Round seven of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship delivered another night of close racing in Arlington, Texas, with a major breakthrough in the 450SX class and the inaugural 250SX East Division hitting the track.
Australian Hunter Lawrence claimed his first-ever 450SX Main Event victory in a dramatic night of racing, while Pierce Brown made a statement in the East opener, taking the win ahead of Jo Shimoda and Daxton Bennick.
The military appreciation round at AT&T Stadium brought energy and intensity from the first gate drop. Arlington proved the perfect stage for thrilling battles, with championship implications looming large in the premier class and the East division debut promising a new chapter in the 250SX season.
450SX
In 450SX qualifying, last weeks winner Eli Tomac topped the timesheets with a 47.688, narrowly edging Ken Roczen (47.734) and Cooper Webb (47.801). Jason Anderson (47.854) and Chase Sexton (47.916) completed the top five, all within 0.228 seconds of the leader, highlighting just how tight the field was heading into the heat races.
Heat One saw Ken Roczen grab the holeshot and hold off a charging Jason Anderson and Malcolm Stewart, who was making aggressive moves to climb from mid-pack. Dylan Ferrandis and Christian Craig were caught up in battles early, while Jordon Smith mounted an impressive charge from 13th to eighth, securing an automatic transfer. Heat Two delivered Hunter Lawrence out front with Eli Tomac, Joey Savatgy, and Cooper Webb in pursuit. Lawrence fended off repeated attacks from Tomac, with Savatgy taking advantage of a small mistake to finish second; Tomac rounded out the top three ahead of Webb and Aaron Plessinger, while Chase Sexton salvaged sixth.
The 450SX Main Event was a showcase of Lawrence’s composure and skill. Roczen and Webb led early, with Tomac moving through from ninth and Lawrence closing from third. Lawrence made decisive passes over both Webb and Roczen, eventually pulling away for his first career win. Tomac finished second after an aggressive charge through the leaders, while Webb held onto the final podium spot. Several riders, including Garrett Marchbanks, Jason Anderson, and Malcolm Stewart, went down during the closing stages, emphasising the punishing nature of the track.
Fresh off his first career 450SX Main Event victory, Lawrence remained grounded as he reflected on the milestone moment:
“It’s cool, but we’ve got a lot of racing left. I’m happy to tick that little box. It’s a huge thank you to my team and everyone that’s around me. We’ve got an amazing group and that’s really the most valuable thing in my program. It takes a whole village to move mountains.
“Even when you get a sixth place it’s really tough, but man how cool it was racing against all those boys. Me and Kenny had some awesome back-and-forth, Coop was right there, Eli was right there. It’s pretty cool racing with the sport’s legends. Awesome.
Charging from outside the top 10 to finish second in Arlington, Eli Tomac credited his opening lap for salvaging his night:
“[The first lap] absolutely saved my race. I was happy to make some moves there and just happened to find openings that allowed me to pass two or three guys at a time. Somehow by Lap 2 or 3 I could see the front of the race and knew I was okay. What a difficult track tonight. I fought to the end as much as I could. Second was all we had tonight.”
After running in the lead battle for much of the Arlington Main Event, Cooper Webb admitted he left a little on the table despite securing a podium finish:
“It was a fun race, for sure, but I’m honestly a little bummed. I was pretty nice and should have been more aggressive with Roczen and maybe gotten the pass for the lead earlier. It was a sick race with all of us four bunched up there. I tried to make the pass on Roczen for second and Eli ended up getting me and ran me off the track, then Kenny got back by me. I kind of lost the tow of the leaders. I’m bummed at myself. I saw a few openings I should have taken, and I didn’t. I was too patient tonight. Overall, we’ll take it.”
Lawrence’s breakthrough also extended his championship lead, giving him 149 points, four ahead of Tomac (145) and sixteen clear of Webb (133), while Roczen (131) and Sexton (122) round out the top five in the standings.
250SX East
The 250SX East Division kicked off its season with Pierce Brown seizing pole in qualifying with a 48.439, narrowly ahead of Kiwi Cole Davies (48.506) and Seth Hammaker (48.640). Caden Dudney topped the B sessions, and returning rider Jo Shimoda ended qualifying 15th overall.
Heat One saw Davies take control by turn two, pulling away for a convincing win, with Nate Thrasher, Jalek Swoll, Dudney, and Cullin Park completing the top five. Heat Two began with a first-lap pileup leading to a red flag, but on the restart, Seth Hammaker seized the lead, fending off challenges from Jo Shimoda and Pierce Brown. The final results set the stage for a thrilling Main Event, with multiple riders capable of contending.
The anticipated opening Main Event of the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class Championship was equally exciting and got underway with Jo Shimoda out front for the holeshot in his first race since he underwent surgery in November to repair two fractured and displaced vertebrae in his neck and upper back. The reigning 250SMX World Champion from Japan was followed by Pierce Brown and Daxton Bennick, while Kiwi Cole Davies, a title favorite, started deep inside the top 20 after he fell in the first turn and collected multiple contenders.
