Morgen Mischler (No. 13) at the 2026 Silver Dollar Short Track. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 14, 2026) – The Grand National Championship battle powers into the inaugural ThrottleFest, a unique moto festival with America’s Original Extreme Sport® at its core.

For four days, May 14-17, racing fans will revel at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, the festivities of which all build up to Saturday, May 16th’s Parts Unlimited ThrottleFest presented by Carter CAT, Round 6 of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.

Half-Mile, Not Half-Measure

Following five consecutive Short Tracks to open the ‘26 season, ThrottleFest will feature the first of four Half-Miles to be contested over the next five races, a run that is destined to play a crucial role in deciding this year’s Mission AFT SuperTwins title fight.

While TTs are very much their own discipline, Half-Miles sit squarely between the Short Tracks and Miles in more than mere length. Short Tracks are all about close-quarters combat, rewarding aggression and lightning quick reflexes. Miles, meanwhile, require prodigious acceleration and speed, wielded with high-level tactical acumen.

The Half-Mile combines all of these demands into a single discipline, making it the fullest test of rider and machine that dirt track racing has to offer.

Looking at the current crop of contenders, pinpointing who is likely to have the upper hand is not easily deciphered.

Harley-Davidson has reigned supreme at the Short Tracks, reeling in 11 of the most recent 12 ST wins dating back to last season. Yamaha, meanwhile, has held a decided advantage at the Miles, securing two of three wins and eight of nine podiums at the big tracks a year ago.

There’s a relative lack of recent HM results to go by, however. Despite Half-Miles being the traditional backbone of the series – and there have been far more Half-Miles than any other discipline throughout the history of the series – last year was something of an anomaly in that sense. There were just two Half-Miles on the ‘25 slate, both waged on Lima’s idiosyncratic pea gravel.

That weekend, the Yamaha MT-07 DT and Harely-Davidson XG750R split top honors. But more data is needed before we can begin to assess the relative merits of the machinery at that distance.

We can, however, take a closer look at the historical records of the pilots in question.

Prior to his Indian-era all-around excellence and late-career Mile mastery, 10-time Grand National Champion Jared Mees assembled a Hall of Fame-worthy career based largely on his status as a Half-Mile extraordinaire.

Mees racked up multiple premier-class crowns by owning the Half-Miles and walked away from the sport with more HM wins (37) than any other rider in Progressive AFT history.

However, during their overlapping stints as factory Indian riders, Briar Bauman (No. 3 Super.com/RWR Harley-Davidson XG750R) quite clearly eclipsed Mees in outright Half-Mile success – a fact Mees himself acknowledged.

In terms of the numbers, from 2019-2022, Bauman claimed 11 Half-Mile wins to Mees’ six.

However – and somewhat unintuitively – being better than the best Half-Milers of all-time doesn’t automatically make Bauman the best Half-Milers going today.

Since reigning Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) stepped up to the premier class, he and Bauman sit level with four Half-Mile wins a piece.

And just because Bauman comes in with consecutive victories in hand while Daniels is seeking answers following a pair of (still thoroughly decent) results below his usual standard, that doesn't automatically make Bauman the favorite this weekend.

For Daniels, the shift to HMs represents an opportunity to regroup, reset, and prepare to lock horns at venues less likely to play to his opponents’ favor. That notion alone could work wonders for his mindset.

Of course, we haven’t even mentioned the Mission AFT SuperTwins title leader, Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R).

While this weekend will mark his maiden premier-class Half-Mile, that’s the distance at which he made his name in KICKER AFT Singles competition.

Kopp stands as the winningest Half-Miler in AFT Singles history, a fact that powered his back-to-back-to-back title runs. In 2022, five of his seven wins came at Half-Miles, along with four of eight in ‘23, and two of six in ‘24, adding up to 17 Half-Mile wins in all.

He already looks remarkably at home on the XG750R. If anything, the transition to slightly more expansive battlefields is likely to only enhance his comfort level.

Reversal of Fortune 

The current situation of Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) is pretty much the opposite of Daniels.

While the champ managed to net third- and fourth-place results despite struggling to tap into his typical speed and competitiveness in California, Fisher’s results masked his genuine strength.

The luckless Fisher suffered multiple mechanical issues during the West Coast swing, all of which combined to rob him of a pair of near-certain podium finishes, a potential win, and his only provisional start for the season.

