The Grand National Championship is now separated by just two points following an epic and unpredictable Springfield Mile I presented by Drag Specialties, Round 14 of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
Home-state hero Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) fought through adversity to come up huge in the clutch and reignite his Mission AFT SuperTwins title hopes at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois.
Last Chance Qualifier
Things got mighty serious even before the first Main Event of the Mission Triple Challenge. A deep field packed with some high-profile recent retirees and part-timers – including the legendary Jared Mees (No. 1 Howerton Motorsports Kawasaki Ninja 650), Jeffrey Carver, Jr. (No. 123 Happy Trails Racing, Carver’s BBQ Kawasaki Ninja 650), Brandon Price (No. 92
HRP Racing/Duffs Speed Machine Yamaha MT-07), and Henry Wiles (No. 911 1st Impressions Racing KTM 790 Duke) – pushed some of the class’ leading riders into the Last Chance Qualifier during qualifying.
That list included title leader Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R), who managed to survive that near scare with a narrow victory over Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) in the LCQ.
Fifth-ranked Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke) wasn’t so fortunate, dropping out of a qualifying position with mechanical woes on the race’s final lap. Even worse, he was soon joined by fourth-ranked Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke), who had dibs on the lone provisional starting slot due to his superior championship positioning. That advantage was awarded via the tiebreaker, as both riders came into Springfield all even at 158 points.
Main Event 1
The new-for-‘25 Mission Triple Challenge format, which features three successive Main Events – a 10-lap sprint, a 15-lapper that pays double points, and a final 20-lap Main which concludes the meeting with triple points – was employed for the third and final time this season on Saturday at Springfield.
However, it didn’t include one of its designers – 10-time Grand National Champion Mees – as his day ended prematurely; transmission issues encountered during qualifying ruled him out before he could even take the grid for Main Event 1.
With the modern-day Springfield master removed from the equation – as well as Fisher, whose backup bike went up in smoke early in Main Event 1 – Daniels jumped into first off the line.
However, Carver and Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) soon took control at the head of a seven-rider pack. But just when it looked like they might escape into a fight of their own, they were tracked down by James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) who promptly beat them both to the checkered flag.
Daniels held on for fourth, followed by Price, and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R).
Bauman finished seventh despite crossing the stripe just 0.836 seconds behind Ott.
Main Event 2
Main Event 2 brought the action early and never relented. From the start, a four-rider lead pack formed featuring Carver, Ott, Lowe, and Price, followed by a heavy-hitting next pack consisting of Daniels, Bauman, Robinson and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTB Racing Yamaha MT-07) about a second behind.
The race’s shape was upended when Carver bumped the elbow of Ott while attempting to take the lead, instantly transforming the contest into an eight-rider battle for the win.
At that point, title leader Bauman made his move, working his way up to the lead on the final lap. While he was ultimately unable to fend off Lowe – who put the Honda Transalp on top of the box – he did hold on for second while rival Daniels could only manage seventh.
Price finished third, followed by Bender, Ott, and Robinson.
Following his moment with Ott, Carver came home behind Daniels in eighth.
Main Event 3
A tense and enthralling Main Event 3 closed things out with massive championship implications.
Once Main Event 2 winner Lowe dropped out with a mechanical, the 20-lapper took shape as a five-rider fight at the front with Harley-Davidson-mounted Bauman faced up against the Yamahas of Daniels, Bender, Ott, and Price.
Bauman repeatedly featured in first, slicing his way back through whenever Bender and Ott – and later Daniels and Price – clawed their way forward.
However, Bauman’s brilliant riding was overmatched by sheer speed when it mattered the most. Despite leading with two laps to go, Bauman lost out in the final shuffle; he was dropped all the way down to fifth at the flag while rival Daniels blasted up to hit the stripe in first.
Price finished second (0.092 seconds), followed by Ott (0.146), Bender (0.183), and Bauman (0.194). And with triple points in effect, that re-racked the day’s Overall results in nearly in that same order, with Bauman ahead of Bender for fourth the only alteration.
As a result, Bauman’s championship lead has been reduced to just two points (280-278) with just only races remaining. Robinson remains third at 186.
