After five consecutive victories, Harley-mounted Briar Bauman took hold of the American Flat Track SuperTwins points lead following the Lima Half-Mile I, passing rookie Kody Kopp for a 4-point lead.
The Lima Half-Mile I was the second of three Mission Triple Challenges scheduled for the 2026 calendar. The first event was the 10-lap sprint, which Kopp won, with reigning champ Dallas Daniels taking 2nd and Bauman taking 3rd. Kopp also won the 15-lap second event, Bauman was 2nd, and Daniels was 3rd. Kopp’s fortune turned sour in the 20-lap third event, worth triple points, when a mechanical issue forced him out of the race, allowing Bauman to take the win with Daniels and Davis Fisher rounding out the podium.
When the points were tallied, it was Bauman with a 3-2-1 who wound up on top, securing the overall Lima Half-Mile I win and settling into the points lead. Daniels placed 2nd with a 2-3-2, and Fisher was 3rd with a 4-4-3, booting Kopp off the podium with his 1-1-15.
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It took five consecutive Mission AFT SuperTwins victories to make it so, but Briar Bauman (No. 3 Super.com/RWR Harley-Davidson XG750R) at last seized control of the Grand National Championship with a triumphant run in Friday night’s Super.com Lima Half-Mile I presented by Drag Specialties, Round 8 of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
The win was also Bauman’s fifth at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio, and one that proved historic on multiple fronts. It was the 39th victory of his illustrious career, moving him into a tie with the iconic Ricky Graham for fifth all time, while also putting him in position to match Graham’s premier-class record of six straight wins tomorrow night.
And believe it or not, Bauman earned those honors despite being the underdog for much of the night.
Main Event 1
The Super.com Lima Half-Mile I marked the second of three ‘26 rounds that utilize the Mission Triple Challenge format. First introduced at this very venue a year ago, the Mission Triple Challenge determines the evening’s overall premier-class winner via three successive Main Events – a 10-lap sprint, a 15-lapper that pays double points, and a decisive 20-lap Main that concludes the night with triple the points.
Rookie phenom Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) got the evening program off to a quick start, throwing down the gauntlet in a daylight dash.
Reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) spun off into the lead at the green light with the Harley-Davidson-mounted duo of Kopp and Bauman giving chase.
The championship contenders immediately established themselves as the primary players, leaving the remainder of the field a couple seconds in arrears just a few circulations in.
Eager to work his way past, Kopp cuts under Daniels twice, only to see the Yamaha runner counter with the faster line on exit. Undeterred, Kopp made it work on attempt #3 and then grabbed himself some space at the front once out of the roost.
Kopp raced off to a 1.244-second win, while Daniels held off Bauman to finish second. Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) proved the best of the rest in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Main Event 2
Even with five more laps to contend with and twice as many points on the line, it was more of the same from Kopp in Main Event 2.
Bauman attempted an opening-lap lunge hoping to prevent a second Kopp escape but just missed out on the bid. And while the RWR runner matched the leader’s pace for several laps, by mid-distance Kopp was again racing off into the sunset.
Kopp ultimately claimed the checkered flag with more than three seconds in hand.
Meanwhile, Daniels – who was never really in contention in this 15-lapper – was another two seconds back in third. In fact, the champ had to defend the position from Fisher for a spell, who again finished fourth with RoosEvans back in fifth.
Decorated part-timer Henry Wiles (No. 911 DL Racing/HYMMC Yamaha MT-07) came home sixth while Royal Enfield returnee Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) finished seventh.
Main Event 3
Kopp’s dream evening then took a nightmarish turn in Main Event 3. Not only did Bauman beat him off the line, but he was immediately shuffled back behind Fisher and Daniels…
Before long RoosEvans was through as well, and soon enough, it was all too apparent Kopp was suffering from a mechanical issue. That issue ultimately forced him out of the race completely and marred his combined record to an unbalanced 1-1-15.
Up front, Bauman never looked back. Daniels recovered from a start-line near-fall to drive forward from sixth to second. He made a respectable push to chase down Bauman, but his rival was simply too strong.
Bauman took the checkered flag 2.611 seconds ahead of Daniels with Fisher another two-plus seconds back in third. The triple points paid by Main Event 3 sealed that same order for the combined results as well, with Bauman (3-2-1) taking the overall win, Daniels (2-3-2) second and Fisher (4-4-3) third.
“I’m bummed for Kody,” Bauman said. “I’ve had that happen, and it doesn’t feel good. I want everyone to know that I want to race everyone at their best, and it’s a bummer that that happened. I think I’m more bummed because my bike was really good – at least I think it was – and I’m ready for tomorrow. We made some huge changes, and we’d kind of been on the same motorcycle for the last several nationals, so this was great.
“We just worked our butts off. This whole Rick Ware Racing Super.com team is so eager. We keep running scared. I will say I wasn’t the fastest guy today, I know that for a fact. That doesn’t sit well, but we didn’t give up on it.”
Kopp’s misfortune dropped him down to fourth in the final Mission Triple Challenge placements and seeking his revenge come Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Wiles (7-6-4) took fifth, while Gauthier (10-7-5) earned sixth in his first ride back with Royal Enfield.
Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke) (11-10-6), Chad Cose (No. 49 PRO Roofing/Parker Racing Yamaha MT-07) (8-9-8), and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) (9-8-9), and Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) (12-12-7) rounded out the evening’s top ten.
RoosEvans was blacked-flagged in Main Event 3, which dropped him down to 12th (5-5-16) after previously looking all set for yet another top-five overall result.
As mentioned at the start, Bauman now leads the Grand National Championship with 154 points. Kopp is second at 150, followed closely by Daniels at 145.
Next Up
The Super.com Lima Half-Mile doubleheader will conclude Saturday, June 27.
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.
FS1
FOX Sports coverage of the Super.com Lima Half-Mile I, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, July 5, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT). The Lima Half Mile II will air the following Sunday, July 12, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT). The full listing of American Flat Track’s television premieres can be found at the AFT website.
