Daniels Completes Sturgis Sweep at Caterpillar Jackpine Gypsies Short Track

Dallas Daniels (No. 1) fighting off Kody Kopp (No. 12) and Chad Cose (No. 49) during the Caterpillar Jackpine Gypsies Short Track. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – August 11, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) doubled down at the 86th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, backing up his Saturday stroll with another dominating outing in Monday’s Caterpillar Jackpine Gypsies Short Track at the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club in Sturgis, South Dakota. 

On the backfoot for much of his Mission AFT SuperTwins title defense, Daniels has rounded into form at the perfect time with just three rounds remaining in the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. 

And Daniels didn’t just walk away at the front Monday night… he did so twice. The Estenson Racing Yamaha star had stacked up a near four-second advantage when that lead was wiped out by a red flag just past half-distance. 

No matter. Daniels resumed the drubbing when the Main got back underway, working his lead back up to 3.563 seconds when he took the checkered flag.  

After the race, Daniels said, “Just one race, one round, one lap at a time. We don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves. I’ve been doing this for a little while now, and I’ve had good years and bad years. I know that these guys are good, and they’re going to be ready whenever we go again.  

“I know I kind of got fortunate on that start – I got a really good start. My starts all day were subpar, and I just kind of dialed it in. But when I saw the red flag, I was like, ‘Come on – you’ve got to be kidding…’ But my bike was flawless. I owe it all to my Estenson Racing Monster Energy Yamaha team.” 

Believe it or not, Daniels might not have even registered the most impressive ride of the evening. Pre-race favorite Briar Bauman (No. 3 Super.com/RWR/Rocket Doctor Harley-Davidson XG750R) certainly has a claim of his own, minus a disastrous start. 

Bauman suffered off the line and was then bumped up the track. That dropped him down to eighth early with few obvious ways to make those positions back up. Therefore, Bauman took the less obvious ways. After being stuck up top, he decided to plant his flag on the outside line that everyone else shunned and then made it work as he rolled around the outside of one rider after another. 

With one minute remaining on the clock, Bauman stormed past Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) and then Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07) to end his charge in second. 

Kopp snuck under Cose at the same moment Bauman powered above him to complete an all-title-contender podium. 

Cose held on for fourth, followed by Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), who finished off an excellent week for Royal Enfield in fifth. 

Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke), Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet), and Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 Bubba Boswell/Smokey Mountain Harley-Davidson XG750R) were packed up tight, finishing sixth through ninth, respectively, in close formation. Henry Wiles (No. 911 DL Racing/HYMMCO Yamaha MT-07) rounded out the top ten. 

As a result of his back-to-back victories, Daniels (249) has opened up just a bit of breathing space over rivals Kopp (236) and Bauman (233) as the Grand National Championship races towards its titanic Peoria and Springfield conclusion. 

KICKER AFT Singles 

Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) went from zero (negative five, actually) to hero in a matter of two days. 

Following Saturday’s incident that saw Saathoff disqualified and docked five points after plowing into rival Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and knocking both riders to the ground, the 1st Impressions Husqvarna pilot returned to action on Monday with his aggression still intact, merely wielded more precisely.  

It was needed. The tight racetrack offered few easy passing opportunities, and Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F) owned the starts all night long. 

That required Saathoof to balance his patience with his willingness to strike when the time was right, and he managed that balance to perfection. After showing a wheel on multiple occasions, Saathoff slipped up the inside of Pfanders a minute-and-a-half into the Main and immediately opened a gap. 

That gap threatened to evaporate once Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) worked past Pfanders and started to reel Saathoff in, but a mistake only Tadman’s part allowed Saathoff to break that pursuit completely.  

Even a run through traffic did little to slow Saathoff’s march, and he powered on to a 3.735-second margin of victory. 

Saathoff, “Jared (Mees) was preaching to me, ‘Get off the line.’ I was struggling with that a bit; Pfanders was getting really good starts. I got out of the hole pretty good and tucked in behind him. He made a couple of pretty big mistakes, and then I just locked in and got past him. After I got around him, I kind of turned it down a little bit; I knew it was going to be hard to pass me. I just really focused on consistency.” 

After giving up the chase for victory, Tadman was forced to defend second, turning away a charging Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) for second late. 

Pfanders stopped his descent in fourth, hitting the stripe with Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Texas Utility Studies/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) and Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R Racing/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) just behind in fifth and sixth. 

Meanwhile, reigning champion Drane’s week of Sturgis drama continued. At the start, the Australian got pinched off between fellow second-row starters Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450). He went down and was immediately run over by Jett Katarzy (No. 117 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who had no room to maneuver. 

For a moment, it looked as if Drane might not be allowed to take the restart, but he was deemed fit following a trackside medical check and returned to the fray. From there he battled his way up from the back of the grid to finish a respectable seventh. 

Despite the difficult week, Drane remains in a commanding position. He still leads by 42 points over Saathoff (241-199) with Tadman a distant third at 183. 

Next Up 

One of global motorcycle racing’s most iconic events – The World Famous Caterpillar Peoria TT presented by Walters Brothers Harley-Davidson – will celebrate its 79th edition on Saturday, August 22, at the Peoria Motorcycle Club in Peoria, Illinois.  

Visit  https://www.tixr.com/groups/peoriamotorcycleclub/events/2026-peoria-tt-185253 to reserve your seats 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 Caterpillar Jackpine Gypsies Super TT, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, August 22, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT), with the Caterpillar Jackpine Gypsies Short Track set to air the following day, Sunday, August 23, 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 across multiple disciplines. The organization is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. More information is available at 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 motorsports history. 

Source: Progressive American Flat Track

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