Mission American Flat Track SuperTwins rookie Kody Kopp came into his first race of the premier class ready to rumble with an impressive win over defending champ Dallas Daniels in the AFT Short Track at Daytona I on March 5, finishing 0.150 ahead of Daniels when the race was called early due to Trent Lowe’s crash.
Kopp enters the SuperTwins class on the Latus Motors Racing team aboard a Harley-Davidson XG750R after a successful career in the Kicker AFT Singles class, but he exceeded expectations after dominating qualifying, heat, and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge before winning the main event.
The 2025 season saw a battle between Yamaha-mounted Dallas Daniels and Harley-mounted Briar Bauman, and Kopp’s performance so far at Daytona could shake up that existing rivalry, especially after Bauman’s 7th-place finish in the Daytona Short Track I following a crash after the original start.
Find more information about the season-opening Daytona Short Track I in the press release below.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 5, 2026) – The 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicked off in truly unforgettable fashion in Thursday night’s season-opening Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I as Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) became the only rider in Mission AFT SuperTwins history to claim victory in their very first attempt.
While widely expected to contend as a rookie, Kopp’s unprecedented achievement at the DAYTONA Flat Track still served to put the established powers of the Grand National Championship on notice. Perhaps most impressively, Kopp’s triumph didn’t even come as an upset by the time the Main Event rolled around, as the triple KICKER AFT Singles king was in in dominant form much of the night; Kopp posted the fastest time in qualifying, won his heat with relative ease, and then took the checkered flag in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Despite that stirring lead-up performance, however, the Main Event itself proved a brutally tense affair.
Reigning class champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) entered the opener as the pre-event favorite, having won five of the last six races in Daytona Beach (incidentally, a record mirrored by Kopp in 450cc action). But the Estenson Racing superstar found himself nearly two seconds adrift of Kopp less than halfway into the Main after getting caught up between Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) and Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/OnlyFans/Castrol Yamaha MT-07) as the race took its shape.
Daniels certainly fought back like a champion, however, slowly chipping away at that deficit once he established himself in second. He slashed the gap to 0.500 with a minute-and-a-half to go and then closed right on the Latus Motors Racing pilot’s rear wheel as they stormed past the two-laps-to-go flags while negotiating lapped traffic.
Despite coming under immense pressure, Kopp appeared set to hold strong when he took the white flag. Moments later, however, the race was stopped after third-place runner Lowe crashed, and his bike went up in flames.
By rule, the race was called complete at that point, locking up Kopp’s place in the record books. Daniels was awarded second, officially 0.150 seconds back, while Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650) – who finished third in this same race a year ago – was elevated to the final spot on the podium due to Lowe’s misfortune.
Wiles put himself in a position to earn that distinction after passing fellow series part-timer and ST ace Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/OnlyFans/Castrol Yamaha MT-07) with less than a minute on the clock.
Afterward, Kopp said, “I’ve dreamed of this since I was five years old, ever since I knew what flat track racing really was and understood it. By no means is this how I wanted to win my first national though – I want to come back tomorrow night and prove it with an actual checkered flag. Dallas kept me honest. It’s no joke racing against him – I haven’t raced against him really since my rookie year. I know the task at hand – or at least, I’m starting to learn it – because he’s a real challenge out there, for sure.”
While Kopp gave the Harley-Davidson XG750R its tenth-ever premier-class victory, the bike’s usual standard-bearers endured significantly more difficult outings.
Two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R) crashed after being run up into the wall moments after the original start, forcing an immediate stoppage. Despite then restarting from the back of the pack, Bauman snaked his way forward to an eventual seventh.
That was one position behind Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), who had to work his way into the Main via the LCQ after encountering mechanical issues in his heat. Like Bauman, Robinson charged up through the field but fell 0.150 seconds short of a top-five result, ending his race just behind fifth-place finisher Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke).
Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Lisa Niner Racing Suzuki GSX-8S) came home eighth, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Parts Bros/D&D Cycles/Fairway Ford Aprilia Tuareg 660) rounded out the top ten.
Kopp won’t just have a chance to get that Main Event checkered flag tomorrow – he’ll have three as Friday’s Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II Mission AFT SuperTwins rematch will be waged under the Mission Triple Challenge format.
Next Up
The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series will be back in action tomorrow night for the second half of the season-opening Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA doubleheader. Secure your tickets today.
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 online or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
How to Watch: FS1
FOX Sports coverage of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, March 14, at 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT), with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II set to air on Saturday, March 21, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT). The full listing of American Flat Track’s television premieres can be found on the AFT website.
