Three of the biggest names in the sport have been waging a heavyweight war for Progressive American Flat Track supremacy in 2021, going bar-to-bar and trading wins between them on an event-by-event basis.

If you follow the sport even casually, that statement comes as no surprise -- although this particular story is not in reference to the Briar Bauman-Brandon Robinson-Jared Mees Mission SuperTwins title fight.

Rather, it is all about some seriously big guns, three of the very biggest on two wheels in fact -- Honda, Yamaha, and KTM -- doing battle with their middleweight machines in AFT Singles competition.

All three come armed with similar rider lineups pairing an experienced ace with a rising star, and it just so happens all are shining at once.

Estenson Racing’s Yamaha-backed duo of defending class king Dallas Daniels and Mikey Rush are right in the mix as expected. Daniels is a weekly threat and tied for the lead in points as a result, while Rush remains in close convention after flying out of the gates with four consecutive podiums.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing newcomer Max Whale recently claimed the tiebreaker over Daniels by matching him in points and owning one additional victory, while Shayna Texter-Bauman added to her historic wins tally with a sweep of the season-opening doubleheader at Volusia.

Now that Turner Racing Honda has finally come up to full steam as well; legend Henry Wiles has lived up to his stacked credentials in recent weeks, and Trever Brunner appears poised to break through in a huge way (the same came said of third entry Cole Zabala as well).

The end result is competition that’s as even as it’s ever been at the top -- although the manufacturer-backed teams have admittedly gobbled up much of the spotlight between them.

Collectively, they account for six of the top-seven slots in the championship order, all seven victories, and would own all 21 podiums as well if not for the repeated heroics of Mission Roof System’s Morgen Mischler and the Atlanta Super TT third-place of Spanish hero Ferran Cardús.

There is an upside, however, for those on the outside of this factory-driven fight, as it draws additional attention to the class while setting the stage for résumé building performances as evidenced by Mischler, and, to a lesser extent, the likes of Brandon Kitchen, Kody Kopp, Dustin Brown, et al.

With Whale and Daniels tied in points and momentum distinctly on Wiles’ side, this showdown only promises to increase in intensity and become more entertaining moving forward.