Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels returned to the top, sweeping last night’s Progressive Springfield Short Track doubleheader at the Illinois State Fairgrounds to move back into the points lead in the AFT Singles Championship. His teammate Mikey Rush ended the night with a runner-up finish and an impressive seventh-place result despite an incident that put him on the ground in the final laps of the second Main Event.
It was a marathon night for the AFT Singles riders at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Arena, having to race two Semis and two Main Events on the same night for a total of 72 laps. Daniels and Rush were on par for a good outing, qualifying third and fourth, respectively. The pair also had a good result in their Semis, taking runner-up finishes to start on the front row for the first Main Event.
They both got a good start, with Rush quickly moving to the lead and the defending champion in fourth. Daniels advanced to third before the halfway point and then passed his teammate five laps later. He continued his forward charge and took over the lead just before the clock ran out. Unfortunately, on the final lap, the competition made contact with him in Turn 3, putting him on the ground. After intensive review from the officials, the running order was reverted to the lap prior to the incident, and Daniels was credited with the win, with Rush right behind in second.
Daniels came out swinging in the second half of the evening and won his Semi race. After the start of the second Main, he quickly moved to third. The red flag came out three laps into the race after a rider up front went down, putting him second in the staggered restart. He made his move to the front with around two minutes remaining, and then the race was red-flagged again with seconds left on the clock after his teammate Rush went down. It was a three-lap sprint, so Daniels put his head down and went unchallenged to take his second win of the night and fourth this season. The double win at his home race was an important 27-points haul that moved the Illinois rider back to the top of the points standings, giving him a seven-point lead with three rounds remaining.
Starting from the second row of the grid, Rush had a good start inside of the top five. He was fourth after the restart and advanced to the final podium spot before the halfway mark. Unfortunately, another rider made contact with him in the final moments of the race, and the Californian went down. Starting at the back of the grid in the staggered restart, Rush put his head down and put on an impressive charge back to seventh.
The Estenson Racing team is right back at it tomorrow as they head over to the big track for some twin racing at the Springfield Mile I and II on September 4-5. Next up for the AFT Singles team is another Progressive American Flat Track doubleheader at the legendary Sacramento Mile on September 11-12.
Estenson Racing Team Manager
“It was a wild night here in Springfield that ultimately ended in a good night for us with Dallas winning both Main Events and retaking the points lead. We came in here with a pretty big deficit, so it was a big turnaround in the points as the season is coming to a close. Mikey showed good speed all day and got a podium in the first race. He was in contention for another podium in the second race, but unfortunately, a rider came underneath him, and he went down. It was a staggered restart, and he was dead last with three laps to go and came all the way back to seventh. I’m proud of him for keeping on charging like that. We will now shift our focus to the last three races and end the year strong.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was a bit of a crazy day at the Springfield Short Track. I really wanted to get this win after Peoria. That was a really tough weekend and it was not a fun week leading up to Springfield. I was definitely sore coming into this doubleheader, but I always love coming here. It’s a home race for me, and the track conditions are always good. We got off to a good start, had some good Semi races, and were able to win both Main Events. I’m so happy to rebound like this. It was a bit of an emotional win for myself and the team after Peoria and what we went through there, so it was definitely awesome.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“I’m happy to be back on the podium after a rough go at the last few rounds. It was a rollercoaster night, though. I’m bummed about going down in the second Main Event while I was running third with three laps to go, but I came back through to seventh with not a lot of time left. I’m looking forward to going to the Sacramento Mile in a few weeks for my home race. I’m really hungry for a win! I have to give a big thanks to the whole Estenson team for all of their hard work. I couldn’t do it without them.”
