DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla.
(September 6,
2026) – Davis
Fisher (No. 67
Rackley
Racing/Bob
Lanphere’s BMC
Racing KTM 790
Duke) scored his
second-career
Mission AFT
SuperTwins
victory in a
thrilling
Caterpillar
Springfield Mile
II that closed
out a
spectacular 2026
Progressive
American Flat
Track season,
sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing,
in fine style.
As with his
first – taken at
the 2021
Charlotte Half-Mile –
Fisher did so in
a season-ending
stunner. The
difference is
this one came in
Springfield,
Illinois, at the
Illinois State
Fairgrounds’
fabled
Springfield
Mile.
Equally
noteworthy was
the overall
makeup of the
podium, which
did not feature
any of the three
Grand National
Championship
protagonists who
dominated the
headlines and
garnered
all previous 15
victories
leading into the
last race of the
year.
While champion
Dallas Daniels
(No. 1 Estenson
Racing Yamaha
MT-07) and title
rivals Briar
Bauman (No. 3
Super.com/RWR/Rocket
Doctor
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) and Kody
Kopp (No. 12
Latus Motors
Racing
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) played
their roles in
the race,
Fisher ultimately earned
the win by
fending off
KICKER AFT
Singles
superstar and
Mission AFT
SuperTwins wild
card Tom Drane
(No. 59 Estenson
Racing Yamaha
MT-07) at the
flag.
Fisher and Drane
went back and
forth for first
over the
back half of the
contest, where
it became
increasingly
obvious that Fisher
needed
to keep Drane behind
him entering
Turn 3 on the
final lap to
have any hope of
taking the win.
And he
did exactly that,
a fact that
allowed him to
edge the
talented
Australian by a
meager 0.009
seconds at the
flag.
Fisher said,
“Tom (Drane) put
up a heck of a
fight. I
just can’t thank
the whole
Rackley team
enough for just
chugging away at
this and putting
the KTM on the
top of the box.
My long-time
sponsor Bob
Lanphere from
Beaverton
Motorcycles made
the trip here,
and he told me,
‘I’m here to
watch you win
the Mile.’ And
we did that.
“It’s pretty
cool going into
the offseason on
top. I get to
look at the
scoreboard
all year long,
just like I did
after
Charlotte. It’s been
a while since I
got a win. It
was long
overdue, and it
feels so
great.”
2025 Springfield
winner Trent
Lowe (No. 48
American
Honda/Mission
Foods Honda
CB750 Hornet)
finished in
third just 0.057
seconds further
adrift to back
up his Saturday
podium with
another on
Sunday.
As for the title
fighters,
Bauman frequently ran
at the head of
the multi-rider
lead pack until
he was forced
out with an
apparent mechanical
issue with just
over four
minutes
remaining.
Daniels,
meanwhile, lost
touch with the
lead group just
prior to
half-distance.
He
dropped nearly
two seconds back
at one point
before executing
a late charge
aided by the
back-and-forth
antics of Fisher
and Drane at the
front. That
enabled him to
latch onto
the tail of the
draft with two
laps to go,
bringing him
near enough to
zap Kopp on the
final
lap for fourth.
Despite that
setback, fifth
was more than
enough for Kopp
to overtake the
unlucky Bauman
and finish
his rookie premier-class
campaign ranked
second in the
Grand National
Championship.
Behind, Dalton
Gauthier (No. 79
Moto Anatomy X
Powered by Royal
Enfield 650)
took a lonely
sixth, while
Declan Bender
(No. 70 Memphis
Shades/Vinson
Construction
Yamaha MT-07)
won out in a
tight all-Yamaha
battle for
seventh,
finishing just
ahead of Hunter
Bauer (No. 24
G&G Racing
Yamaha MT-07)
and Chad Cose
(No. 49 PRO
Roofing/Parker
Racing Yamaha
MT-07).
The “Wizard”
Jeffrey Carver,
Jr. (No. 123
Mission
Foods/Roof
Systems
Harley-Davidson
XG750R) earned a
popular top ten
in his return to
action at the
Springfield
Mile.
Daniels
concluded his
second-consecutive
championship-winning
campaign with
309 points. He
was followed by
Kopp (274) and
Bauman (270).
Fisher rounded
out a fine
season in fourth
with 216 points,
followed by Lowe
at 178.
KICKER
AFT Singles
The KICKER AFT
Singles category
held out until
its final Main
Event of the
season to
unleash its
wildest race of
2026.
Twelve riders
went back and
forth for ten
minutes and
(nearly) two
laps, swapping
the lead at the
end of almost
every straight.
That intensity
reached its
boiling point on
the final lap,
at which point
Logan Eisenhard
(No. 66 Mark
Tepper
Racing/Pags
Powersports KTM
450 SX-F) got
sucked up the
track and
collected Jordan
Beaulac (No. 156
Picotte Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS
MC 450F),
sending both
riders into the
air fence.
The incident
brought out a
red flag while
double
class champ Tom
Drane (No. 1
Estenson Racing
Yamaha YZ450F)
held the lead
negotiating the
race’s final
lap.
However, Chase
Saathoff (No. 88
1st Impressions
Race Team
Husqvarna FC450)
had actually
taken the white
flag to open
that lap inches
ahead of both
Kage Tadman (No.
28 American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R)
(0.038 seconds
back) and Drane
(0.039) as the
massive group
maneuvered to
set up their
last-gasp
sprints to a
checkered flag
that would never
wave.
As a result, the
win was awarded
to Saathoff in
what might prove
to be an
unexpected
conclusion to an
epic, years-long
KICKER AFT
Singles rivalry
should one or
both graduate to
premier-class
duty in 2027.
After picking up
his
second victory of
the season,
home-state hero
Saathoff said,
“It still feels
great to
win. I’m super
grateful, and I
do feel we would
have had a
chance at the
line. I can’t
thank the whole
team enough;
it’s been a
great
year. I’m very
blessed to be up
here right now,
even though it
was by a
technicality… it
happens.”
Tadman was
credited with
second while
Drane officially
finished third –
a tough luck end
to his
seven-race Mile
win streak
aboard the
YZ450F.
Trevor Brunner
(No. 21 JMC
Motorsports/Fairway
GMC KTM 450
SX-F) and Jared
Lowe (No. 63 Big
R Racing/Vinson
Construction
Honda CRF450R)
rounded out the
top five in that
order.
Walker Porter
(No. 10 American
Honda/Mission
Foods CRF450R),
Bradon Pfanders (No.
83 Memphis
Shades/Corbin
Seats Yamaha
YZ450F), Tarren
Santero (No. 75
Roof
Systems/Texas
Utility
Studies/Vinson
Construction
Honda CRF450R),
Jett Katarzy
(No. 117 1st
Impressions Race
Team Husqvarna
FC450) and Kaleb
Martin (No. 93
GETMOREBIKE
Honda CRF450F)
were listed
sixth through
tenth,
respectively, in
the official results.
Despite Sunday’s
minor
disappointment,
Drane had
already locked
down a
record-breaking
nine-win season
to round out a
second
consecutive
crushing
title triumph.
He ended his
campaign with
303 points,
followed by
Saathoff at 257
and Tadman
with 226.
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
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.
_g2bp.jpg)
