Red-Hot Action Expected at Lexington’s Red Mile as American Flat Track Arrives in Kentucky for Round 8

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A lot can change in a year. Last year during this very week, American Flat Track was headed to the Indian Motorcycle Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington with its defending Grand National Champion – Bryan Smith (No. 4 Indian Motorcycle Racing backed by Allstate Scout FTR750) – leading the charge and looking nearly unstoppable.

Smith was riding a four-race win streak into the series’ inaugural stop in Lexington, while fellow Indian factory rider Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle Rogers Racing SDI Scout FTR750) was merely the leader of the pack desperately chasing Smith.

But at the end of a 130-mph evening at the Red Mile, Mees stood as the victor. It didn’t come easily, as Mees only narrowly aced ‘Slammin’ Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team XG750R) by 0.013 seconds to claim the checkered flag.

Since that night the wins have come a whole lot easier for Mees, and, by contrast, less so for Smith (and everyone else for that matter). Dating back to that inaugural AFT race at the Red Mile, Mees has garnered 13 of the last 19 AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines Main Event wins, earned the 2017 title and assembled a massive title lead to this point in 2018.

As for Smith, he’s gone winless over that same span. Just mark it up as a little extra motivation in his quest for revenge. He and the rest of 2018’s version of the aforementioned pack should tip their hats to Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Roof-Systems/Indian of Metro Milwaukee Scout FTR750), who once again demonstrated that Mees is not, in fact, invincible.

Carver rode like a man on a mission last weekend in Springfield. Was that simply an outlier performance, or the first sign of yet another landmark shift in momentum that could potentially alter the balance of power?

Nobody can accuse the AFT Singles action of being predictable or in any need of a shake-up. It’s pretty difficult to top six different winners in seven races. And when you scan the entry list there’s no shortage of worthy challengers who could very easily make that factoid seven different winners in eight races following the Red Mile.

That said, if the long list of frontrunners doesn’t act soon, Dan Bromley (No. 62 KTM North America/Bromley Motorsports 450 SX-F) could emerge from the chaos and further tighten his developing grip on the title race. His sterling record of two wins, two runner-ups and two third-place results this season have allowed him to pile up an 18-point advantage while no one was looking.

That lead is over Brandon Price (No. 92 Parkinson Brothers Racing/DPC Racing Honda CRF450R), who was involved in a crash during last weekend’s Springfield TT. The White Hall, MD native has been sidelined while he recuperates from the crash, but he’s eager to get back to the track. Bromley’s lead over third-ranked Jesse Janisch (No. 132 Roof Systems/West Bend Harley-Davidson-backed Yamaha YZ450F) is an imposing 36 points.

And then there’s 2018 Texas Half-Mile winner Kevin Stollings, who won at the inaugural Red Mile last year but was penalized points for being out of compliance with sound requirements post-race. So you just know Stollings will be hungry to avenge things this weekend.

As always, there’s a blast to be had in the lead-up to the race and away from the track once the weekend finally arrives. The party starts rolling tonight, Thursday, May 31, at The Break Room, located in Lexington’s Historic Distillery District (1178 Manchester St. Lexington, Ky.), featuring live music from the Home Grown Head Band starting at 7:00 pm ET.

And on Friday, June 1, Indian racers Bryan Smith, Davis Fisher and other top Indian riders will be at Indian Motorcycle of Lexington (1973 Bryant Rd, Lexington, Ky.) from 5:00-7:00 pm ET to sign autographs and take pictures with fans on the eve of the Red Mile.

As for race day, there’s much to partake in, and several options for fan-friendly enjoyment, including:

•Fan Zone, including bounce house for kids and plenty of amazing food and drink

•Turn One Bleacher Seating: tickets are still available for ideal seats where you can enjoy all the action, complete with good food and a full bar

•VIP Suite tickets: indoor seating tickets with spectacular, lower-level views of the track, with snacks, dinner, drinks, beer, wine and a souvenir race program are going fast, so hurry

•A selection of Kentucky microbrews and liquor featuring Stillhouse whiskey will be offered

•Popular Kentucky rock band Frontier will be playing a range of music throughout the event, from originals to covers that span the decades – not to mention the national anthem during Opening Ceremonies

•Additionally, Elvis will be in the building! Elvis Presley performer Jason Baglio, whose voice and look is amazingly genuine, will hang with fans and perform Elvis favorites

As always, military and first responders can score $20 tickets in the Turn One Bleachers, and children 12 and under are free in selected seating areas.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at https://www.showclix.com/event/red-mile-2018. If you can’t make it down, FansChoice.tv has you covered beginning at 3:30 pm ET (12:30 pm PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled for 6:30 pm ET (3:30 pm PT). Finally, be sure to tune into the feature broadcast of the Red Mile when it debuts on NBCSN on Saturday, June 16 at 5:00 pm ET (2:00 pm PT).

How to Watch:

NBCSN and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of American Flat Track. For the 2018 season, NBCSN’s coverage of AFT moves to highly-coveted, weekend afternoon programming slots within two weeks of each event. The complete schedule for AFT on NBCSN can be viewed at http://www.americanflattrack.com/events-nbcsn/. FansChoice.tv remains a cornerstone of AFT’s digital strategy, providing live streaming coverage of every event on AFT’s live page while previous events and exclusive features are available on AFT’s VOD page.

About American Flat Track:

American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on American Flat Track, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events at FansChoice.tv and catch all the American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.

More, from a press release issued by ST52 Racing:

ST52 Racing Ready for Red Mile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Shayna Texter hopes the third time will be the charm for her new ST Racing Husqvarna on mile tracks in 2018 American Flat Track Singles competition, when she tackles Lexington’s Red Mile on Saturday.

This will be the third race on mile tracks in four weekends for her new No. 52 ST52 Racing Husqvarna FC450. Debuting her own team for 2018 competition, the Pennsylvania rider finished eighth at the Arizona Mile and then seventh at the Sacramento Mile earlier in May.

Last year, Texter scored three of her five victories on mile tracks as well as taking third in the inaugural motorcycle race at the Red Mile.

“I’m excited to get back to the Red Mile this weekend, and hopefully get the Husqvarna back up on the podium,” Texter said. “I had some success there last year, even though we found the Red Mile to be more challenging than some of the other miles. It was slippery all day, and I found it very challenging. We never seemed to get it to where I was comfortable, and I was struggling in the corners. Hopefully, we can show everyone this weekend the steady progress we’ve been making this season with our Husqvarna.”

Texter missed out on making feature race in last weekend’s Springfield TT, but still holds fifth in the championship standings after seven of 18 events.

Saturday’s Red Mile program begins with Singles practice at 3:50 p.m. CT, followed by qualifying rounds at 4:10 and 4:50 p.m. The evening program opens with heat races at 7 p.m., followed by the semis at 8:30 p.m. The 15-lap main event gets the green light at 9:20 p.m. CT (10:20 p.m. ET). All on-track activity will be streamed live on www.fanschoice.tv.