Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) claimed top honors on what proved to be a huge night for Estenson Racing in a historic Lima Half-Mile I, Round 6 of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
Daniels was in serious need of a victory at the Allen County Fairgrounds. Nearly four months removed from his last victory and having witnessed Mission AFT SuperTwins title rival Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) win the last three races in succession, the preseason Grand National Championship favorite came into Lima, Ohio, desperate to shift the momentum back in his favor.
The debut of Mission Triple Challenge basically guaranteed an evening of drama and excitement as the two squared off for supremacy. It was the first time the entire field would face an all-new format that featured three successive Main Events – the first a 10-lap sprint, the second a 15-lapper that paid double points, and a decisive 20-lap Main to round out the evening with triple the points – the results of which combined to determine the evening’s overall winner.
Promising on paper, the concept delivered in practice.
Main Event 1
The Mission AFT SuperTwins evening opened in barn-burning fashion, with Bauman, Daniels, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) running four wide whenever they weren’t intersecting lines.
However, that demonstration of controlled chaos was brought to an abrupt halt due to an early fall by Ben Lowe (No. 25 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Yamaha MT-07) that brought out the red flag.
Daniels took full advantage of the race reset, sprinting away to collect a quick 23 points toward his evening’s combined tally. He was followed home by Bauman, who snuck past Robinson on the last lap.
Bromley picked up fourth ahead of Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650).
Main Event 2
Lessons learned, Main Event 2 was a contest of shifting lines and shifting strategies.
While Daniels and Bauman tangled for the lead in the opening stages, Robinson simultaneously shot past both and looked to make a break.
At that point, Main Event 1 winner Daniels appeared to be best positioned to prevent that eventuality, while Bauman seemed to be doing everything in his power just to cling on in third.
But in actuality, he was simply doing his homework. When Bauman finally unleashed the line he worked out while out of the sight of Robinson and Daniels, he gobbled up the gap and ran around the outside of both of his opponents, grabbing the lead for good with six laps remaining.
Daniels took notes and dropped Robinson back to third by the time they reached the checkered flag.
Bromley and Whale backed up their earlier fourths and fifths with identical results in Main Event 2.
Main Event 3
A lightning quick start for Daniels meant precious little when both Bauman and Robinson stormed past in one fell swoop.
While the three broke free from the pack almost from the jump, Bauman continued that charge forward, turning the contest into a one-man show for a time.
However, after Bauman teased a potential fourth consecutive premier-class victory by edging that advantage up near a second, Daniels reeled him back in.
Just when the Estenson Racing ace closed in for the strike with just five of 20 laps remaining, Bauman’s machine seemed to suffer from a slipping clutch. That allowed Daniels to effortlessly blast past and power his way to a third overall victory in 2025.
With nearly five seconds padding on Robinson, Bauman was nearly able to nurse that advantage to the flag but instead found himself tracked down and overhauled in the race’s final corner.
Still, Bauman’s earlier 2-1 results were strong enough to fend off Robinson in the overall tally, holding onto second in the combined order despite his final-lap disappointment in Main Event 3.
Fourth-place in the race went to Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTB Racing Yamaha MT-07), who closed out a stirring debut with On the Box Racing by running down the on-form Bromley late in Main Event 3.
However, like Bauman, Bromley was rewarded for his consistent performances with a fourth-place overall finish.
By contrast, Bender’s overall result of eighth didn’t reflect the strong impression he made in Main Event 3, as his combined tally still put behind fifth-placed Whale, sixth-placed Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp), and seventh-placed Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke).
Daniels said, “The second and third Mains were just super tricky for us. The track was like nothing I’ve ever seen at Lima before – super brushed off and you kind of had to go in and bump the cushion.
“I was matching Briar there for a little bit. I’m not sure if he had a problem or something, but I had a really good line in Turns 3 and 4. I had to kind of go slower to go faster, which has just never been the case here before. So it took a little bit to adapt and, you know, Briar has been on it all season. He’s won the last three races. He’s been kicking our butt. So it’s good to stop the bleeding.
