Chase Sexton Strikes Back, Haiden Deegan Clinches 250SX West Title In Denver

Round 16 of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship delivered fireworks inside Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, as Chase Sexton closed the title gap in the 450 class with a dominant win, while Haiden Deegan sealed the 250SX West crown in dramatic fashion.

450 Class

The day started with a clear statement of intent from Chase Sexton, who blitzed qualifying with a 49.224—the only rider in the 49-second range—finishing over a second ahead of Malcolm Stewart and championship leader Cooper Webb. With Sexton trailing Webb by 12 points in the standings, it was a much-needed momentum boost heading into the night program.

That momentum carried through the heats, where Malcolm Stewart dominated Heat One after grabbing the holeshot and never looking back. Aaron Plessinger initially challenged for the lead but dropped back after a couple of mistakes, eventually working his way back to second. Mitchell Oldenburg, Justin Hill, and Shane McElrath completed the top five.

In Heat Two, Cooper Webb got out front early with the holeshot, but Sexton was flying. After dispatching Justin Cooper, Sexton reeled in Webb and stalked him for several laps. A small mistake from Webb in the whoops gave Sexton the opening he needed, and the Red Bull KTM rider pounced, making a physical but fair pass for the lead. From there, he checked out to win comfortably, with Webb second and Cooper third.

The main event shaped up as another head-to-head between the two title contenders—and it didn’t disappoint. Stewart took the holeshot, but Webb quickly moved past to take control. Sexton, riding with precision and purpose, slotted into third early and wasted no time chasing down the leaders. After passing Stewart, he piled the pressure on Webb before executing a decisive move once again, taking Webb high and nudging him just enough to take the lead without causing a crash.

Sexton then sprinted away to an eight-second win. Webb did what he needed to do by salvaging second, limiting the points loss, while Justin Cooper shadowed him across the line for third. Stewart capped off a strong night in fourth, with Aaron Plessinger completing the top five.

“I was pretty fired up from the first lap of the Main Event after we all got a bit close during the first rhythm lane,” Sexton explained. “At that point, I just wanted to get to the lead, and I knew that I could run some good laps, so getting out front and breaking away was my goal. I made an aggressive move by my standards on Webb, but we’re both going for a championship and have a lot of respect for each other. At the same time, we both really want to win.”

Cooper Webb admitted the Denver Main Event was a tough one, revealing he’d been feeling under the weather all day and was digging deep just to hang on. “I was holding on by dear life there at the end,” he said, after fending off teammate Justin Cooper for second. Despite the physical struggle, Webb was satisfied with the outcome. “Great overall day. Two and three for the team is awesome, and we’ll carry this little bit of a lead going into Salt Lake… I’ve always done well there, so I’m fired up,” he added, looking ahead to the championship-deciding finale.

Justin Cooper overcame a poor start and tough track conditions to fight his way onto the podium, charging from outside the top ten to finish third behind teammate Webb. “It was a disappointing start for me,” he admitted. “I accidentally put it in second gear on the gate and had to quickly shift back down, which threw things off. From there, I just put my head down, stayed consistent, and kept the podium in sight.” After a late pass on Malcolm Stewart, Cooper found himself in a three-way battle for second, adding, “With all the lappers and my heart rate already high, it just escalated. I’m really proud of myself for getting this done.”

With just one round remaining, Sexton has cut the deficit to nine points, leaving everything on the line for next weekend’s championship finale in Salt Lake City.

250 West Coast

The 250 West class returned from a short break, and Julien Beaumer was quickest out of the gate in qualifying, setting the fastest time in both sessions with a 50.070. He edged out Haiden Deegan by three-tenths, while Jordon Smith, Garrett Marchbanks, Cole Davies, and Drew Adams rounded out a tight top six.

In Heat One, Deegan looked to grab the holeshot but was edged out by Marchbanks, who took the early lead. However, Marchbanks lost the front and went down, handing the lead back to Deegan, who pulled clear for a smooth win. Behind him, Enzo Lopes and the returning Drew Adams rode smart races to finish second and third. Jo Shimoda, after a poor start, carved through to fifth, while Marchbanks remounted for fourth.

