Eli Tomac tightened the championship race and rewrote the record books at Daytona, where he claimed his eighth Monster Energy AMA Supercross win at the iconic venue. On a rutty, sandy circuit that changed with every lap, Tomac’s composed charge through the field left rivals with less room for error and reshuffled the 450SMX title fight.
450SMX main event — Tomac times his move
Hunter Lawrence grabbed the holeshot, but Ken Roczen quickly surged into the lead while Cooper Webb slotted into third and Tomac began the race from fourth. The top four established themselves early, and the track’s deepening ruts and shifting braking zones forced riders to adapt their lines and setups on the fly.
Roczen found a sweet rhythm in the middle laps and opened a gap. Webb and Tomac traded places as Lawrence tried to recover. Tomac, methodical and patient, first worked past Webb to move into third, then targeted sections that suited his style to take second from Lawrence. He used an outside line to slip by Roczen just before the finish jump with roughly 12:30 left, then stretched his lead to finish 1.3 seconds clear.
Podium and championship impact
Officially the podium read: Eli Tomac first, Hunter Lawrence second and Ken Roczen third. Webb crossed fourth and Joey Savatgy was fifth. The win was Tomac’s fourth of the season and the 57th of his career — and it cut the championship gap to within a single point of Lawrence. Roczen and Webb are tied for third, 20 points off the lead. With margins this tight, teams will be weighing conservative, error-free tactics against bolder gambits as the series moves on.
250SMX Eastern — Hammaker controls from the front
Seth Hammaker grabbed the holeshot and led every lap in the Eastern Divisional 250SMX, overcoming an earlier qualifying crash to deliver a wire-to-wire victory for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. He held off Jo Shimoda, Cole Davies and points leader Pierce Brown, snapping a streak of wins for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing in the class.
Hammaker’s win moved him to second in the Eastern standings, just two points behind Brown; Shimoda sits third, five points back. A mid-race mishap in the sand section briefly shook up the order — Shimoda was pushed off line and fell, while Davies and Brown capitalized to move into podium positions. Davies’ charge from ninth to second showed how much starts and sand-riding skill matter in this division.
SMX Next — Denno’s breakthrough
Seventeen-year-old Deacon Denno produced a composed recovery from a whoops mistake to retake the lead and win the SMX Next main for Triumph Racing, finishing 4.4 seconds ahead of the field. Landen Gordon and Vincent Wey completed the podium. Denno’s victory is a big moment for the Triumph amateur program and a reminder that the feeder classes remain fertile ground for future pro talent.
American Flat Track — OTB expands for 2026
On The Box Racing (OTB) announced a five-rider slate for the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, covering Mission AFT SuperTwins, KICKER AFT Singles and AFT AdventureTrackers. The SuperTwins riders will be Declan Bender and Brandon Price — Bender returns after an eleven-race stint, while Price aims to contest a full calendar following an injury-hit season. Bradon Pfanders joins for KICKER AFT Singles, and Austin Luczak and Will Harris will race in the AdventureTrackers ranks. The expansion reflects a clear push to gain points, exposure and sponsor value across multiple classes; it also raises logistical and resource-planning demands for the team.
What it all means
Daytona delivered a little bit of everything: a record-setting win, compressed standings in the 450SMX and 250SMX classes, a new face atop SMX Next, and a significant team move in flat track. Those outcomes tighten championship calculations and change the incentives for riders and teams. Expect more conservative, consistency-first strategies from some contenders and opportunistic aggression from others — and certainly closer scrutiny from series officials as competition intensifies.
For fans, sponsors and teams alike, Daytona has set the tone: the season ahead promises close racing, shifting storylines and plenty of drama.