB750 Hornet).
Daniels took his
turn at the
front soon after
but saw Lowe and
Fisher
simultaneously
rip past on
either flank
with seven laps
to go. Those
three would
then proceed to
slowly stretch
out an advantage
over
the remainder of
the field.
Fisher kicked
in up another
gear late,
shaking free
over the final
two laps to
claim an
unchallenged
victory in the
first of three
Mission Triple
Challenge Main
Events.
Daniels edged
Lowe for second
by just 0.059
seconds, while
KICKER
AFT SuperTwins champion
Tom Drane (No.
59 Estenson
Racing Yamaha
MT-07) did his
part to help
out his
teammate,
drafting past
Bauman and Kody
Kopp (No. 12
Latus Motors
Racing
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) on the
final lap to
steal away
fourth.
Main
Event 2
An even better
race played out
in the 15-lap
Main Event 2 –
and one
that ultimately
proved to have
massive
championship
implications.
From the early
going, this one
was a six-rider
affair.
Fisher immediately dropped
to the back of
the group
following a poor
start from pole
that sent him
spinning up the
track, while
Daniels powered
under Lowe to
secure the
lead.
Daniels proceeded to
control the race
from the front
but never had
room to breathe
with Lowe,
Drane, Kopp,
Bauman, and
Fisher running
in tight
formation on his
rear wheel.
With four
laps remaining, title hopeful
Bauman raised
his
hand, indicating a
problem. Moments
later, he pulled
out of the race,
further opening
the door for
Daniels’ quest
for a
second-consecutive
crown.
He raced through
that opening to
close out Main
Event 2, holding
Lowe at bay by
0.111 seconds to
claim the win.
Kopp edged
former 450cc
rival Drane for
third while Main
Event 1 winner
Fisher came home
fifth, finishing
just 0.564
seconds off the
win despite
struggling to
keep his bike
tidy and low in
the rematch.
Behind, Declan
Bender (No. 70
Memphis
Shades/Vinson
Construction
Yamaha MT-07)
ran a lonely
race to sixth,
with Hunter
Bauer (No. 24
G&G Racing
Yamaha MT-07),
Chad Cose (No.
49 PRO
Roofing/Parker
Racing Yamaha
MT-07), Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79
Moto Anatomy X
Powered by Royal
Enfield 650),
and Ben Lowe
(No. 25 Rackley
Racing/Roof
Systems KTM 790
Duke) rounding
out the top
ten.
Main
Event 3
While his
shattered
championship
aspirations couldn’t be
resurrected,
Bauman did get a
significant
measure of
revenge in Main
Event 3.
Starting from
the back of the
field, Bauman
clawed his way
into contention,
slotting into
sixth after the
opening lap.
Working a
slightly higher
line, the RWR
Harley-Davidson
ace continued to
pick his way
forward, taking
his position at
the front of a
seven-rider pack
shortly after
the race hit its
half-way point.
Meanwhile,
Daniels had
bigger concerns,
finding himself
in a dogfight
with Fisher,
Lowe, and Drane
as he calculated
what he needed
to do to secure
the day’s
overall win and
the 2026 Grand
National
Championship
along with it.
While
Fisher repeated
his Main Event
2 fade, Lowe and
Drane didn’t go
anywhere. Bauman
managed to break
the draft with
Daniels, Lowe,
and Drane racing
side-by-side
for second over
the contest’s
final three
laps.
Once in
position,
Daniels again
proved a
difficult
quarry. And he
indeed came home
in second,
finishing some
0.289 seconds
behind Bauman
and 0.059
seconds ahead of
Lowe.
That (2-1-2) was
all Daniels
needed to do to
lock down the
Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
I overall win
and another #1
plate.
The victory was
Daniels’ fourth
in a row and
moved him equal
with Bauman at
six on the
season.
Afterward, he
said, “It was a
tough year. It
was really long,
and it was hard.
The
guys I’m racing
against are so
good. Each year
you expect to
take a step
(forward), but
your competition
does too.
I didn’t know if
it was going to
happen today.
“I could talk
about the day,
or I could talk
about the
season, but
really, I want
to thank my
whole team. The
Estenson Racing
Monster Energy
Yamaha team –
Tommy Hayden and
Tim Estenson –
gave me the
opportunity of a
lifetime to come
out here and do
what I love and
make a
living doing it.
