Dallas Daniels (No. 1) battles Briar Bauman (No. 3) during practice of the 2026 Lima Half-Mile. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2026) – America’s Original Extreme Sport® will celebrate this great nation’s 250th birthday in the most fitting manner imaginable; on Saturday, July 4, Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will wage the first Mile of the 2026 season with the Drag Specialties DuQuoin Mile at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois. 

This Independence Day showcase of an innately American form of racing will kick off a week-long celebration of the sport in explosive fashion. As soon as the superstars of Progressive AFT exit the stage, the sport’s future stars will grab the spotlight with the 50th running of the 2026 Roof Systems AMA Flat Track Grand Championship amateur nationals at the venue from July 5-10. 

Oh yes, there will be fireworks aplenty, both of the literal and figurative variety. 

The Majesty of The Mile 

 While each discipline featured in the Grand National Championship has its own merits and appeal, nothing captures the imagination of dirt track fans quite like a Mile, and for very good reason. 

Miles are simultaneously the fastest in outright speed, the closest in margins of victory, the most demanding of sheer horsepower, and the most telling regarding strategic acumen.  

Quite simply, a Mission AFT SuperTwins Main Event at a Mile neatly encapsulates the skill, courage, tactics, drama, and excitement that make this sport what it is. 

The Magic of This Mile 

Even among Miles, the DuQuoin Mile is special. While the Springfield Mile has rightly earned its distinction as the crown jewel of the annual schedule, the “Magic Mile” in DuQuoin delivers impossibly close racing with stunning regularity.  

The venue played host to the closest race in the long history of the Grand National Championship, and it's a claim it will never relinquish. In a 2015 clash of icons, Jared Mees defeated Bryan Smith by an official 0.000 seconds, with Kenny Coolbeth, Jr., a scant 0.013 seconds back in third. 

While that photo finish may never be bettered, each subsequent edition in DuQuoin has served as an impressive reenactment, while typically bringing even more potential winners to the table. 

Since making its return to the schedule on an annual basis three years back, eleven riders have finished within a half second of victory at the DuQuoin Mile, with winning margins of 0.033, 0.037, and 0.389 seconds. 

Step 1: Seize The Momentum. Step 2: Press the Advantage 

Seemingly on the back foot for months, Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) completely changed his prospects with a timely victory this past weekend in Lima. And now he’s perfectly positioned to cement that shift in momentum with a huge weekend in DuQuoin. 

While, as just discussed, the Miles tend to deliver the closest racing while thrusting the most riders into victory contention, they may actually be the hardest at which to steal a win. Photo finish or not, when dueling with a certified Mile Master, an inch might as well be a mile. 

The series has seen a rather exclusive cadre of these Mile Grandmasters dominate the discipline for decades. Ever since Scott Parker scored his first career premier-class victory here in DuQuoin back in 1979, he (55 Mile wins), Ricky Graham (23), Bubba Shobert (25), Chris Carr (29), Bryan Smith (25), and, most recently, Jared Mees (30), have greedily scooped up as many Mile wins as possible, be it by a half a lap or by a millimeter, while leaving previous few on the table for anyone else. 

Collectively, these legends leaned on their uncanny Mile success to fuel dozens of successful Grand National Champion campaigns. 

Mees’ retirement might have marked the end of an era. Or it may have left a void, creating an opportunity for a new Mile Master to emerge.  

While this weekend’s field has combined to score just eight Mile wins, half of those belong to Daniels. Two of those came in his rookie season – head-to-head versus Mees – and the other two proved critically important to securing his first career Grand National Championship one year ago. 

Should Daniels step forward and take that mantle, it would unlock a realistic path to a second GNC, particularly with the 2026 season set to conclude in doubleheader fashion at the Springfield Mile.  

And this weekend will serve as a preview for that looming showdown. 

Consciously or not, Daniels’ bid will be backed by his fellow Yamaha-mounted competitors. Last year, Yamaha claimed eight of nine possible Mile podiums, a record which helped transform good days for Daniels into crushing defeats for his Harley-Davidson-mounted rivals. 

With the Harley riders set to return to tracks more to their liking soon enough, Daniels’ title hopes may be contingent on riders like Fast Boy from Illinois Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), his teammate Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07), and Hunter Bauer (No. 24 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) coming up big this weekend. 

From High on the Hog to Underhog 

Almost by definition, Yamaha’s runaway success at the Miles implies they’ve also been a relative weak point for the Harley-Davidson XG750R. 

Of course, whatever truth there is to that has been counterbalanced – and then some – by H-D’s stellar form pretty much everywhere else. The reason Daniels’ Lima win and DuQuoin prospects are so vitally important is because the XG750R has taken seven of nine wins this season, to go along with more than half of all possible podiums (14 of 27). 

Still, title leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) and two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R) are unlikely to be satisfied with clinging on to lead pack only to be sitting ducks in the final sprint to the flag as the H-Ds largely were at the Miles a year ago. 