Heat Two saw the previous round winner Cole Davies take charge early with Michael Mosiman in tow. The slick surface made things tricky, and Davies had his hands full with Mosiman pressuring throughout. Despite a late push, Davies held strong for the win. Beaumer had a rough start and had to fight his way to sixth, limiting his gate choice for the main.

All eyes were on Deegan as the gate dropped for the 250 main, with the championship on the line. Davies once again grabbed the holeshot, with Deegan right behind and Mosiman third. Beaumer was on the move from sixth and quickly joined the battle, as did Marchbanks.

Deegan made a clean pass on Mosiman to move into second, while Beaumer’s pass on Mosiman was anything but—contact sent Mosiman to the ground. Up front, Deegan stalked Davies before making a decisive, if aggressive, move with two laps to go, bumping Davies off the track and into the dirt. Davies would remount to finish fifth.

With a clear track ahead, Deegan powered to victory, locking up the 2025 250 West Championship with a round to spare. Beaumer took second and Marchbanks claimed third, rounding out the podium.

After clinching the 250SX West title with a dramatic late-race pass, Deegan didn’t hold back in expressing what the moment meant to him.

“First of all, I want to congratulate Cole, he’s been riding really good. Two laps to go, I wanted that win, baby. I was going to do anything for it,” Deegan said. “This means a lot to me because people doubted me all the way. They were telling me I was all hype coming into Supercross and motocross. They’re just mad that I’m him and they’ve got to deal with it… We’re the champ now, and let’s go, baby!”

When asked specifically about the decisive move, Deegan added, “Yeah, 100%, Cole was riding great, and I was just digging towards the end. At elevation, you get a little out of breath, so I was just digging, and I was like, two laps to go, I saw Cole slide out, found an opening, and took the chance. Good job to Cole and a good race.

Cole Davies was composed in his response after the late-race incident with Deegan, taking accountability for the situation and vowing to bounce back, saying he should’ve handled the lapped traffic better and avoided being in that position but added, “I’ll be back… I’m going to keep working on, and keep on keeping on.”

Julien Beaumer was satisfied with his return to form in Denver, crediting the three-week break for helping him reset and rebuild confidence, saying he felt like himself again and was “ready to fight for another one in Salt Lake,” while also offering respect to the newly crowned champion, adding, “Congrats to Haiden. He deserves this championship.”

Garrett Marchbanks was upbeat after claiming third in Denver, explaining that while his Main Event start didn’t match his Heat race launch, he stayed locked in on Julien Beaumer and maintained a strong pace until a near-miss with a lapped rider cost him time late in the race. “I didn’t know I got third until the last lap, so that’s a cool little gift at the end,” he said, adding, “I’ve just been feeling really good all day… I’m just blessed to be back up here.”

Deegan’s win now sees him heading into Salt Lake City with an unassailable points lead and the title firmly in hand.

450 Round Results
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1	4	Chase Sexton	USA	KTM	+0.000
2	2	Cooper Webb	USA	Yamaha	+8.624
3	32	Justin Cooper	USA	Yamaha	+9.071
4	27	Malcolm Stewart	USA	Husqvarna	+13.169
5	7	Aaron Plessinger	USA	KTM	+24.281
6	12	Shane McElrath	USA	Honda	+24.547
7	14	Dylan Ferrandis	FRA	Honda	+38.537
8	17	Joey Savatgy	USA	Honda	+40.314
9	49	Mitchell Oldenburg	USA	Beta	+45.705
10	15	Dean Wilson	GBR	Honda	+46.773
11	28	Christian Craig	USA	Yamaha	+1 Lap
12	46	Justin Hill	USA	KTM	+1 Lap
13	57	Benny Bloss	USA	Beta	+1 Lap
14	45	Colt Nichols	USA	Suzuki	+1 Lap
15	33	Freddie Noren	SWE	Kawasaki	+1 Lap
16	11	Kyle Chisholm	USA	Suzuki	+1 Lap
17	146	Kevin Moranz	USA	KTM	+1 Lap
18	78	Cade Clason	USA	Kawasaki	+2 Laps
19	711	Tristan Lane	USA	Yamaha	+2 Laps
20	68	Jeremy Hand	USA	Yamaha	+2 Laps
21	122	Justin Starling	USA	Yamaha	+2 Laps
22	468	Michael Hicks	USA	Yamaha	+4 Laps

