450 SMX Class Recap: Concord

Jett Lawrence

Jett Lawrence: Battled off the resurgent Eli Tomac to seal his third career SuperMotocross Playoffwin. It was his 53rd SMX victory and 70th podium. He trails Chase Sexton by four points going into the double pointed Texas Motor Speedway round. Honda has won all four SuperMotocross Playoff Rounds in the 450 Class (Jett- 3, Sexton- 1).

Eli Tomac

Eli Tomac: Didn’t skip a beat coming back from injury, scoring a moto win and sealing a podium in his first career SMX Playoff start. With double and triple point rounds remaining, Tomac is right in the thick of things being down only 12 points. He is nearing 350 SMX starts, sitting at 248 after Concord. His 219th SMX Podium is the most all-time.

Chase Sexton

Chase Sexton: Holds the red plate after a 4-3 performance in Concord. He was making his 175th SMX start and nailed his 89th podium. Sexton is one of 15 athletes who have made all four starts in 450SMX Playoff history (J. Lawrence, Sexton, Ken Roczen, Aaron Plessinger, Colt Nichols, Cooper Webb, Dylan Ferrandis, Shane McElrath, Fredrik Noren, Grant Harlan, Phil Nicoletti, Jerry Robin, Dean Wilson, Kyle Chisholm, & Justin Hill).

Hunter Lawrence

Notes: Hunter Lawrence (4th) & Justin Cooper (6th) The top billed 450 Class rookies earned solid finishes in their first career 450SMX Playoff round. Cooper nailed his 125th career SMX top 10 finish. Tomac (2nd), Lawrence (4th), Cooper (6th), Malcolm Stewart (7th), Marshal Weltin (12th), Christian Craig (14th), Harri Kullas (19th) Each made their first career 450 SMX Playoff starts.

Fort Worth Historical Facts

DFW History: The first DFW Metroplex SMX round was the 450SX Class season opener held in Irving’s Texas Stadium on February 28-March 1, 1975. The round consisted of four motos across two days and Can-am’s Jimmy Ellis scored the overall with 1-1-1-2 finishes. Supercross rounds were also held in the Dallas’ Cotton Bowl, and once Texas Stadium was demolished AT&T Stadium (Arlington) took over hosting duties. Fort Worth will become the fourth different city in the Metroplex to host an SMX round and will be the 47th round of SMX racing in the Metroplex.

Speedway History: Daytona International Speedway is most famous for hosting Motocross rounds dating back to the early 70s and a Supercross round every season since 1974. Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Oklahoma State Fair Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Road Atlanta, Route 66 Raceway, and Pocono International Raceway are other predominately car racing facilities that have held SMX rounds in the past. Chicagoland Speedway and zMax Dragway added to this list during last year’s SMX Playoffs while Texas Motor Speedway debuts this season.

Double Jump: Texas Motor Speedway will be a double point round. Last season’s Playoff 2 round in Chicagoland Speedway was also a double point round. This proved pivotal as Jett Lawrence used his victory to gain 10 points and move only two points off Chase Sexton going into the L.A. World Championship Final. Chase Sexton leads the points heading into Playoff 2 for the second season in a row, but Jett is only four points behind with double points looming large.

250 History: The first 250SX Class round held in the Metroplex was on May 4, 1985, in the Cotton Bowl. Bobby Moore (SUZ) won, clinching the Western Regional title a few months later in the Rose Bowl. The series moved back to Texas Stadium in 1986 and hosted their first 250SX Class round, once again being a combined Main Event. Keith Turpin’s victory clinched the Eastern Regional Championship for him that day. 2024 Texas Motor Speedway will be the 42nd 250 Class SMX round held in the Metroplex.

