Estenson Racing returned to the top of the Progressive American Flat Track podium with a perfectly timed victory courtesy of defending AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels in Friday night’s New York Short Track I. Daniels’ triumph headlined an evening that also saw JD Beach score a highly competitive sixth-place result and Kolby Carlile finish inside the top 10 in the Mission SuperTwins Main Event. Second AFT Singles pilot Mikey Rush, meanwhile, cheered his teammates on after narrowly missing his Main Event.
Daniels demonstrated the heart of a champion at Weedsport Speedway. After enduring some uncharacteristically difficult race weekends in recent outings, the talented teenager was locked in and back to his best at Weedsport Speedway aboard his YZ450F. The reigning champion won his Semi and secured a strong starting position for the Main. Despite not enjoying an ideal launch, he drifted from the inside out, railing around the outside to slot into a four-way fight for the lead. Even as the preferred lines and riders in contention evolved dramatically throughout the race, Daniels was a constant near the front. Sitting in the runner-up position with the clock ticking away, he stepped up his game in crunch time. He rapidly closed in on the leader and then dove up the inside to grab the lead with just a lap-and-a-half remaining. The pair took the white flag running alongside one another, but Daniels had the superior line which he translated into his second victory of 2021. The clutch win also saw him move to within one point of the championship leader.
Beach showed a similar fighting spirit in the Mission SuperTwins Main Event. Back on his Yamaha MT-07 DT a couple of weeks after claiming a pair of sixth-place finishes on pavement aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1 in substitute MotoAmerica Superbike duty, he delivered an identical result on dirt. After struggling throughout the day on the venue’s ultra-slick surface, Beach found his groove when it mattered the most and charged forward throughout the Main. He systematically worked his way up from ninth and into a heated four-way scrap for fifth, which he would ultimately end in sixth.
Carlile got off to a great start in his Semi and was battling up front, but ultimately was shuffled back sixth. With a less than ideal grid spot in the Main Event, he clawed his way up the order as well. Eager to impress in front of his home-state fans, the New Yorker made the most of the challenging conditions to turn an early 12th-place ride into a top-10 result.
Rush also struggled in his quest to find traction on Friday night. The multi-time national race winner finished one spot out of a qualifying position in his Semi and has shifted his focus to Saturday’s rematch.
All four Estenson Racing riders will have another opportunity to impress on Saturday as the weekend doubleheader concludes with the New York Short Track II.
Estenson Racing Team Manager
“It was a little bit of a mixed night for us tonight in Weedsport, but overall it was positive. Dallas bounced back with the win in the Singles class. He really needed that, and he closed right back in on the title chase, which is great to see after a rough outing at the last race. It was unfortunate for Mikey to not make the Main Event tonight, but that’s the beauty of a doubleheader; you get a quick turnaround for a chance to redeem yourself. We’ll figure something out with him for tomorrow, and he’ll get back up front where he belongs.
“On the Twins side of the team, it was an up and down day. We had a couple of strong practice sessions and a couple where we struggled. When it came time for the Main, JD really stepped up and improved his riding, and the guys made some tweaks to the bike. He had a really competitive Main Event battling not too far off the podium. That was good to see because this is not a track that suits us. Coming from the third row made it tough, but he rode a really good race. Kolby had a great practice, but we weren’t quite able to get him comfortable for the Main Event. We’re looking forward to tomorrow night, and hopefully, we can build on tonight and come back and improve even a little bit more.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was a great day here at Weedsport. The day started off actually pretty rough. We were way back in free practice, and it seemed like it was going to go the direction of Port Royal. I was sort of getting upset and down on myself, but we made some changes to the motorcycle, and we were pretty fast in qualifying, giving us a front-row start in the Semi. I won my Semi and was on pole for the Main Event, but I got a pretty terrible start and found myself in fourth or fifth and riding around in places I didn’t want to be. I finally got to my line and was able to put in some smooth, consistent laps. About halfway through, I had a really good line and just kept tracking down the leader. He got out to a pretty big lead, but I was able to catch him with about two laps to go. I think I only led one whole lap of the race, but it was the last one, so that’s all that matters.
“I want to give a big thanks to the whole Estenson Racing team. We had a really rough weekend at Port Royal. I’m not going to lie; these past two weeks trying to figure out how we’re going to fix this was probably one of the toughest moments in my young professional career. We kept working hard, my dad, my crew chief, James Hart, Tommy Hayden, and myself. We said we’re going to fix this problem because it’s not going to fix itself, and we went out and fixed it. We did everything we could, and it worked out in our favor. I want to thank those guys for sticking behind me and believing in me.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“The day started out a little rough. The way the track was made it really difficult for us. It kept changing every time we went out, so that made it hard to dial in a setup. As the night went on, it just kept getting slicker and slicker, but the team kept a good eye on it and made some really good calls on the setup for the Main. Starting on the third row is never easy, but we made the call to start on the outside to try and roll through the first corner. Before the race, I was checking out the track, and the high line didn’t look too bad, so I went right up there to try and make some moves. Then I saw riders on the bottom and moved down there. The track got so slick that it was really important to ride super easy and basically slow. So I just worked the bottom and kept moving forward and almost got fifth. Starting the day out qualifying second to last and working up to sixth is great for us and something to work off of for tomorrow.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“Today started off pretty good. I was able to qualify eighth and stayed in eighth over a few sessions. I felt pretty good, and the times were pretty close to the front guys. In the Semi, I had a really good start and was running in second, but I just kind of went backward from there. We didn’t really make a lot of changes to the bike, and we struggled a little bit. I’m not really sure where we missed the mark, but I’m going to go home and get a good night’s sleep at my own house and come back tomorrow with a fresh mind and ready to do a lot better.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was a tough day for sure. The track was pretty slick, and we struggled all day. We didn’t qualify that well and had to start from the third row in the Semi. That really put us behind on a track that was tough to make passes on, and we didn’t make the Main. We’re going to put tonight behind us and come back swinging tomorrow.”
