Heading into the Springfield Mile I and II double-header event, Briar Bauman aboard a Harley-Davidson XG750R led the standings ahead of season rival Dallas Daniels on a Yamaha MT-07. Those standings were changed after an action-packed weekend.
The Springfield Mile I was the third and final Mission Triple Challenge for 2025, a new event format that features three races: a 10-lap sprint, a 15-lap race for double points, and a final 20-lap race for triple points. The points from all three races were added up to determine the overall event winner.
Despite a 4th and 7th place finish in two of the three races, it was Daniels who claimed the overall Springfield Mile I win, putting him within two points of standings leader Bauman. Bauman finished in 4th. Part-timer Brandon Price took 2nd, and James Ott took 3rd.
The Springfield Mile II, the second-to-final round for the 2025 series, saw Trent Lowe earn the win on a Honda Transalp, with seven riders finishing within a second of Lowe. The race was a turning point in the Daniels-Bauman title fight, as Daniels finished in 2nd place while Bauman got a black flag due to smoke coming from his machine, landing him a 14th-place finish.
After both Springfield Miles, the series heads to the final race of 2025 with Daniels holding a 13-point lead, with 297 points to Bauman’s 284 points and only 23 points left in play. The final race will be the Lake Ozark Short Track at Lake Ozark Speedway in Ledon, Missouri, on Sept. 13.
Read the press releases below for more information.
Find all of American Rider‘s racing coverage here
Springfield Mile I
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.”
Springfield Mile II
Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) scored Honda’s first twin-cylinder premier-class victory in more than a quarter century in a momentous and pivotal Springfield Mile II presented by Drag Specialties, the penultimate round of the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
Lowe dove past long-time leader Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) entering Turn 3 on the race’s final lap and then held off the Mission AFT SuperTwins title contender by a scant 0.026-second margin at the checkered flag.
Despite that minor disappointment, it was still a huge day for Daniels at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois, when taking the bigger picture into consideration.
While seven riders finished within a second of the win, three of the race’s most significant figures weren’t included among them. Early leader Jeffrey Carver, Jr. (No. 123 Happy Trails Racing, Carver’s BBQ Kawasaki Ninja 650) was the first to pull out with mechanical issues. He was joined a few minutes later by AFT Singles champ Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), who was ensconced in the lead pack in his premier-class debut before being forced out with problems of his own.
Moments later – and most consequentially of all – then-Grand National Championship leader Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) was black-flagged while racing up front as a result of smoke that billowed from his machine.
Daniels’ runner-up, combined with Bauman being credited in 14th, completely alters the championship outlook with just a single race remaining. The Estenson Racing Yamaha rider now leads his Rick Ware Racing Harley rival by 13 points with only 23 points left in play. That means even if Bauman wins the finale, Daniels needs to finish just seventh or better in order to defeat him for the ‘25 Mission AFT SuperTwins crown.
Despite that shift, this day belongs to Lowe, who delivered the Big Red SuperTwins program its first win since kicking off the initial development of a Honda Transalp-based racebike ahead of the 2024 season. It was also the first for Lowe, who had already made a strong impression in his first full premier-class season.
The Indiana native’s win was the first for a Honda twin-cylinder since Rich King claimed victory at the 1998 Joliet Half-Mile aboard a Honda RS750. It was also the first such podium since King finished second at the Springfield Mile later that same year. Honda’s last win of any kind in the premier-class came back in 2016 with Jake Johnson riding a Honda CRF450R at the DAYTONA Short Track II.
Afterward, Lowe said, “First and foremost, I want to thank my whole team. I’ve been a little bit of a pain, but there has to be a little bit of conflict in the pit area just to kind of get everything going. I’m serious, they’re serious. We all want to figure this out.
“I have to give a huge shout out to Mission Foods, Jerry Stinchfield, Mike Turner and the whole Turner family, Steve Watt, Kenny Coolbeth, Randy Triplett, Mike Lozano, the whole Maxwell Industries crew, and Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda… I’m just so thankful for this. These guys put so much into this. It just means a lot to finally get one here.”
Meanwhile, Brandon Price (No. 92 HRP Racing/Duffs Speed Machine Yamaha MT-07) closed out a remarkable comeback weekend with a third to add to yesterday’s runner-up.
He was followed closely to the line by Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Luczak Racing Yamaha MT-07), Henry Wiles (No. 911 1st Impressions Racing KTM 790 Duke), and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R).
Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) was the last rider to finish in the lead pack, just 0.548 seconds off the win yet relegated to seventh in the final order.
Next Up
Progressive American Flat Track will conclude an epic 2025 Grand National Championship season with the Arby’s Lake Ozark Short Track presented by Arrowhead Brass at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri, on Saturday, September 13. 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.
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 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT). The Springfield Mile II presented by Drag Specialties will air the following Saturday, September 13, at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT)
For more information, visit the Progressive AFT website.
