Dallas Daniels kept Estenson Racing’s Progressive American Flat Track podium streak rolling with a runner-up finish in the AFT Singles Main Event at last night’s first round of the OKC Mile doubleheader in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Teammate Mikey Rush finished a close fourth. Kolby Carlile led the way for the Mission SuperTwins squad, winning a hard-fought battle for sixth. JD Beach overcame adversity to finish inside the top 10.
It was a hot one at the OKC Mile I, making for challenging conditions on an already physically demanding mile track at Remington Park. Estenson Racing’s AFT Singles duo lined up in Semi 2 and battled for second, with Rush coming out on top, putting the Californian on the front row for the Main Event. After the green light, the veteran got a good start in second, while Daniels got a great launch from the second row to third. The defending AFT Singles champ passed his teammate, and it looked like it could be a repeat of their Semi, but then a third rider joined the fray.
It was a thrilling battle for the final podium spots, with the trio trading lines and positions for most of the eight-minute-plus-two-lap race. As time wound down, Daniels started to cement his runner-up position while his teammate got shuffled to fourth. The fast kid from Illinois brought his Yamaha YZ450F home in second to expand his lead in the championship to six points. Although just shy of the podium, Rush fortified his runner-up spot in the standings.
On the Mission SuperTwins side of the tent, it was a tough day in challenging conditions. The team kept pushing and was able to make some progress. Carlile had a good ride in his Semi, finishing fourth to give him a second-row spot on the grid for the Main Event. The “Flying Tomato” then got a decent start in eighth and quickly moved into seventh. He closed the gap on the rider ahead, but another rider followed, and Carlile was locked in a three-way battle. Around the halfway mark, he made the pass for sixth and battled to the finish to end the day in that position. His teammate Beach struggled to find his comfort zone on the rough cushion track. He and the team kept pushing and salvaged some points with a ninth-place finish.
Estenson Racing returns to action this afternoon for Round 2 of the OKC Mile doubleheader at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Estenson Racing Team Manager
“We were looking forward to getting here to Oklahoma City to kind of see where we stacked up on these big mile tracks. Unfortunately, the day didn’t start off great, and we had a few issues early on, but everyone put their head down, and the team kept working hard. The 450 guys kept chipping away at it and got better every time out. In the end, Dallas brought it home in second and Mikey a pretty close fourth. We would’ve liked to have won, but for the points, it was a good night. We get another chance tomorrow night and hopefully can move up a little bit.
“The Twins guys started off not quite where we wanted, but we kept chipping away at that too, and they made some changes for the Main Event. Kolby had a really strong ride, fighting all the way to the end for sixth, which was not a bad way to start off on the Miles. JD struggled a little bit with the track conditions. It was really rough out there. I think we can make some changes tomorrow to get him a little closer to the front. Overall, we’ve got one Mile in the books, and we’re happy to get another chance tomorrow to see what we can do. “
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was kind of an interesting day here at the OKC Mile. It started out not so great, with not qualifying very well. We made some changes for the Semi, and I was up front but then got nipped right at the line by my teammate Mikey. Henry (Wiles) got off to a great start in the Main Event. I started on the second row, and by the time I got up to second, he was gone. I tried a few different things to see if I could catch him, but he was just on it.
“I have to give a big thanks to the whole team. They worked their butts off to give me a really good bike, and they definitely turned us around from where we started today. We just need to find a little something more for tomorrow, and hopefully, we get on the top step.”
Estenson Racing AFT Singles
“It was another good day of racing at the Oklahoma Mile. The day started off a little rough in qualifying but I was able to make progress in the Semi with a second-place finish and fourth in the Main. It was a really difficult racetrack with it being very dry and dusty, making it really hard to see. Hats off to the Estenson Racing team for making changes all day to get in the right direction for the Main Event. I’m looking forward to Round 2 tomorrow.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“It was a really long, hot day today. I came into the weekend with high expectations because I have had a lot of success on cushion-mile tracks like this in the past, so that gave me some confidence. We did all right in practice and qualifying, but it was nothing special, and we actually lost a session because the track was a little too rough. In the Semi, I had a good start and a good first lap and was able to finish fourth, giving myself a second row start for the Main Event. I had a pretty good start there too. We had quite a big pack going the first lap or two, and then we finally got settled down. It took me a long time to get by (Bryan) Smith. He was holding me up a bit, but when I finally got by him, Bronson (Bauman) and I battled it out for the rest of the race, and I was able to come away with sixth place.
“The bike seemed to be working really well in the Main Event. From the beginning of the day to the end, we turned it around and got it working to my liking. The track was super difficult today. I’m going to rest up and try to do better tomorrow.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“Today was a tough day for us. We started out kind of on the wrong foot, and it was just a downward tailspin from there. The team worked super hard today, but we just didn’t have luck on our side. We really struggled to find my comfort zone and I was just fighting the bike too much. We’ll try to take what we learned from today and move forward tomorrow.”