I also want to
thank all of my
supporters… This
year came
together late,
but winning four
in a row and the
Springfield
Mile, it’s awesome.
“This is an
emotional time
for me. I
dreamed of this
for a long
time. It’s cool.”
Lowe
finished the
day second
overall (3-2-3)
to claim his
first podium of
the season.
Meanwhile,
Bauman’s victory
more than made
up for his
second race
15th, springing
him all the way
up to third
(5-15-1) on the
combined order.
Fisher finished
fourth (1-5-6)
with Drane
rounding out the
top five
(4-4-4).
With one race to
go, Daniels now
holds an
unassailable
27-point lead
over Bauman
(295-268). Kopp
is third at 261
and still well
within striking
distance of
second heading
into Sunday’s
finale.
KICKER
AFT Singles
Two-time KICKER
AFT Singles
champion Tom
Drane (No. 1
Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F)
continued his
unprecedented
revision of the
record books
with yet another
Springfield Mile
performance to
remember.
Saturday’s Main
Event was
predictably
frenetic with a
huge pack of
motivated riders
holding the
throttle wide
open around the
fabled Mile. A
red flag brought
the action to a
momentary halt
after promising
rookie Charlie
Jaques (No. 110
J&M
Logging/Miller
Racing Honda
CRF450R) crashed
from fourth
after briefly
running in the
lead.
When the race
resumed, it took
shape as a
five-rider
breakaway. Kage
Tadman (No. 28
American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R)
did manage to
open up a gap of
more than a
half-second as
the race took
the halfway
flags but was
quickly hunted
down by the
chasing Drane,
Chase Saathoff
(No. 88 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450), Trevor
Brunner (No. 21
JMC
Motorsports/Fairway
GMC KTM 450
SX-F), and Logan
Eisenhard (No.
66 Mark Tepper
Racing/Pags
Powersports KTM
450 SX-F).
All but
Eisenhard held
the lead at one
point or another
as the
contenders
rehearsed
last-lap
strategies with
the laps ticking
away. Eisenhard
finally fell off
the lead pack
with less than a
minute to go, as
the jockeying
continued at the
front.
As the last lap
opened, Tadman
sailed ahead of
Drane entering
Turn 1 to
reclaim the lead
but was helpless
as Drane rushed
back by on the
entrance to Turn
3.
Drane tucked in low
coming off
of Turn 4, hoping
to beat his
pursuers to the
checkered flag.
The
gambit worked,
as he blasted
past the
checkered flag
mere fractions
of a second
ahead of
second-placed
Saathoff (.037
seconds back)
and third-placed
Brunner (0.067
seconds back).
The victory was
the Estenson
Racing star’s
ninth of
2026, establishing a
new single-season wins record
for the
category. It
also upped the
Australian’s
Mile win streak
to seven and his
Springfield-specific
streak to six.
Tadman, despite
leading on the
final lap and
finishing just
0.085 seconds
back of the
win, didn't even
earn himself a
trip to the
podium in
fourth.
Eisenhard
managed to come
home with a top
five but only
just, as Evan
Kelleher (No. 31
Schaeffer's
Motorsports KTM
450 SX-F) closed
in to finish
0.035 seconds
behind him in
sixth.
Walker Porter
(No. 10 American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R)
battled from the
back to an
eventual
seventh, while
Jordan Beaulac
(No. 156
Picotte Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS
MC 450F),
Jett Katarzy (No.
117 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450), and
Bradon Pfanders (No.
83 Memphis
Shades/Corbin
Seats Yamaha
YZ450F)
completed the
top ten.
Next Up
The 2026
Progressive AFT
season will
conclude
tomorrow with
the second half
of this
weekend’s double
finale, the
Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
II.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/day-2-springfield-2026-165643 to
secure your
seats now.
How to
Watch
FloRacing
For those
that can’t catch
the live action
at the
track, FloRacing is
the live
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Motorsports fans
can subscribe
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2026. FloSports is
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TV, Roku, Amazon
Fire and
Chromecast.
FS1
FOX Sports
coverage of the
Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
I, featuring
in-depth
features and
thrilling
onboard cameras,
will premiere on
FS1 on Sunday,
September 13, at
10:00 a.m. ET
(7:00 a.m. PT).
The Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
II will air the
following
Sunday,
September
20, at 11:00
a.m. ET (8:00
a.m. PT)
For more
information on
Progressive AFT
visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