An emotional Daniels said, “The beginning of the day today has just been the story of the season. It’s been tough, but I’ll tell you one thing, it’s making us a helluva lot stronger. We proved that we don’t give up. That’s the motto for sure. I kind of had my head down after the second Main Event, and my dad grabbed me and said, ‘Hey dude, we’re not out of this.’
“Briar was so good in (Turns) 3 and 4, I was just nervous. I didn’t know where to place myself. But when Brandon (Price) got up there, I knew it was time to go. On the last lap, I knew I had to cut the best Turns 3 and 4 I did all day, and I really felt I did. Winning the Springfield Mile is pretty cool.”
AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Australian Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) became the first non-American champion in any class in the long history of Progressive American Flat Track, securing the AFT Singles presented by KICKER title a full two rounds early today in Springfield.
He did so by being both faster and more consistent than any other rider, racking up podiums at a historic rate while rapidly climbing his way up the career victory ranks.
Even in the event of a Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) victory, the Estenson Racing Yamaha ace needed just a ninth-place finish on Saturday to wrap up his first AFT Singles crown.
But finishing ninth isn’t really Drane’s style…
Main Event 1
Drane made his intentions clear from the start, grabbing the holeshot to open Main Event 1 with Brunner slotting in behind him.
They were joined by 1st Impressions teammates Kage Tadman (No. 288 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) and Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) and Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F) to create a five-rider breakaway at the front.
Try as they might, no one could move Drane out of first for long, and the Estenson Racing star grabbed the checkered flag with relatively little drama.
Tadman edged Brunner for second, followed by Cose and Pfanders.
Main Event 2
Tadman powered by Drane on the opening lap, signaling the start of a very different race for top honors in Main Event 2. The two shook free of the pack almost immediately, with the lone exception of Cose, who managed to reel the two back in and join the fight for the win.
With Cose lurking just behind, Tadman and Drane went back and forth throughout. Tadman registered his final pass for the lead with two to go, while Drane returned the favor entering Turn 1 on the final lap.
Drane’s task was then made a bit easier when Cose slipped up the inside of his young teammate as they negotiated Turns 3-4 for the final time.
Behind the Drane-Cose-Tadman 1-2-3, Brunner picked up fourth after coming out on top of a massive melee for the position with just 0.643 seconds separating fourth from tenth.
Main Event 3
The decisive Main Event 3 saw its lead pack ebb-and-flow – eight to three back up to seven as packs split and merged. All the while, Drane, Brunner, and Tadman dominated the front three positions, repeatedly trading first position.
The 20-lap Main was red flagged with eight laps to go when fourth-placed Pfanders crashed after getting sucked up in the draft just as Tadman closed down in front of him. The resultant staggered restart changed what was a long haul into a sprint race with the championship on the line.
From there a big pack stuck tight to the flag, but the end result was still the same; Drane had a counter for every move Brunner and Tadman threw at him, and he took the checkered flag – and the 2025 title with it – via a 0.017-second victory over Brunner.
After earning the #1 plate with his sixth win of the season, Drane said, “I’ve got a great team behind me. I can’t thank any of them enough. Tommy (Hayden) and Tim (Estenson) gave me this opportunity, and I wouldn’t be here without them. The whole Estenson Racing team worked hard all year to get this bike underneath me. And I can’t thank my family enough. All the sacrifices my mum and dad have made for me to be here is just awesome. It’s amazing.”
Despite getting edged by Drane, Brunner jumped up to second in the Overall results.
Meanwhile, Cose again pipped teammate Tadman for third, both in Main Event 3 and the event at large. Pfanders, who fought his way back up into contention from the back of the pack, came home fifth in Main Event 3 and Overall.
While the title is now taken care of, Drane still has a chance to tie Dallas Daniels and Kody Kopp for most wins in an AFT Singles season (eight) and Shayna Texter-Bauman for second all-time class race wins (19) before the year is out.
Next Up:
Progressive American Flat Track will be right back in action here in Springfield tomorrow, Sunday, August 31, for the 2025 season’s penultimate round, the Springfield Mile II presented by Drag Specialties.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/springfield-mile-day-2-125375 to purchase your tickets now.
For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://flosports.link/aft.
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 IIpresented 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.