Shimoda sprinted out to a lead of more than three seconds and stabilised his advantage through the opening portion of the race until an unexpected sequence changed the complexion of the race. Red medical lights were displayed as Shimoda approached the finish line, which required him to not jump any obstacle until cleared. As he rolled through to begin the next lap, both Brown and Bennick completed the obstacles at normal race pace, with no apparent lights displayed, which allowed Brown to not only overcome the deficit but also make the pass for the lead.
Shimoda resumed full pace in second and fought back but was unable to get by Brown as Bennick pursued from third. Shimoda’s pursuit of Brown and the lead continued throughout the remainder of the 15 Minute + 1 Lap race and while the Honda rider appeared to be faster at times, he was unable to attempt a pass. With less than one minute to go Shimoda made one final push and dove under Brown with an inside line but was unable to sustain the momentum, which allowed Brown to pull away to victory.
Brown took the checkered flag by 2.4 seconds over Shimoda, with Bennick right behind in third. Seth Hammaker, who was involved in the first-turn incident with Davies, finished fourth, while Davies impressed with a resilient come-from-behind fifth-place result. For Brown, it not only signified his first Supercross victory in 33 starts, but it also came one year after he crashed out of the lead of the 2025 Eastern Divisional opener and suffered a fractured vertebra, which sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Brown’s win has put him atop the Eastern Divisional standings, with a three-point lead over Shimoda and a five-point advantage over Bennick. It will mark the first time Brown has ever carried the red plate.
Overcome with emotion after capturing his first 250SX East victory Pierce Brown reflected on the long road back from injury:
“I don’t even know where to start. There were so many nights where I didn’t think this would be possible. Missing a year, especially with the injury I had, it’s pretty degrading. It’s a scary thing to come back from and there were a lot of doubts. I’m just thankful I never stopped fighting. Every day this offseason we put our best foot forward. Wow. This is…amazing.”
After a dramatic Main Event that included confusion over the red medical light, Jo Shimoda explained his side of the incident while remaining positive about his runner-up finish:
“I saw the red light come on, and you’re not supposed to jump that, so I don’t know what happened. We’ll review it. Overall, it was a good one for me. I felt rusty all day, to be honest, but my adrenaline kicked in for the race. It’s a good way to start.”
After battling through a challenging day to land on the podium, Daxton Bennick was encouraged by his turnaround performance:
“I turned a pretty bad day into a good day. I thought if I could be top five [in the main event] that’d be good for me. I struggled all day, but I’m pumped to come away with a podium. I dug deep in that race. We’ll keep digging this week and come out swinging next weekend.”
With Arlington in the books, the championship now shifts east to the legendary Daytona Supercross on February 28 in Daytona Beach, where the unique, high-speed layout inside Daytona International Speedway traditionally shakes up the standings and tests both endurance and precision as the 2026 title fights continue to intensify.
| 450 Main Event Results – R7 Arlington | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | No | Rider | Gap | Hometown | Team |
| 1st | 96 | Hunter Lawrence | 26 Laps | Landsborough, Australia | Honda HRC Progressive |
| 2nd | 3 | Eli Tomac | 2.817 | Cortez, CO | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 3rd | 1 | Cooper Webb | 7.851 | Newport, NC | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 4th | 94 | Ken Roczen | 11.390 | Clermont, FL | Progressive Insurance / Cycle Gear / Ecstar Suzuki |
| 5th | 32 | Justin Cooper | 14.991 | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing |
| 6th | 4 | Chase Sexton | 26.358 | La Moille, IL | Monster Energy Kawasaki |
| 7th | 17 | Joseph Savatgy | 32.047 | Clermont, FL | Quadlock Honda Racing |
| 8th | 7 | Aaron Plessinger | 39.395 | Hamilton, OH | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 9th | 28 | Christian Craig | 51.272 | Temecula, CA | Quadlock Honda Racing |
| 10th | 14 | Dylan Ferrandis | 1 Lap | Avignon, France | Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing |
| 11th | 27 | Malcolm Stewart | 1 Lap | Haines City, FL | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna |
| 12th | 46 | Justin Hill | 1 Lap | Riverton, OR | Team Tedder Racing |
| 13th | 12 | Shane McElrath | 1 Lap | Canton, NC | Quadlock Honda Racing |
