RAPID CITY, S.D. (August 7, 2019) – Just three races into his professional career in American Flat Track, Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels took home a top-five finish in AFT Singles on Tuesday night at the Black Hills Half-Mile. Unfortunately for teammate Ryan Wells, a technical issue ended his night early in the Semi.
Outside of Wells leading the first practice session, the team struggled to find the right setup for the slick, clay Half-Mile at Black Hills Speedway. Daniels suffered the most in qualifying, but he made up for it by getting great starts when it came time to race. He finished eighth in his Heat and improved upon that to finish fifth in the Semi. Starting from the second row of the grid, he got off to a great start behind the top three, but soon found himself in a three-way battle for position. In the final moments, the rookie was able to get past the reigning AFT Singles Champion to score a career-best finish in fifth.
In spite of the day’s challenges, Wells was having a decent day with a top-10 qualifying effort and finishing fifth in his Heat. The 2016 AFT Singles Champion was making great progress in his Semi, as well. He worked his way through the pack after a second-row start, but a technical issue unfortunately dropped him back down to 10th and out of a transfer position to the Main Event.
The Estenson Racing squad now heads west for the third American Flat Track race in six days, the legendary Sacramento Mile, Saturday, August 10, at the Cal Expo.
“The day started out kind of rough with qualifying overall somewhere in the mid-twenties. It was terrible, honestly. All day, we were kind of struggling with trying to hook up these Yamahas on a slick track. So we were throwing stuff at it all day. Me, my dad, and Johnny Lewis were working hard to try to get it to where we wanted it. Kind of sucks because Ryan started having bike problems and he didn’t make it. I would have liked to have raced with him in the Main Event. We were close in speed.
“In the Main Event, I started on the second row. The track had changed with the sun going down and the moisture coming up. I got another really good start, and I was up to fourth or so, right on the top three. Kind of stayed there the whole race. The top three pulled away from me just a little bit. Michael Inderbitzin and Dan Bromley caught up to me. Inderbitzin passed me and then me and Bromley pretty much battled for the last five laps. I was able to nip Bromley at the line and get fifth, which is awesome. A top five is exceeding expectations for myself, for sure.”
Ryan Wells – AFT Singles #94:
“The beginning of the day started really well, unfortunately it didn’t end that way. We were fastest in the free practice and then it was the same stuff that we’ve been battling with, just kind of lost it for a minute. Then, in the Semi, we started picking off some people. I think I was up to around fifth, making passes, and then we had a mechanical. I suffered from that and dropped back to 10th and wasn’t able to make the Main. I think we made some good headway throughout the day and learned some stuff. Looking to come back swinging at Sacramento.”