On the heels of his Friday night Springfield Short Track sweep in the AFT Singles class, Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels had a stellar debut on the Springfield Mile aboard his Yamaha MT-07. The defending AFT Singles Champion put on a masterclass performance in the AFT Production Twins class, topping qualifying and winning every race at yesterday’s first round of the Progressive American Flat Track doubleheader on the mile track at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Kolby Carlile led the way for the Mission SuperTwins team with a top-five finish. JD Beach was battling up front early but unfortunately had a technical issue and finished ninth.
The anticipated Springfield Mile doubleheader, originally scheduled for September 4-5, was delayed a day due to weather. While the sun was shining today, the track crew had a lot of work to do to get it ready for some fast mile racing, so they lost a session. With today’s qualifying results also setting the grid for today’s Semi races, Daniels took full advantage and topped the timesheets in the AFT Production Twins class. From there, he took a dominant victory in his Semi to take pole position for the Main Event. He then grabbed another win and a $5000 check in the four-lap Memphis Shades Babe DeMay Challenge.
Daniels got another great start and led every lap but one in the twice-started Main Event, ultimately crossing the line with a 2.45-second margin of victory. The 18-year-old continues to impress with two wins and a podium finish in just three races in the Production Twins class, all of which were different track styles: a Super TT, a Half-Mile, and a Mile.
On the Mission SuperTwins side of the tent, the team continued to make progress. Carlile had a solid qualifying effort in sixth to start on the front row for his Semi where he finished fifth behind his teammate. The team put their heads together and made some changes for the Main Event that paid off. The New Yorker got a great start from the third row and was in the thick of the battle on the opening laps. He settled in and made some mental notes on strategy and then made a late-race surge, going from ninth to sixth with four laps remaining. He put in a final flying lap to cross the line fifth for his third top-five finish this season.
Beach struggled a bit in qualifying, but when it came time to racing, he charged his way to fourth in his Semi. He then got a great start from the second row and battled up front, even taking the lead momentarily as multiple riders jockeyed for position. Unfortunately, a technical issue shuffled him down the order, but he was able to salvage a ninth-place finish in the end.
Estenson Racing hits the track again today for the second round of the Springfield Mile doubleheader at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Estenson Racing Team Manager
“We had a pretty good day at the first day on the Mile here in Springfield. Kolby was looking good all day and was pretty competitive in the SuperTwins race. He charged the whole way, and in the last few laps really came on strong and picked three or four guys off and ended up with a top-five finish.
“JD got a great start in the SuperTwins race, and had the lead down the back straightaway on the first lap and then ran in the top three for the first few laps, and then battled with the top five for quite a few laps in the beginning. Unfortunately, he had a technical issue that caused him to fade back and not finish as we hoped.
“Dallas was making his debut on the big track on the twin, and he looked really good and was comfortable from the first lap today. He gained more confidence as the day went on and led pretty much every session and won his Semi, won the Dash for Cash, and then won the Main Event. It was good to see him adapt so well to the Twin on a big track. I’m happy we get to come back tomorrow and get another try at everything. I’m feeling good about making things even better for tomorrow, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Estenson Racing AFT Production Twins
“It was an amazing day here at the Springfield Mile. I was the fast qualifier, won the Semi, the Babe DeMay Dash for Cash, and the Main Event. It was really awesome to be out on the Springfield Mile for the first time ever. I’ve been coming here for years watching all of the races, but I’ve never raced the track. It was super fun to ride the twin around here, the track’s super fast and so fun to ride. We made a few adjustments throughout the day, but the team unloaded the bike off of the truck, and we were just fast, and the bike was handling really well. So I’m really pumped about that. Again, it was just an amazing day, and we’re hoping to get the win tomorrow and sweep the weekend in Illinois.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“Today turned out really good. We were able to get a fifth in the first session and qualified sixth, which gave us a front-row spot for the Semi. We kind of missed the setup a little bit for the Semi, and I wasn’t able to get it through corners three and four as good as I wanted to, so we put our heads together for the Main Event. From the third row, I got a really good start and was in the thick of it on the first few laps. When things started settling down, I was in the top 10 and then just started moving my way forward. I was able to learn a lot throughout the race, watching other people. When it came time to the end, I knew what I needed to do, and I was able to execute it really well. I put in a burner of a last lap and dropped my pace quite a bit, and I gave myself enough room where they couldn’t draft me to the line. I’m really happy to come away with a fifth-place finish. Last year we struggled here, so to walk away with something like that is amazing. Thanks to the team for putting in a ton of work this week and giving me a really good bike for the race.”
Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“Today was a rough one for us. With the limited track time, it made it important to get the setup quick. Going into the Main, we were feeling good, and it started off really well, and I was battling up front. Then, unfortunately, we had some issues and went backward. It’s not what we were hoping for today, but we have another chance tomorrow.”
