Jarod Vanderkooi stands as the latest rider to join the elite company of premier-class race winners. Known for his thrill-a-moment style, “Captain Chaos” stormed onto the Progressive AFT scene in 2014, dominating his GNC2 Twins debut at the Springfield Mile. He backed that up with a second victory at the Springfield Mile to secure the ‘14 GNC2 Twins title in his first attempt. His rapid ascent continued in 2015 as he stepped up to the premier class. That season he collected four top tens en route to securing Rookie of the Year honors. Vanderkooi continued on to collect seven top-five finishes before he finally earned his first Mission AFT SuperTwins podium, which came in the form of a third-place result at the 2018 Atlanta Short Track. However, that landmark achievement only came after being elevated from fourth due to the DQ of another rider. As a result, Vanderkooi’s third-place run in the final weekend of the 2020 season at DAYTONA was actually his first opportunity to celebrate while actually standing on the box in the premier class. Vanderkooi was widely expected to take the next step in his career in 2021 after finally gaining access to the all-conquering Indian FTR750 after joining the Mission Roof System squad. He didn’t disappoint, notching up five podium finishes – four of them runners-up, en route to a fourth-place championship ranking. He added three more podiums, including two more runner-ups, before finally breaking through to claim his maiden Mission AFT SuperTwins win in the 2022 season’s penultimate race at Volusia Speedway Park. The following night, he captured the Progressive Triple Crown and its $25,000 payday to end his season on the highest of notes. Vanderkooi backed that up with a pair of strong seasons on the JMC Motorsports Indian in 2023 and 2024, adding three more podiums to his tally while finishing seventh (‘23) and sixth (‘24) in the final standings. Vanderkooi will attempt to extract the full potential from Fastrack Racing’s KTM 790 Duke in 2025 as the series embraces an all-production based ruleset.