Welcome to the Race Day Feed, coming to you from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, for the ninth round of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. From practice reports to the blow-by-blow from tonight’s program, you’ll find it all right here on the Racer X Race Day Feed. Updates are posted in chronological order, so be sure to scroll down for the latest info. For even more updates be sure to follow us on Twitter, @Racerxonline.

Morning Report

Somehow, we are entering the ninth round of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship already! It feels like the season just started but here we are at the halfway mark. Here we go!

After two straight races in NFL dome stadiums, the paddock is ready for the most unique round of the year: the Daytona Supercross. For the 15th straight season, Ricky Carmichael has designed the course today, which features sand, an over-under bridge, whoops, an elevated turn, moguls, and more. The Daytona Supercross track is longer than a typical MLB/NFL stadium track, thus, longer lap times—typically over 1:10 laps compared to 45 to 55 seconds usually on an MLB/NFL supercross track—and the course at Daytona International Speedway is more physically demanding than any other round. This track also sees higher speeds than a typical stadium supercross layout due to the open layout.

Temperatures are looking to be in the high 70s today without much precipitation in the forecast and once again riders and teams are able to pit in the NASCAR garages, which will be a nice break from the last two chilly rounds in Minnesota and Texas.

As for the storylines on the racetrack entering the day, all eyes will be on Eli Tomac. The Colorado native has the 450SX points lead and this speedway is one of his best venues, having tied Ricky Carmichael for the most 450SX main event wins all-time with five apiece following last year’s win. Everyone will be watching ET3 as he looks to earn that sixth and record-breaking Daytona Supercross 450SX win. As our Aaron Hansel covered earlier today, if Tomac is able to get the win today it will make history in more than one way. Tomac currently has 40 450SX main event wins and his next win will be his 41st, which would entering him into a tie with Ryan Villopoto for fifth on the all-time premier class wins list. Tomac leads a very fast Jason Anderson in the standings by just six points entering the day.

Last week in Arlington, Anderson won the second and third races in the Triple Crown but a sixth-place finish in the first race ruined his chances at the overall. Tomac and Anderson were battling for the race win in race three, and although Tomac wanted the race win, he did not have to in order to claim the overall on the night. We have seen Tomac and Anderson battling back and forth a few times now this season. Remember in 2020 when Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac (tied for first in the standings entering that day) battled for the race win and points lead? Hopefully we can see a Tomac-Anderson battle similar to that here tonight. Anderson’s best Daytona 450SX main event finish is a third place in 2017, so a win tonight would be his first at the venue. Speaking of first wins at this venue, Justin Brayton claimed the 2018 450SX main event win and entering today he joins Tomac as the only other active rider to win a 450SX main event at Daytona International Speedway. Last night, the SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda team owner Mike Genova surprised Brayton with a replica bike of the one he raced to the main event victory that night in ’18.

Tomac (177 points) and Anderson (171 points) have started to separate themselves as the top two in the title fight, as Malcolm Stewart sits over a full race behind ET3 in third place with 149 points. Cooper Webb sits fourth with 147 points and is coming off of two straight podium finishes in what has been a dismal start to the season for the defending champion. Justin Barcia and Chase Sexton sit fifth and sixth, respectively, as those four look to battle for third in the standings by the end of tonight.

In the 250SX Class, we have a tie heading into round three: Cameron McAdoo and Jett Lawrence both sit at 47 points apiece. McAdoo is returning to the venue where he earned his first career 250SX main event at in 2021 and, coming off the overall win in Texas for career win number two, has momentum rolling. The 18-year-old Lawrence was not himself following the final race in Texas where he collided midair with Austin Forkner in a racing incident that left the Kawasaki rider with a broken collarbone. Lawrence said he was "gutted” and his demeanor was more serious than usual, explaining he felt sorry for the incident and saying that is not how he wants to race. However, the Australian will get another shot on the racetrack to put last week behind him and fight for the sole possession of the points lead tonight. How will he respond?