On the bright side, the Rackley Racing runner is flying on his KTM 790 Duke when it allows him to do so, and his form suggests he could be in line to score a second career Half-Mile win with a bit of (good) luck. The fact that he’s 44 points out of first might even unshackle Fisher and allow him to go for broke.

On The Box

Also in search of a turnaround is the OTB Racing duo of Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07).

Price and Bender combined for three podiums among six top fives a year ago, despite neither rider contesting the full Mission AFT SuperTwins season. This year, however, they both rank outside the championship top 15 with just a single finish better than 10th between them.

You have to think that’s going to change and change in a hurry. Without a doubt, all involved would love for it to come this weekend in Maryland – the home state of both OTB Racing and Price.

Harley’s “Other” Rookie

While Kopp has garnered the lion’s share of the headlines, fellow rookie Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) has demanded his share of attention as well.

After flashing front-running speed on multiple occasions, RoosEvans made good on that promise by rounding out Harley-Davidson’s sweep of the podium at Silver Dollar Speedway.

That third was technically the first podium of RoosEvans’ Progressive AFT career. Yes, he did come home second in last year’s KICKER AFT Singles Main Event at the Jackpine Gypsies Super TT, however, that result was later stripped due to a fuel infraction.

While he did notch up several top fives during his KICKER AFT Singles days, it’s pretty remarkable that he went six seasons without a podium on a 450cc and now has one after just five races in Mission AFT SuperTwins.

Some riders are simply better suited to the bigger bike, and RoosEvans has immediately meshed with his XG750R mount. Additionally, the two- and four-wheel racer has traditionally been at his best at so-called “car tracks” like Senoia Raceway and Silver Dollar Speedway.

How he continues to develop as a premier-class contender moving forward merits close observation. Whatever happens, you almost already have to mark this season down as a smashing success.

Harley’s “New” Veteran

With Mission Roof Systems’ star Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) still recovering from a severe concussion suffered at Ventura Raceway, the team has recruited an ideal super-sub.

A Half-Mile winner himself, Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) is set to ride the Harley-Davidson at Budds Creek, and – provided he’s able to shake off any rust – he has it in him to be an immediate frontrunner.

Like his close friend Robinson, VanDerKooi can look back on an extensive history with the XG750R before the shift to an all-production-based ruleset saw it blossom into what may just be the most fancied bike in the field.

With that in mind, this opportunity could prove equal parts redemption and revenge.

Spoilers Ahead

It’s not just Daniels who should be welcoming the arrival of the Half-Miles. The same could be said of several podium threats who have yet to stand on the box yet this season.

Any given weekend could be the next time Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) stands atop the box.

Meanwhile, Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke) has been rounding into form as he and Fisher continue to develop the KTM 790 Duke into a serious flat track weapon.

And don’t discount the chances of Logan Mcgrane (No. 14 Schaffers MotorSports/RVR Racing KTM 790 Duke), Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Parts Bros/D&D Cycles/Fairway Ford Aprilia Tuareg 660), Evan Renshaw (No. 95 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), or Hunter Bauer (No. 24 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07), all of whom have broken into the top ten and have the potential to do considerably more damage than that.

Full Throttle. Full Festival

ThrottleFest is a motorsports and music festival unlike any other. With Progressive American Flat Track at its center, Budds Creek Motocross Park will be loaded up with two-wheeled racing all day for four days, including amateur flat track, motocross, pit bike racing, endurocross, hare scrambles, and a stunt show.

And that’s only half the fun. ThrottleFest will also bring it with live music, contests, mechanical bull riding, Stacyc and RC racing, interactive games, food trucks, vendor areas, and more.

ThrottleFest is ready. Are you?

Don’t Miss This One

General Admission Standing Room Only tickets for Saturday start at $65 with Reserved Grandstand tickets available for $90 and Premium Reserved Grandstand tickets $120. Tickets for kids five and under are just $5 in any section, while children 6-12 get their tickets 60% off.

The Saturday VIP at ThrottleFest ticket can be had for $205, complete with Premium Reserved seating, complimentary food and refreshments, and paddock access to rub elbows with the best dirt trackers on the planet while getting a close-up view of their racebikes.

Fans can also purchase single day tickets for Thursday, Friday, or Sunday, as well as two-, three-, or four-day ticket packages.

Camping is available for $100 per vehicle (event passes sold separately), with free parking for all attendees.

Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-throttlefest-saturday-184353 to choose your adventure today.

Gates will open for fans at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT on Saturday with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. ET/4:10 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 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.