Manufacturer Wins in DFW Metroplex (Last Win)

  • Honda: 13 (’11)
  • Yamaha: 11 (’24)
  • Kawasaki: 10 (’20)
  • KTM: 7 (’23)
  • Suzuki: 3 (’14)
  • Can-Am: 2 (’76)

Top Winners in DFW Metroplex

  • 1) Cooper Webb: 6 (’19, ’21 X3, ’23-‘24)
  • 2) Chad Reed: 4 (’03-’04, ’06, ’08)
  • 3) James Stewart: 3 (’05, ’07, ’14)
  • 3) Rick Johnson: 3 (’85, ’87-’88)
  • 3) Eli Tomac: 3 (’18, ’20, ‘22)

450 Class: First Time Winners in DFW Metroplex

  • Jimmy Ellis: 1975 (Texas Stadium)
  • J.M. Bayle: 1990 (Cotton Bowl)
  • Doug Henry: 1995 (Texas Stadium)
  • James Stewart: 2005 (Texas Stadium)
  • Marvin Musquin: 2017 (AT&T Stadium)

250 SMX Class Recap: Concord

Haiden Deegan

Haiden Deegan: Swept the competition away with comeback victories to nail his second 250 SMX Playoff victory. It was his 12th career SMX victory which is good for 62nd all-time. He has 27 podiums and 33 top 5 finishes in his 47 SMX starts. He holds an eight-point lead over Levi Kitchen going into Fort Worth.

Julien Beaumer

Julien Beaumer: In his 23rd career SMX start, Beaumer nailed down his first career podium and top 5 finish. He now has 1 podium, 1 top 5, and 15 top 10’s in 23 starts to begin his career. His momentous podium has him on the heels of the top 3 in the point standings.

Levi Kitchen

Levi Kitchen: Making his 60th career SMX start, Kitchen snagged his 21st podium and 30th top-5 finish. He did not score a podium in any of the three 250 SMX Playoff rounds last year. Kitchen is one of only 10 athletes to start in all four 250 SMX Playoff rounds (Deegan, Kitchen, Jo Shimoda, Tom Vialle, Jordon Smith, RJ Hampshire, Pierce Brown, Ryder DiFrancesco, Talon Hawkins, & Jalek Swoll).

Jo Shimoda

Notes: Jo Shimoda (4th) Returned from injury and earned 63rd career SMX top-5 finish. Tom Vialle (5th) Made his 45th SMX start and 26th top-5 finish. Max Anstie (7th) Made his 100th career SMX start. Pierce Brown (11th) 80th career SMX start. Beaumer (2nd), Cameron McAdoo (8th), Garrett Marchbanks (10th), Ty Masterpool (12th), Nicholas Romano (14th), Chance Hymas (16th), Jett Reynolds (18th), Lux Turner (19th), Nate Thrasher (21st), & Cole Thompson (22nd) Were each making their first career 250 SMX Playoff starts.

250s

Manufacturer Wins in the DFW Metroplex (Last Win)

  • Kawasaki: 15 (‘22)
  • Honda: 9 (’21)
  • Yamaha: 8 (’24)
  • Suzuki: 6 (’10)
  • KTM: 2 (’15)
  • Husqvarna: 1 (’18)

Top Winners in the DFW Metroplex

  • Dean Wilson: 2 (’11, ’13)
  • Ryan Villopoto: 2 (’06, ’08)
  • Grant Langston: 2 (’01, ’05)
  • Jeremy McGrath: 2 (’91-’92)

250 Class: First Time Winners in the DFW Metroplex

  • Bobby Moore: 1985 (Cotton Bowl)
  • Ty Davis: 1988 (Texas Stadium)
  • Grant Langston: 2001 (Texas Stadium)
  • Ryan Villopoto: 2006 (Texas Stadium)
  • Blake Baggett: 2010 (AT&T Stadium)
  • Adam Cianciarulo: 2014 (AT&T Stadium)
  • Seth Hammaker: 2021 (AT&T Stadium)
  • Hunter Lawrence: 2021 (AT&T Stadium)
  • Haiden Deegan: 2024 (AT&T Stadium)