DAYTONA BEACH, Fla (Dec. 2, 2014) - America’s most famous motorcycle racing family has never shied away from its flat track roots.

But it’s still been more than 10 years since Roger Hayden, the youngest of the racing Haydens from Owensboro, Ky., threw his leg over a flat track bike.

That changed Saturday night, when Hayden brushed the rust off his steel shoe and competed at the DuQuoin Indoor Short Track event in Illinois.

Hayden was joined by fellow road racers and close friends, Jake Lewis and Nick McFadden. He took a couple thirds and a fourth, he said, on his yellow No. 95 Suzuki. All-in-all, a good day for Hayden.

“I was watching the (AMA Pro Flat Track) races on FansChoice, kind of getting excited about it and wanted to get back to it,” Hayden said. “I had permission from Yoshimura and Suzuki, just wanted to make sure they were OK with it. They were really on board.”

With his road racing employers’ blessings, it was time for a throwback, Hayden-style.

Brothers Tommy and Nicky and father Earl, were all in attendance. When Roger needed a gearing adjustment, it was his two older brothers getting their hands dirty and playing mechanic.

“The biggest throwback was the smile on my dad’s face the whole night,” Hayden said. “It felt like it did a long time ago when we used to go to the races. I think we all enjoyed it. It was fun putting it all together. In road racing, I show up in the semi and with a fleet of mechanics, there’s nothing to worry about. This one, stuff I haven’t done is the hard part; making sure we had gas, making sure that we had tools, making sure we had spares, all the things you don’t think about. It makes me appreciate my (factory road racing) ride a lot more.”

Hayden didn’t know exactly what he was getting into when he built his flat track bike and hopped back onto the dirt. Apparently, though, it’s not a one-time deal for him, or his buddies, Lewis and McFadden.

“We all fell back in love with it,” Hayden said. “And we found another race this weekend in Decatur, Alabama.”

Despite being missing from national competition for a while, the Haydens are certainly no strangers to flat track. Tommy and Nicky have seven GNC victories, combined. Roger last raced in Oct., 2003. Roger is still a top road racer and Tommy enjoyed a strong career himself. Nicky, the most decorated of the three, eventually parlayed his flat track skills to road racing and a MotoGP title. He’s still a member of that paddock.

It’s also becoming more and more in vogue for the top road racers in the world, names like Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi, to use flat track as training. While Saturday’s race was more of a passion project for Hayden, he said there was certainly a training aspect to it as well.

“I’m not sure why the other guys use it as much,” Hayden said. “But for me, I’m trying to learn how to have a little more throttle control, control the back end a little more with the throttle, and maybe carry that over to the road race side.

“Riding a motorcycle, for some reason, whatever (kind of bike) it is, it seems to help. Just for like sliding, controlling the bike. (I also get) to use the same muscles as I do on a road race bike. No matter what I do at the gym, it’s almost impossible to get the same muscles sore as I do on a road racing bike.”

Of course, the big question is, will Hayden make an appearance on the national scene and race with AMA Pro Racing?

“I don’t know what the chances are of that,” Hayden said. “But trust me, I wouldn’t mind it to be honest, to do one for fun, if that could be possible.”

Most AMA Pro Racing fans agree, it would be fun, albeit unlikely, to see a Hayden back on the track in a national event.