Wells Ends the Year on the Podium at Meadowlands Mile

28-09-2019

Wells Ends the Year on the Podium at Meadowlands Mile

Estenson Racing’s Ryan Wells finished the American Flat Track AFT Singles season strong with a second-place finish at the Meadowlands Mile on Saturday, September 28. His teammate Dallas Daniels made a spectacular come-from-behind charge from the back row to finish fourth.

Wells, who is a big fan of cushion tracks, felt comfortable from the start, and was able to qualify second in spite of the shortened schedule with limited track time. The New Yorker kept his forward momentum rolling with a win in his Semi and started the Main Event on pole. He didn’t get the start he was hoping for and was shuffled back to fourth, but the 2016 AFT Singles Champion put his head down to chase down the leaders. Finding the high line, he closed the gap and battled for the win, coming just short by .115 of a second. After a rough patch in the middle of the season, Wells was happy to end the year with back-to-back second-place finishes on the Mile tracks and looks to carry that into 2020. He ended the season fourth in the standings with a win at the So-Cal Half-Mile and four podiums.

As for Daniels, it was a roller coaster ride of a day for the young rookie. He crashed in his Semi, but was unhurt and able to rejoin the race. The 16-year-old worked his way forward from last place to take the final transfer spot into the Main Event. Having to start from the back row, the fast boy from Illinois got a great start and found himself inside the top 10. He kept working and was able to make his way to fourth before the halfway mark. Daniels ended the season just outside of the top 10 in the standings, an impressive finish for the dirt track/road racer who turned pro in June. He will be awarded Rookie of the Year in the AFT Singles Championship at tonight’s award ceremony, scoring a win at his home race – the Peoria TT – and three podiums.

Ryan Wells

Estenson Racing

Heck of a way to finish the year. We started off fast. It was just one of those days that we’ve kind of been needing. We got second at the last race too, but just had a fun day all day. We didn’t change anything all day long on the bike and just had a blast out there. I got a good win in the Semi and almost got the holeshot in the Main Event but just got pinched off and it shuffled me back a little bit. That definitely cost me. It took me a while to get into second. I just started going for it on the high line and it was really working, but it was hard. It either worked really well, or I lost a little bit of ground. For two or three laps it worked really good, but I lost a little bit in one lap. So I just came up a little short of the win, but I’ll take a solid second to end the year, for sure. I’m super glad that the team made the progress that we made. We had a rough middle of the year, but good teams bounce back and we did. So, I’m super excited.

Dallas Daniels

Estenson Racing

The last race of the year… We really ended it off with a bang. Not really necessarily in results, but fought our way back to a good result. In the Semi race we qualified on the front row and we were running third. About the third or fourth lap in, I spun around and got run over by Shayna Texter and Oliver Brindley. Sorry to them, I didn’t mean for anyone else to go down. So that kind of set me back. I was able to claw my way back up from last to eighth and make the Main Event, which was really good for me on its own because I was pretty sore. We started the Main with pretty much last pick on the third row and we were able to fight our way up to fourth which was probably my best personal ride of the season, besides Peoria. It’s kind of a bummer also even though it’s such a good ride because I think if we would have been smart at the beginning of the day and not had our crash, then we probably could have won the Main Event. But I guess that’s how it goes. You live and you learn. I’m ready to start getting ready for Daytona next year.

Tough Night for Estenson Racing’s Twins Team at American Flat Track Finale

Estenson Racing’s Jake Johnson finished inside the top 10, with JD Beach crossing the line 13th in an abbreviated AFT Twins Main Event at the American Flat Track season finale on the Meadowlands Mile. Unfortunately for their AFT Twins Production teammate Kolby Carlile, the night ended in heartbreak with a technical issue while he was in the lead and making his run for the title

It was a difficult day for everyone, with limited track time and an abbreviated schedule while the track crew was hard at work to improve conditions on the pea-gravel track. Due to the conditions, it was agreed to forego the AFT Twins Semi and grid the abbreviated eight-lap Main Event based on the qualifying session earlier in the day. Starting 12th in the lineup, Johnson got off to a decent start in ninth and crossed the line eighth to score his best result on a Mile this season. Beach was a little further back, qualifying 14th, but he improved to finish 13th.

Track time was also brief for the Production Twins class, with qualifying deciding the Main Event lineup, as well. Carlile showed speed from the start and was able to qualify second for the Main Event in spite of the limited track time. With the title still not out of reach, and mathematically trailing by 15 points, the 2017 AFT Singles Champion did what he had to do and quickly got into the lead. He started to build a comfortable gap on the competition. Unfortunately, a technical issue ended his race early on lap three.

Jake Johnson

Estenson Racing

I was kind of coming in here hoping for something good, but the track was not ideal. It’s just the way it all panned out. I felt okay today in the first practice and then had some issues with the bike in the qualifier and only got a lap. It was a tough day as a whole with the track conditions and the schedule changing. They ended up shortening the race to eight laps and we didn’t really know what was going to happen, starting the race. It was just kind of one of those deals. The track was pretty bad. Everybody was just kind of surviving, really. I went out and rode my pace and finished eighth. It was our best Mile finish of the year, though, and while I’m kind of ready for the season to be over, in the same sense, I didn’t quench the thirst this year. At the Buffalo Chip we were so close, but it was just a rough year. We’re going to regroup and hopefully better things for me next year.

JD Beach

Estenson Racing

Today was a difficult day. Everyone did the best they could with what we were given. It really sucks to end the season like this. Everyone works too hard for the year to end on a low note.

Kolby Carlile

Estenson Racing

There’s not much to say, really. I’m pretty disappointed, but I’m proud of the way I rode my rookie season in the Twins class. We had some bad luck but never quit fighting. Even with my knee injury earlier this season and missing a race, I was able to come back and close the points gap towards the end of the season and get a couple of wins. Wish it could’ve been one more.