A few other things to note on the 250SX East Region: with Forkner sidelined, Jeremy Martin (a former Daytona 250SX main even winner) and his teammate AMA Supercross rookie Levi Kitchen are both sidelined today. If you saw Christian Craig was at the speedway on social media yesterday, no, he is not racing, he was simply hand-selected by Carmichael to ride the track on media day for a course preview. Losing three factory riders this week was a tough blow to the 250SX East Region. Luckily, RJ Hampshire, who sat out the final race in Texas due to concussion protocol, is in for today. His grit and speed could result in a podium finish here tonight as he looks to battle for the race win. Similar to the multi-rider battle for third in the 450SX standings, Enzo Lopes, Stilez Robertson, Jordon Smith, Pierce Brown, and Hampshire are all within seven points of one another. Watch for the points to shuffle some following today’s racing.

For a full update on who is sidelined with injury today, check out our injury report. And check out our feature with 10 storylines entering today as well for some insight on topics such as the Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team moving Garrett Marchbanks up to the 450SX Class for today and female Jordan Jarvis looking to qualify in the 250SX Class.

And below is the broadcast schedule for today. Riders will be on the track shortly.

Free Practice

250SX

Interesting how this track has is put together. One side of the track is more technical with tight turns, big jumps and a whoop section. The other side, after the start and finish, is a little more open to improvisation. If anything, the jumps and rollers on that side are actually too small, and riders are having to check up. Jett Lawrence did a good job wheelying and manualing into the rollers, just trying to maintain speed. Then comes a short set of jumps and a table that, again, the riders could probably jump further if the spacing allowed for it. On the other side of the track, you’ve got a split lane and some more tight corners. There’s an over-under bridge and a triple out of a corner over there, and a ridiculously huge wall jump that is clearly designed not to be jumped. If you did jump it, you’d be landing in the face of the finish line. 

The first group on the track was the 250SX Group C, which was topped by Jack Rogers with a 1:18.383. Kyle Bitterman (1:19.526) and Grant Harlan (1:19.689) lead the 250SX Group B early. A 1:18.722 from Harlan topped the session.

A 1:15.837 from Pierce Brown started off the fast laps in the 250SX Group A session. Jett Lawrence put in a 1:14.834 as the first sub-1:15 lap. Lawrence was topped by a 1:14.573 heater from Cameron McAdoo. Enzo Lopes snuck in a 1:14.868 to move into the third-place spot. On the fifth lap, Lawrence went sub-1:14 with a 1:13.682. A 1:13.694 from RJ Hampshire moved him to second in the session. Remember, these times do not count towards overall qualifying.

Hampshire took on a huge crash last weekend and it looked like he could be out of action for awhile, but he told us yesterday he was fully 100 percent. He said he struggled on the bike on Tuesday but felt great by the end of the week, including yesterday’s press day.

Up next is the 450SX Group A free practice.

450SX

Cooper Webb led the 450SX Group A free practice with a 1:13.692 early. Malcolm Stewart (1:14.201) and Chase Sexton (1:14.203) were also sub-1:15. Sexton put down a heater to take the top time of the session with a 1:13.413 then immediately followed it up with a 1:12.564. Sexton’s time was on the board for only a few seconds before Webb dropped a 1:11.940.

You don't often see Webb at the top of the charts, so this was impressive, especially that he backed it up. Sexton looked very smooth, as usual. It was really fun to watch Stewart and Barcia out there, as they’re not afraid to hang it out. Jason Anderson was fifth with Eli Tomac sixth.

Garrett Marchbanks topped the 450SX Group B session with a 1:14.747. His teammate Brandon Scharer was second with a 1:18.294. Marchbanks put down a 1:14.132 later, which topped the session. Remember, these times do not count towards overall qualifying. Up next is the first 250SX Group C qualifying session.

