Bauman Rolls to Third Consecutive Victory at Inaugural ThrottleFest

Briar Bauman (No. 3), Dallas Daniels (No. 1), and Chad Cose (No. 49) celebrate their podium finish at Part Unlimited ThrottleFest presented by Carter CAT. [Photo: Anthony Watt for AMA Pro Racing]

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – May 17, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The rolling Briar Bauman (No. 3 Super.com/RWR Harley-Davidson XG750R) upped his win streak to three with yet another dominant outing, the latest coming at the Budds Creek Half-Mile in the inaugural Parts Unlimited ThrottleFest presented by Carter CAT, Round 6 of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. 

The Main Event of the four-day event hosted by Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, was expected to be a showdown involving Bauman, reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07), and Mission AFT SuperTwins points leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R). 

And arguably it was, in a sense, albeit one effectively decided in the opening seconds of the race.  

Bauman and Daniels went elbow-to-elbow as they disputed the holeshot. Bauman ultimately had the superior positioning aboard his Rick Ware Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R, which not only forced Daniels to accept second but resulted in him getting shuffled back to third by an opportunistic Chad Cose (No. 49 PRO Roofing/Parker Racing Yamaha MT-07). 

The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace would spend the next six minutes attempting to uncover a path back around Cose. And by the time he finally managed to do so, Bauman was more than three seconds clear at the front. 

Bauman negotiated his way through heavy traffic over the final couple of laps, allowing Daniels to slash the deficit down to 2.208 seconds, but the outcome was never truly put in doubt. 

After Daniels worked his way past and disappeared in second, Cose shifted his attention to Kopp, who was creeping up from fourth. Despite Kopp’s late push, the Californian held on to the spot by a nerve-wracking 0.210 seconds, securing Cose’s first premier-class podium in eight seasons. 

Hunter Bauer (No. 24 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) and Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) joined Kopp to put rookies fourth, fifth, and sixth.  

Meanwhile, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet), Morgen Mischler (No. 13 IFS Waste Services/D&D Cycles Aprilia Tuareg 660), Cameron Smith (No. 34 Fredericktown Yamaha/Thee Kathy Gray Yamaha MT-07), and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) closed out the top ten. 

Bauman’s surge has shifted the Grand National Championship outlook, closing the margin separating the top three dramatically in recent weeks. 

While Kopp continues to lead with 117 points, Daniels (110) and Bauman (108) are now both well within striking distance in second and third. 

After scoring the 37th Mission AFT SuperTwins win of his career, the two-time Grand National Champion said, “There’s something about doing it with a crew you thoroughly enjoy doing it with… We just work at it. We weren’t the quickest all day. We were a bit off. But they turned that thing upside down. I’ll be upfront – we didn’t change a clicker on the motorcycle the last two Nationals except for gearing. And today we threw the toolbox at that thing, and we found it. I’m just proud of my whole Rick Ware Racing team.” 

KICKER AFT Singles 

It took three starts to make it happen, but Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) ultimately ripped into the lead from pole position and powered his way to his fourth-career KICKER AFT Singles victory. 

The two prior starts were quickly nullified by early-race red flags – both times removing Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) from the lead and erasing less-than-ideal launches for the otherwise on-form Tadman. 

The second of those reds was thrown following a lowside crash on the part of Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), a fall that sparked a chain reaction that also claimed Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F) and Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F). 

Tadman finally nailed the third start and was further blessed with the added good fortune of teammate Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) slotting into second behind him. 

Saathoff, meanwhile, was fourth off the line, stashed behind both Turner Hondas and the cagey Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F). 

The race’s drama largely unfolded behind Tadman, who pulled clear at the front. 

Saathoff fought his way by Brunner into third and then moved Porter out of the way to seize control of second with just over a minute remaining on the clock. He was then, however – and incredibly – overhauled by Santero, who somehow managed to slash his way up through the field after being forced to the back of the grid due to his earlier crash. 

In fact, Santero nearly did the unthinkable, reeling in Tadman from multiple seconds back before at last crossing the stripe only 0.377-seconds off the victory. 

A visibly frustrated Saathoff finished third, while Porter regrouped from being punted up the track to claim his second consecutive fourth-place finish. 

The triumph marked Tadman’s first to come outside his home state and away from a Short Track venue. He said, “We came out of the trailer perfect. We haven’t really made many changes to the bike today, and we’ve been P1 all day. I can’t thank the team enough – the bike was perfect. The track was so sick too. This definitely feels good. I’m excited.” 

Reigning champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) was unusually quiet en route to fifth.  

He was followed by Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), Ryder Reese (No. 41 Fasthouse/Smoking Butcher Coffee KTM 450 SX-F FE), Brunner, Dylan Cunningham (No. 252 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F), and Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R Racing/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), as they rounded out the back half of the top ten in that order. 

Despite registering his worst result of the season, Drane still holds a sizable 16-point advantage over Tadman (111-95), with Saathoff and Brunner right there in third (94) and fourth (92), respectively.  

AFT ProSport 450 

Bayne Nantz (No. 313 Nantz Bros Racing KTM 450 SX-F) became the fourth different rider to claim victory in AFT ProSport 450 action with a wire-to-wire win at Budds Creek. 

The AFT ProSport 450 Main packed in significantly more excitement than that brief summary may suggest. Nantz was hounded early by Camlin Durelle (No. 27 Durelle Racing Yamaha YZ450F), who didn’t even plan to enter the qualifying Road to AFT class in Friday’s AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event, and only finished 11th when he did. 

But Durelle found his form on Saturday, looking like an early contender for the win before making contact with Nantz’s rear-end. That incident sent him up the track and down the order. 

Loic Nadeau (No. 21 Racine Racing KTM 450 SX-F), Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R), and Brody Hanson (No. 99 Hanson Racing KTM 450 SX-F) picked up the chase in Durelle’s absence, transforming the race into a tight four-way scrap for the win. 

Silver Dollar winner Costan-Wood dove under Nadeau for second and then attempted to displace Nantz on the final lap with the same maneuver – a plot that came up 0.163 seconds short of success at the checkered flag. 

14-year-old Nantz said, “The track changed a lot since the heat. It got a lot more moisture. When I first got on it (for the Main), it was a totally different track. It was tricky at first, but I got it down towards the end.” 

Nadeau held on to earn a close third, while Hanson and Matéo Racine (No. 23X Picotte Motosport KTM 450 SX-F) came home fourth and fifth, respectively.  

Next Up 

Progressive American Flat Track will leave Mechanicsville, Maryland, and go directly to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for the Appalachian Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half-Mile at Williams Grove Speedway on Saturday, May 23. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-williams-grove-half-mile-185952 to purchase your tickets 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 Parts Unlimited ThrottleFest, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, May 24, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 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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