That was a shared experience that has since been split into two distinct efforts, with Bauman continuing forward with Rick Ware Racing supported by a new crew led by Bryan Bigelow, and his former team of Dave Zanotti and Michelle Disalvo now blessing Kopp with their experience under the Latus Motors Racing tent. 

Whether or not either can turn the tide to reclaim momentum will likely be based as much on the respective work already completed this offseason as the work set to be done on track this Saturday. 

Again, with that season-ending Springfield doubleheader just waiting to decide an ultra-tight title fight, this weekend will be a hugely important test. 

Fisher Man 

Clark Kent. Peter Parker. Bruce Banner. 

Kody Kopp. Dallas Daniels. Briar Bauman. 

Even the alliterative nature of their names hints at the superpowers of the sport’s modern titans. These three have established a pantheon of their own, even amongst the very best motorcycle dirt trackers in the world. 

While separated by just eleven points from one another, the gulf to the fourth-ranked rider has already expanded to greater than 50 points. 

But more than any other pilot, that fourth-ranked rider – Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) – has the skills to go steel toe-to-steel toe with the best of the best. 

While he’s frequently lacked for luck this season, Fisher hasn’t often lacked for pace. A double podium at Lima might have finally shaken him free from those shackles. If so, he could play the role of super-spoiler from here on out. 

Highs and Lowes 

We previously mentioned there are eight Mile victories in the field. Four are Daniels’ and three are Bauman’s.  

The remaining Mile win – the one taken most recently, in fact – belongs to Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet). 

The last time the Mission AFT SuperTwins class did battle on a Mile, Lowe broke through in a big way, handing the CB750 Hornet its first-ever victory and Honda its first Mile win in decades. 

With that success serving as motivation entering the offseason, big things were expected from the Turner Racing Honda Mission AFT SuperTwins effort in 2026. Those things have largely yet to materialize. 

Lowe has enjoyed some nice rides, but he hasn’t yet proven a regular podium finisher or title contender. But the potential is still plainly obvious. 

The team hit its stride heading down the stretch a year ago. Perhaps a repeat is in order, and this Mile might just have the magic necessary to serve as that launching pad. 

Meanwhile, there are several others in the field who will look to draft their way up to the established frontrunners, including the likes of Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R), Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke), and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650). 

Remembering Dan 

The loss of Dan Bromley is still very raw, and the paddock will continue to grieve as the next two rounds serve as loud reminders of his absence considering his tight connections with the amateur scene and his Pennsylvanian roots. 

A third-generation racer who competed for more than a quarter century, Bromley was among the most decorated, respected, and beloved racers in the sport. 

His accomplishments were many. Bromley scored dozens of amateur national championships, culminating in the 2011 Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award. That trajectory continued as he transitioned to the pro ranks, where he claimed national championships in AFT Singles and AFT AdventureTrackers™, won races in AFT Production Twins, and scored top-five finishes in the premier-class aboard Suzukis, Kawasakis, and Indians.  

More than that though, Dan was treasured for his kindness, genuine nature, and sense of humour. A family man with a day job, he was a blue-collar racer with factory-level skills. 

In fact, his personality shone through that much brighter later in his life, when he disentangled from full-time factory racing commitments and competed on a part-time basis. 

You never knew what he’d say on the mic, other than that it was more likely than not going to be entertaining. And that devil-may-care approach couldn’t be contained by the fences of any racetrack as evidenced by his tour down Main Street Sturgis aboard his racebike just hours after putting it atop the box. 

A couple years back, we approached him about taking part in our semi-regular “Let Me Tell You About This Race,” series. Dan politely declined, explaining that while he would love to participate, it was a strange quirk of his that he never remembered his races, at least not in a way in which he could adequately describe them. 

He might not have, but we do.  

And we’ll most certainly remember Dan. 

Godspeed. 

Fireworks On and Off the Track 

Fans are invited to arrive early and make the most of the day at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds with the city of DuQuoin offering a free Fourth of July celebration on the grounds starting at noon local time. Throughout the day, there will be food trucks, unique vendors, a craft show, rides for kids, live music by The Hoot N Holler Band, and more all concluding with a massive fireworks display in the evening. 

Come One, Come All  

General Admission Grandstand tickets for the Drag Specialties DuQuoin Mile are just $35 (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult ticket) while Reserved Grandstand tickets are only $45 (all ages). 

There’s also a Harley-Davidson VIP Experience available for the DuQuoin Mile for $135 ($95 as an Add-On). This premium package includes dedicated VIP H-D parking and an exclusive grandstand seating section for guests, a private infield tour, track walk, and podium photo ops, a meet-and-greet with the Harley-Davidson riders, and exclusive swag. 

Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/trackenterprises/events/2026-duquoin-mile-185583 to reserve your seats today. 

Gates will open for fans at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. ET/3:45 p.m. PT. 

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 Drag Specialties DuQuoin Mile, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, July 18, at 9:00 a.m. ET (6:00 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.