First Qualifying Sessions

250SX

When the riders took to the track in the first official qualifying sessions, it was Jack Rogers who again topped the first qualifying session—250SX Group C—with a 1:18.522. In the 250SX Group B session, Grant Harlan put in a 1:16.931 early. Then Brock Papi put down a 1:16.830 and the following lap AJ Catanzaro put in a 1:16.931, which just barely bumped him above Papi to top the first 250SX Group B session.

In the first 250SX Group A qualifying session, Husqvarna teammates RJ Hampshire and Stilez Robertson led the group around. Robertson’s 1:14.342 was the first fast lap. Lawrence, who hung back as the rest of the field took off together, put down a 1:14.385 then McAdoo put in a 1:14.350. Lawrence put in another heater (1:13.427) to take over the top time. In the split lane turn before the over-under bridge and finish line, Lawrence and McAdoo both went triple-double but overshot the landing on purpose to and then blasted the outside of the split lane. As of now that line seems to carry more speed on landing, compared to riders on the inside having to slow up upon landing the double. Lawrence dropped a 1:12.252 and then Kyle Peters went 1:13.661 to move into second. A 1:13.191 from Hampshire moved to second on the last lap of the session. The wall before the finish line looks pretty rough as a roller in front of it causes riders to really check up or else they slam hard into the wall.

450SX

When the 450SX field took off, Cooper Webb hung back to have a clear track ahead of him. He was surprisingly fastest in free practice earlier. Jason Anderson put in a 1:11.085 to take the top spot from Ken Roczen’s 1:11.728. Eli Tomac looks fast and fluid but his 1:13.152 was seventh. Chase Sexton moved ahead of his teammate to sit second with a 1:11.647. Justin Barcia pulled into the pits for a front wheel change and eventually finished the session in fifth with a 1:12.248. Webb’s 1:13.190 was eighth.

Garrett Marchbanks led the 450SX Group B session early with a 1:15.649, just as he did in free practice. He improved his time to a 1:14.726 to take the top spot of the session. His Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha teammate Brandon Scharer went down hard early and did not put in a lap.

Second Qualifying Sessions

250SX

In the second and final qualifying sessions, it was Blaine Silveira with a 1:17.500 who topped the 250SX Group C session and AJ Catanzaro topped the final 250SX Group B session with a 1:15.778. When the 250SX Group A field took to the track for the final time, it was Stilez Robertson grabbed the fake holeshot. He leads the field, followed by his teammate RJ Hampshire, Jett Lawrence, and Pierce Brown. Robertson's 1:12.724 is the first fast lap on the board but Hampshire moved to P1 in the session with a 1:12.483, which also put him second overall. Then Lawrence dropped s a 1:11.947 to move to the top of the board and best his P1 time from the first session. He became the first 250SX rider to earn two fastest qualifying positions in the 2022 season.

“I just did 10 minutes on the outdoor track quickly just to get my speed up,” Lawrence said on his “Daytona prep.” “I feel like that was all I needed. It’s still pretty tight like a supercross track so I don’t think you need to do much outdoor prep.”

Enzo Lopes (1:12.519) and Jordon Smith (1:12.552) finished third and fourth overall in qualifying and might be riders to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the day. Remember, Smith won the 2018 250SX main event here.

450SX

In the final 450SX Group A session, it was Jason Anderson who grabbed the fake holeshot. Anderson tested his start and then eased up as Ken Roczen and Malcolm Stewart led the field. Anderson put down a heater—a 1:11.030—which bested his 1:11.085 from the first session as he remains P1 here so far. Marvin Musquin found his rhythm and put down a 1:11.186, moving him into second overall on the day. Dylan Ferrandis’ left hand blew off his handlebars as he was hitting the roller and wall before the finish line and it took him about a minute to get his bike back up and remount since he was in a blind spot. He put down a 1:11.488, which was sixth fastest in the second session. Eli Tomac put down a 1:11.272 for fifth overall in the midst of a busy top seven overall. Cooper Webb, who was fastest in the free practice this morning ended the session with a 1:12.090, which was eighth fastest overall. At the very end of the session Malcolm Stewart put down a 1:10.902 to take P1 away from Anderson!