450 Class Championship Points
Pos	No	Rider Name	Points
1	2	Cooper Webb	347 points
2	4	Chase Sexton	338 points
3	94	Ken Roczen	271 points
4	32	Justin Cooper	261 points
5	27	Malcolm Stewart	255 points
6	7	Aaron Plessinger	239 points
7	51	Justin Barcia	185 points
8	14	Dylan Ferrandis	182 points
9	46	Justin Hill	180 points
10	12	Shane McElrath	179 points
11	21	Jason Anderson	151 points
12	17	Joey Savatgy	136 points
13	49	Mitchell Oldenburg	134 points
14	45	Colt Nichols	120 points
15	57	Benny Bloss	113 points
16	3	Eli Tomac	80 points
17	1	Jett Lawrence	71 points
18	11	Kyle Chisholm	70 points
19	96	Hunter Lawrence	62 points
20	86	Mitchell Harrison	60 points
21	28	Christian Craig	58 points
22	15	Dean Wilson	42 points
23	77	Jerry Robin	39 points
24	146	Kevin Moranz	38 points
25	33	Freddie Noren	34 points

250 West Results
Pos	No	Rider	Nat	Bike	Gap
1	38	Haiden Deegan	USA	Yamaha	+0.000
2	23	Julien Beaumer	USA	KTM	+12.945
3	36	Garrett Marchbanks	USA	Kawasaki	+16.624
4	19	Jordon Smith	USA	Triumph	+21.428
5	100	Cole Davies	NZL	Yamaha	+24.236
6	37	Coty Schock	USA	Yamaha	+27.681
7	93	Michael Mosiman	USA	Yamaha	+31.107
8	98	Drew Adams	USA	Kawasaki	+34.333
9	30	Jo Shimoda	JPN	Honda	+36.435
10	166	Enzo Lopes	BRA	Yamaha	+49.260
11	61	Cole Thompson	CAN	Yamaha	+1 Lap
12	101	Dylan Walsh	NZL	Honda	+1 Lap
13	134	Avery Long	USA	KTM	+1 Lap
14	115	Gavin Towers	USA	Honda	+1 Lap
15	64	Robbie Wageman	USA	Yamaha	+1 Lap
16	302	Parker Ross	USA	Honda	+1 Lap
17	63	Hunter Yoder	USA	Kawasaki	+1 Lap
18	334	Brad West	AUS	Yamaha	+1 Lap
19	58	Derek Kelley	USA	Yamaha	+1 Lap
20	65	Lux Turner	USA	KTM	+1 Lap
21	775	CJ Benard	USA	KTM	+2 Laps
22	85	Max Sanford	USA	Honda	+2 Laps

250 West Championship Standings
Pos	No	Rider Name	Points
1	38	Haiden Deegan	196 points
2	100	Cole Davies	171 points
3	23	Julien Beaumer	167 points
4	30	Jo Shimoda	149 points
5	37	Coty Schock	131 points
6	36	Garrett Marchbanks	130 points
7	19	Jordon Smith	126 points
8	93	Michael Mosiman	114 points
9	63	Hunter Yoder	73 points
10	65	Lux Turner	65 points
11	61	Cole Thompson	58 points
12	302	Parker Ross	57 points
13	166	Enzo Lopes	55 points
14	52	Anthony Bourdon	54 points
15	115	Gavin Towers	43 points
16	101	Dylan Walsh	41 points
17	91	Tj Albright	36 points
18	25	Ryder Difrancesco	35 points
19	54	Jett Reynolds	34 points
20	134	Avery Long	29 points
21	98	Drew Adams	28 points
22	334	Brad West	17 points
23	67	Joshua Varize	14 points
24	58	Derek Kelley	13 points
25	964	Dominique Thury	12 points