| 14th | 45 | Colt Nichols | 1 Lap | Muskogee, OK | Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance |
| 15th | 719 | Vince Friese | 1 Lap | Cape Girardeau, MO | ISRT Kawasaki |
| 16th | 41 | Mitchell Harrison | 1 Lap | Brighton, MI | Partzilla Blaster PRMX Racing |
| 17th | 78 | Kevin Moranz | 2 Laps | Topeka, KS | Champion Tool Storage KMR KTM |
| 18th | 711 | Tristan Lane | 2 Laps | DeLand, FL | The McGinley Clinic Privateer Support Program |
| 19th | 20 | Jordon Smith | 2 Laps | Belmont, NC | Triumph Racing Factory Team |
| 20th | 519 | Joshua Cartwright | 2 Laps | Fort Worth, TX | Cartwright Racing |
| 21st | 21 | Jason Anderson | 10 Laps | Edgewood, NM | Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance |
| 22nd | 36 | Garrett Marchbanks | 14 Laps | Coalville, UT | Monster Energy Kawasaki |
| 450 Championship Standings After Round 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | # | Rider | Points | Gap |
| 1st | 96 | Hunter Lawrence | 149 Points | 0 Points |
| 2nd | 3 | Eli Tomac | 145 Points | -4 Points |
| 3rd | 1 | Cooper Webb | 133 Points | -16 Points |
| 4th | 94 | Ken Roczen | 131 Points | -18 Points |
| 5th | 4 | Chase Sexton | 122 Points | -27 Points |
| 6th | 32 | Justin Cooper | 112 Points | -37 Points |
| 7th | 14 | Dylan Ferrandis | 87 Points | -62 Points |
| 8th | 21 | Jason Anderson | 84 Points | -65 Points |
| 9th | 17 | Joey Savatgy | 80 Points | -69 Points |
| 10th | 7 | Aaron Plessinger | 79 Points | -70 Points |
| 11th | 26 | Jorge Prado | 73 Points | -76 Points |
| 12th | 27 | Malcolm Stewart | 63 Points | -86 Points |
| 13th | 46 | Justin Hill | 61 Points | -88 Points |
| 14th | 28 | Christian Craig | 58 Points | -91 Points |
| 15th | 45 | Colt Nichols | 51 Points | -98 Points |
| 16th | 12 | Shane McElrath | 41 Points | -108 Points |
| 17th | 24 | R.J. Hampshire | 38 Points | -111 Points |
| 18th | 36 | Garrett Marchbanks | 24 Points | -125 Points |
| 19th | 719 | Vince Friese | 24 Points | -125 Points |
| 20th | 41 | Mitchell Harrison | 22 Points | -127 Points |
| 21st | 17 | Joseph Savatgy | 15 Points | -134 Points |
| 22nd | 78 | Kevin Moranz | 15 Points | -134 Points |
| 23rd | 33 | Austin Forkner | 12 Points | -137 Points |
| 24th | 62 | Grant Harlan | 9 Points | -140 Points |
| 25th | 711 | Tristan Lane | 7 Points | -142 Points |
| 26th | 52 | Mitchell Oldenburg | 6 Points | -143 Points |
| 27th | 63 | Freddie Noren | 4 Points | -145 Points |
| 28th | 44 | Ty Masterpool | 4 Points | -145 Points |
| 29th | 20 | Jordon Smith | 3 Points | -146 Points |
| 30th | 519 | Joshua Cartwright | 2 Points | -147 Points |
| 31st | 519 | Josh Cartwright | 2 Points | -147 Points |
| 32nd | 51 | Justin Barcia | 1 Points | -148 Points |
| 250 East Main Event Results – R1 Arlington | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | No | Rider | Gap | Hometown | Team |
| 1st | 163 | Pierce Brown | 20 Laps | Sandy, UT | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 2nd | 30 | Jo Shimoda | 2.415 | Suzuka, Japan | Honda HRC Progressive |
| 3rd | 58 | Daxton Bennick | 3.777 | Morganton, NC | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna |
| 4th | 10 | Seth Hammaker | 7.533 | Bainbridge, PA | Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki |
| 5th | 37 | Cole Davies | 13.146 | Waitoki, New Zealand | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 6th | 35 | Drew Adams | 29.333 | Chattanooga, TN | Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki |
| 7th | 22 | Coty Schock | 30.512 | Dover, DE | ClubMX Yamaha |
| 8th | 89 | Devin Simonson | 41.865 | Laurinburg, NC | ClubMX Yamaha |
| 9th | 49 | Cullin Park | 46.184 | Clermont, FL | Phoenix Racing Honda |
| 10th | 148 | Kyle Peters | 47.889 | Mooresville, NC | Peters Racing |
| 11th | 25 | Nate Thrasher | 49.955 | Livingston, TN | Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha |
| 12th | 77 | Derek Kelley | 51.837 | Boise, ID | Mx6 Racing |
| 13th | 82 | Caden Dudney | 54.086 | Athens, TX | Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing |
| 14th | 87 | Jeremy Hand | 1 Lap | Mantua, OH | Valley Motorsports |
| 15th | 53 | Henry Miller | 1 Lap | Rochester, MN | MX6 Racing |
| 16th | 101 | Luke Clout | 1 Lap | Sydney, Australia | Partzilla Blaster PRMX Racing |
| 17th | 95 | Luke Neese | 1 Lap | Concord, NC | Storm Lake Honda Buddy Brooks Racing |
| 18th | 90 | John Short IV | 1 Lap | Pilot Point, TX | Short Racing |
| 19th | 483 | Bryton Carroll | 2 Laps | Vineland, NJ | Life of a Privateer |
| 20th | 80 | Bryce Shelly | 2 Laps | Telford, PA | Gizmo Mods Yamaha |
| 21st | 56 | Jalek Swoll | 18 Laps | Senoia, GA | Triumph Factory Racing |
| 22nd | 65 | Marshal Weltin | 20 Laps | Ubly, MI | MX6 Racing |
