A Sit Down With Dallas Daniels

There was a time when Monster Energy’s Dallas Daniels (Estenson Yamaha) was viewed as a “can’t miss” talent. After winning the Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award for the best young talent in dirt track, he was also handed the same award, in the same season, for road racing – the first time in the history of the sports where a young, up-and-coming racer has won the award in two unique motorcycle racing disciplines in the same year (2018).

And though, following two Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) Singles titles (2020-’21), Daniels’ ride to the top in the premier Mission SuperTwins class hasn’t come with a coveted Grand National Championship (two runner-up spots and a podium 3rd in three years),  it’s mainly because he started his young AFT racing career barely out of his teens on the same starting grid as one of, if not the all-time greats – Monster Energy’s veteran Jared Mees (Indian).

Last season, 2023, Daniels swept the opening short track races at Daytona (Fla.), won five main events throughout the season and rode to 15 podium finishes – including an amazing 13-straight at one point. But he’d (Daniels) still come up 16 points short of Mees for the coveted Grand National Championship, 388-372.

This season Daniels has been on fire. In nine events thus far he’s got three wins and, most importantly, has made nine-straight SuperTwins podiums. This past weekend Daniels scored somewhat of a historic victory at the Lima (Ohio) Half-Mile… the first victory in Daniels’ career at the race, coincidently produced and promoted by Mees. And it was also the first every victory for the Yamaha brand in the race’s main event.

MonsterEnergy.com was able to grab Daniels for a quick interview, run some questions by him between time working with the nation’s top young talent at the AMA Flat Track Amateur Nationals in DuQuoin, Ill. So here’s Dallas’ take on his big victory last weekend in Lima, what it meant to him and Yamaha, as well as his feelings on how the rest of the AFT season has gone.

Monster Energy: Hey, congrats on your big win at the Lima Half-Mile last weekend. First win for you there. Talk about how the weekend went down and how you were able to top the rest of the field, including your (hopefully friendly) rival – Lima race promoter/racer, Monster Energy’s Jared Mees.

Dallas Daniels: I’m not sure if important is the right word. It was more so a check off our bucket list for me as a rider and for the team. Yes, it’s super cool getting the first win for Yamaha there, but we wanted it as a team because we came so close the last two years. It was very rewarding.

ME: What was it about the Lima Half-Mile at Ohio’s Allen County Fairgrounds in the past that kept yourself and your Estenson/Yamaha teammates off the top of the podium?

DD: For the twins side, we were just down right getting beat. No real excuses, I believe the motorcycle has been capable of winning the last two years, I just never got the job done. It was on me I feel and not the team.

ME: Talk about the progression of the Yamaha MT-07 DT flat tracker and what the Yamaha engineers and Estenson Racing mechanics have done the past several years to improve the bike to the point where it can win on the longer half mile and mile tracks on the Progressive American Flat Track tour.

DD: Man it’s been a process for them. This whole project started back in 2019, my rookie year as a singles rider. And to put it bluntly, they got their teeth kicked in for a lot of years. That’s just part of it unfortunately. You gotta go through these hoops of struggling and trying things to find that sweet spot. I came in right as they were starting to find what they needed so I guess it worked out.

ME: So with the win at Lima you’re now up top in the Mission AFT SuperTwins standings at just over the halfway point of the AFT season (9 of 16 events completed), 21 points out front of Robinson, 195-174, with Mees just a couple clicks back at 172 points. From here on in it’s going to be a dogfight as Mees is looking match the great Scotty Parker for the most Grand National Championships at nine (Mees is tied with Parker at nine Grand National Championship wins) – and you and Robinson would like nothing better than to spoil that record run. That said, what’s your mindset heading into the second half of the AFT season – and what’s it going to take to win the ’24 AFT Grand National Championship?

DD: Really, it was a huge team effort. I wasn’t exactly comfortable on the bike throughout the day. Even though I was fast, it wasn’t translating to the feeling I was getting from the bike. Before the main the team wanted to make some changes and I will admit I was skeptical. But, they sat me down and said ‘Listen, we believe this will work.’ And whatever they believe I believe. Obviously it was the right direction (laughter), but I was able to get a really good start and just put my head down the first five or six laps and that’s all she wrote. With Jared, there has been a lot of chat that this might be his last year. If that is true, I want to beat him before he is done. I really respect Jared. I mean to be honest he is one of my heroes. But, I want to beat the best before he hangs it up. You’re exactly right, it’s gonna be a dogfight. But we have our guns loaded and we are up for the challenge.

ME: We’ve got the first (of three) AFT Mile races coming up this weekend (July 6) in DuQuoin (Ill.), the Memphis Shades DuQuoin Mile at the Southern Illinois Center – the “Magic Mile” as it’s known. This marks four consecutive races for you guys, so it’s ‘buckle up/step up’ time for you and the Estenson/Yamaha Racing team. What’s your mindset heading into this weekend’s race, including strategy on the first AFT Mile of the season?

DD: Well these last three races really have been awesome. I have won two out of three with a second in the other one. It’s really been so much fun this year working with the Estenson team and developing our motorcycle to be the best it can be. I’m just keeping the same mindset I have these last three and want to finish the four race run off strong.

ME: After DuQuoin you’ve got several weeks off before the AFT series picks back up with the SC2 Peoria TT back in Illinois (July 28). Considering you’ve been after it hard the last month, what does a guy who can basically relax at 110 mph – sideways in a turn – do to, well, relax? (laughter)

DD: (Laughter). Now that’s a great question! As a racer, when you’re in the thick of it it’s hard to unwind during a short break. But, my family does a good job to keep me sane and have some fun on the off time. I enjoy using that time to try and progress in my training and riding.

ME: Again, big congrats from everyone at Monster Energy HQ in California on your stellar performance at Lima. Best of luck to you and the Estenson/Yamaha Racing team this weekend at the Magic Mile. We’ll for sure be tuning in. 

DD: Thank you guys so much. It’s such a dream to be a part of the Monster family and, I really hope I’m making everyone proud.

Up next… Progressive AMA Flat Track rolls back online this Saturday, July 6, with the annual running of the “Magic Mile,” the DuQuoin Mile in DuQuoin, Ill.