“It’s going to be a hell of a season battling with him and the rest of these guys.”
AFT Singles presented by KICKER
Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, AFT Singles presented by KICKER title favorite and defending Lima Half-Mile winner Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), earned his first victory of the 2025 Progressive AFT season.
But despite boasting blistering speed right from the opening practice, Drane was forced to battle for it over the course of three epic Main Events.
Main Event 1
The evening’s first 10-lap sprint was a two-rider affair from the start, with Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) scoring the holeshot and Drane immediately putting him in his sights. The two jostled for position for several laps before the Australian ultimately seized control and broke free at the front.
The battle for third was even more heated. Initially led by Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), he later gave way to the freight train that was Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R), Tarren Santero (No. 75 Mission Roof Systems Honda CRF450R), and Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450).
Saathoff, who started eighth and finished third, and Renshaw, who started 12th and finished fifth, not only scored strong points hauls toward their combined tally but improved their chances by earning better starting positions for Main Event 2.
Main Event 2
Saathoff’s improved starting slot did indeed put him in the mix in the early going of Main Event 2. But once again, the race gradually took shape as a Drane vs. Brunner rematch.
This time around, however, the Turner Racing pilot had something for his Estenson Racing Yamaha-mounted rival. Once in front, Brunner put up a fierce defense of the position, changing lines and refusing to close the throttle when Drane slid up alongside and pushed him up near the fence.
Saathoff stayed close enough in third to watch the fight in front of him, while Santero scooped up a second fourth on the evening, with rookie sensation Kage Tadman (No. 288 Roof Systems/Old Oak Ranch KTM 450 SX-F) rounding out Main Event 2’s top five.
Main Event 3
Even a less-than-ideal start wasn’t enough to prevent Drane from getting his revenge, both in the third and final Main and the round’s overall result.
The Aussie fell back to fifth at the start while Brunner and Saathoff locked horns for first. A quick red flag resulted in a staggered restart, at which point Drane immediately pounced on Saathoff and then quickly dispatched Brunner as well.
Drane refused to relent, opening up an advantage of more than five seconds en route to the checkered flag.
All of Brunner’s hard work was derailed when his Honda expired with less than five laps to go. Despite a 2-1 run in the Main Events 1 & 2, the triple points paid out for Main Event 3 cost him dearly as he was ultimately shuffled all the way down to sixth in the night’s combined results.
Santero took full advantage of Brunner’s misfortune, outdueling Saathoff to leap up to second in the Main and overall.
Meanwhile, Saathoff turned three thirds into a combined third. Next in Main Event 3 and the overall order were rising stars Renshaw and Tadman, placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Meanwhile, another highly touted rookie, Walker Porter (No. 100 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), showed well in his pro debut. Porter regularly pushed up near the top five and tallied finishes of 8-9-8 to finish seventh in his first attempt at the Progressive AFT level.
Afterward, race winner Drane said, “It was really good. We were fast all day. I knew what I had to do, and once I got past Trevor, I just had to put my head down and keep going. It’s unfortunate that he broke.
“Back home, we do something similar. We’ve got five heat races. So for me, it was no problem. I just had to chip away at it, and then ride that last one like it was the Main because of the points.
“Thank you to my whole Estenson Racing Monster Energy Yamaha team. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here winning tonight. And I’m so thankful for them.”
Next Up:
The stars of Progressive American Flat Track will be back in action tomorrow night for the Lima Half-Mile II.
Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/2-day-lima-2025-125126 to secure your tickets today.
Gates will open for fans at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). For more information, ticket purchases, and updates, visit www.limahalf-mile.com or call 419-991-1491
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 Lima Half-Mile I, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, July 5, at 9:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. PT), with the Lima Half-Mile II scheduled to air one week later, on Saturday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
