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found for Thursday's main, Dan- iels came back on Friday as the powerhouse everyone expected to see on day one. Bauman was smooth and in control on a very tricky track. He put his name atop the charts during practice, qualifying, and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Chal - lenge, before storming off into the lead at the start of the main. First forced to shake free of a second group that consisted of J&M Logging's Henry Wiles, Rackley Racing's Davis Fisher, and OnlyFans/Castrol's Sammy Halbert, Bauman closed on Daniels when they hit lappers and made his move with just 20 seconds remaining on the clock. However, Daniels immediately countered and then managed to hold on in first to kick off his '25 Grand National Championship campaign with a perfect opener. While maximum points were acquired at a track where Daniels has now won five of the most recent six races, the opener also showed that Bau - man and the XG750R, even in this early stage together, are more than able to keep pace. That's a huge development not just for Bauman and Rick Ware Racing, but for Harley- Davidson and the series at large. Originally presented as the centerpiece race bike of a three-rider factory team meant to reignite the Harley-Indian wars back in 2017, the XG750R is still seeking its first premier- class win. A couple of years ago, that win seemed unlikely to ever arrive. Now it's that elusive maiden victory seems not only possible but probable and per - haps even inevitable. While Daniels and Bauman stole the show, there were plenty of other storylines worthy of mention. Fisher was seam- less in what was expected to be a tricky swap from an Indian to a KTM 790 Duke, opening Daytona with a fourth and then leaving it on the podium. And part-timers Wiles and Halbert, too, were at the top of their game. Wiles wasn't even able to brandish his trademark number 17 on his Kawasaki Ninja 650 after sitting out the entire '24 season. Whatever rust had accumulated over that span didn't prevent him from match - ing Fisher with a 3-4 opener. Meanwhile, reigning FIM Flat Track World Champion Halbert was as dangerous as ever at Daytona, bouncing back from mechanical woes on Thursday to earn a fighting top-five on Friday. The weekend's remaining top-five result was earned by Mission Roof Systems' Brandon Robinson, whose XG750R debut, while not on the level of Bau - man's, also offered up plenty of hope moving forward. The other big winner of the ROUNDS 1-2 / MARCH 6-7, 2025 DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY / DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA FLAT TRACK I AMA PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN FLAT TRACK P102 Kody Kopp showed who the Singles champ is before embarking on his road racing adventure. Kopp won both main events.