Daniels Headlines Yamaha’s Atlanta Sweep

Dallas Daniels (No. 1) dominates the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track for his first win of the season.
[Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – March 22, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Reigning Mission AFT SuperTwins king Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) successfully defended Yamaha’s home turf to complete a clean sweep of victories for the brand in Saturday night’s Yamaha Atlanta Short Track, Round 3 of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. 

Daniels entered the event saddled both with the pressure of a pair of second-place finishes in the DAYTONA double opener and a winless prior record at Senoia Raceway. Amping it up further was the fact that even though he earned pole position, his Yamaha MT-07 was flanked on the front row by a trio of threatening Harley-Davidson XG750Rs piloted by  two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R), rookie sensation Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), and perennial podium presence Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R). 

However, the knowledge that Bauman and Robinson beat him in Senoia, Georgia, to go 1-2 a year ago, and that class newcomer Kopp twice outclassed him in DAYTONA, was still not enough to rattle the unshakeable Daniels. 

The champ blasted into the lead from the start and spent the following eight minutes and two laps brushing off Kopp’s continual attempts to goad him into even a minor bobble in hopes of identifying a way past. Instead, Daniels locked down on the low line and never put a wheel wrong.  

Kopp eased up late to stretch the difference to a deceptive 0.988 seconds. The victory was Yamaha’s first premier-class win at its home track and topped off an evening that earlier saw it claim its first and second triumphs in any class at the venue. 

“It was a tough race,” Daniels said. “We never stopped working all day, and I felt Kody right there the whole Main Event. I needed to keep my head down because I felt like my first half of the race was so strong. The track was so slippery, it was hard to hit your marks. I’m so pumped. This place has been nagging at me. I’ve had so many great battles here but just kept losing out, getting seconds and thirds.  

“I want to give this one up to Yamaha. I wanted to win this one for them. We went up to the headquarters and to the plant this week, and everybody is so invested in this. It’s not just us – it’s everyone in a blue shirt. They want to see us win, and this one is for them.” 

Meanwhile, while Kopp could not break Daniels, his performance further solidified the early indications that he has the potential to emerge a full-blown title threat in his rookie campaign. 

Bauman – who guided the XG750R to its first-ever Mission AFT SuperTwins win in Senoia a year ago – returned to the box in Georgia, but only following a hugely entertaining scrap with Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke). 

Fisher reeled in Bauman by way of a hooked-up high line, ultimately passing the RWR pilot at half-distance. Bauman adjusted his lines in turn, and the two then engaged in a back-and-forth tilt to the checkered flag. 

Behind them, Robinson not only made it three Harleys in the top five, rookie Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) made it four in the top six to close out a very strong showing for the brand on a night that Yamaha largely owned the spotlight. 

Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) finished in seventh, a mere 0.078 seconds adrift of RoosEvans, while Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet), Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Parts Bros/D&D Cycles/Fairway Ford Aprilia Tuareg 660), and Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650) combined to push the number of brands inside the top ten to six. 

Kopp’s DAYTONA double triumph keeps him ahead of Daniels in the early-season points race (65-61) with third-ranked Fisher some 22 points back of first. 

KICKER AFT Singles 

What figured to be a showdown between reigning KICKER AFT Singles champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and the on-form Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) turned into a masterclass courtesy of veteran ace Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F). 

While Porter accomplished his initial goal of beating Drane to the holeshot, Brunner slipped in behind and hounded his less experienced adversary. 

Brunner made his move with just over four minutes to go, throwing his Yamaha underneath Porter’s Honda to grab hold of the lead. 

Porter was soon further victimized by a freight train consisting of Justin Jones (No. 91 Fairway Ford Chevy GMC Yamaha YZ450F), Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), and Drane, falling from first to fifth in a matter of just over a minute. 

While Jones creeped forward and Saathoff actively sought for an advantageous line in third, Brunner stayed strong and consistent at the front en route to a 0.721-second margin of victory. 

The win was the ninth of Brunner’s career and furthers his remarkable streak of winning at least one Main Event in each of his six career KICKER AFT Singles campaigns. 

“It was just incredible, “Brunner said. “As soon as I pulled off after that heat race, I looked at my mechanic, Jerimiah (Duffy), and said, ‘I know exactly what to do – this is shaping up to be exactly like my home track, Lawrenceburg Motorcycle Speedway.’ I put in that setup I ran every Friday night since I was three years old, and lo and behold, it worked.” 

Dark horse Jones held on to hand Yamaha a popular 1-2 with a huge contingent of the brand’s employees in attendance, while Saathoff backed up last year’s Senoia win with another podium at the track. 

Drane’s fourth saw his record-smashing podium streak snapped at 14. However, it was still good enough to keep him in the championship lead by six points over Brunner (56-50) and nine over Saathoff (47). 

Porter, meanwhile, lost one additional position late, getting dropped to sixth by teammate Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). 

Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F), Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R Racing/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), and Jordan Jean (No. 56 Ray C’s Harley Davidson Yamaha YZ450F) completed the top ten. 

AFT ProSport 450 

Sam Drane (No. 7 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) made it two-for-two in Road to AFT Amateur Invitationals with a walk-away win in the evening’s AFT ProSport 450 Main Event. 

Similar to his performance at the DAYTONA opener, Drane did so despite not winning the previous day’s AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event. In fact, he didn’t even finish on the box on Friday, but it was a completely different story on Saturday. 

Drane rocketed off the start and left a field jam-packed with future stars in his wake, ultimately taking the checkered flag with a 2.385-second margin of victory. In doing so, he actually took the honors of delivering Yamaha its first Main Event race win at its home track. 

Fellow Australian Jake Paige (No. 55 Paige Racing GASGAS MC 450F) fought his way up to second with DAYTONA runner-up Ryder Bitz-Hay (No. 14 Bitz-Hay Racing KTM 450 SX-F) rounding out the podium. 

Cody Mishey (No. 26 Team Mishey Racing Honda CRF450R)  executed a late pass to take fourth away from Jett Katarzy (No. 17 1st Impressions Husqvarna FC450) as the two completed the top five. 

Next Up 

Progressive American Flat Track will head out to the Pacific Coast on Saturday, April 25, for stunning views and spectacular racing at the Ventura Short Track. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-ventura-short-track-168769 to purchase 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 by visiting https://flosports.link/AFT2026 or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. 

FS1 

FOX Sports coverage of the Yamaha Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, March 29, 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 https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. 

About AMA Pro Racing

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines from its headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. Learn more at www.amaproracing.com.

About Progressive American Flat Track

Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest running championships in the history of motorsports.

Source: Progressive American Flat Track

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