“I feel good,” Stewart said. “Man, that’s one thing about having a little bit of Florida people behind your back, I feel like they bring the energy. I feel good. The whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna bike is great. I can’t thank the fans enough and just everybody. It’s been definitely a good year for us so we’re just trying to keep the ball rolling.”

250SX Heat 1

In the first heat race of the night, it was RJ Hampshire who grabbed the holeshot and early race lead. Hampshire led Jordon Smith and Cameron McAdoo, who would fight Hampshire for the race win. As the lead trio went to the split lane turn before the over-under bridge and finish line, Hampshire went to the inside and Smith went outside. The Husqvarna rider held onto the lead but Smith and McAdoo continued to close in each lap. A few laps later, Smith got around Hampshire in the first section, but it did not last for long. The next turn (the first 180-degree sand turn), McAdoo tried to go from third to first, which resulted in Hampshire retaking the race lead as McAdoo shuffled into second and Smith was bumped back to third. Hampshire opened up a small gap out front by about a second and a half and would take the race win—his second heat race win of 2022. McAdoo had a mistake before the supercross triple and as he doubled, Smith tripled by into second place. McAdoo fought back but Smith just held off McAdoo as they came through second and third at the checkered flag.

250SX Heat 2

In the second 250SX heat race, it was another Husqvarna rider who shot out of the gates and grabbed the early race lead! Stilez Robertson snuck into the first turn and grabbed the race lead. It looked like Mitchell Oldenburg would take the lead after a few sections but he and Jett Lawrence had a line come together and Lawrence bumped his fellow Honda rider off the track as he took over second place. Lawrence went on to take the race lead from Robertson and take the race win—or at least he thought! He got the white flag and started rolling and pulling tear offs. Luckily, he had such a gap that when he saw a flagger waving to him, he took off and eventually claimed the race win. Just when you realize Jettson is mature for his age, he does something wild like this that reminds us he is only 18 years old!

Pierce Brown and Oldenburg both got around Enzo Lopes, who was running third for most of the race. Jack Chambers was injured in practice at the opening 250SX East Region race but tonight he finished eighth in this heat and will lineup for his first career 250SX main event.

450SX Heat 1

When the gates dropped on the first 450SX heat race of the night, it was Cooper Webb who grabbed the holeshot and race lead. He was challenged by Dylan Ferrandis (who got an unusually great start) but eventually held on to claim the race win—his second of the 2022 season. Ken Roczen and Jason Anderson ran third and fourth, respectively, as Dean Wilson, Garrett Marchbanks, and Justin Brayton battled for fifth. Roczen showed a front wheel to Ferrandis but was not close enough to attempt a pass. Roczen held off Anderson to claim third. Late in the heat, Marchbanks and is mechanic were pushing his Yamaha YZ450F off the track with what appeared to be an issue with his handlebars as they hung, disconnected from the triple clamps. His teammate Brandon Scharer, who had a big crash earlier in the day, finished in the final transfer spot to make his first 450SX main event since 2018. Marchbanks and crew are hoping to make it through to the main from the LCQ.

450SX Heat 2

Gates dropped on the second 450SX heat race and it was holeshot by Vince Friese. Quickly though, it was Malcolm Stewart who took over the race lead! Justin Barcia passed Friese, and it looked like he might challenge Stewart for the race lead but Stewart checked out and was untouched. Behind them, Eli Tomac and Marvin Musquin were fighting for fourth—which eventually went to Tomac. Between Barcia and Tomac in third was Chase Sexton. Sexton was not close enough to Barcia to attempt a pass, but he was close enough to eat roost from Barcia’s rear tire all the way through the sand section. Sexton held on for third behind Barcia and Stewart. Today’s fastest overall qualifier Stewart went on to claim the race win in front of his home crowd. Could he land on the podium tonight?

250SX LCQ

Hunter Sayles grabbed the holeshot in the 250SX LCQ, but Kawasaki rider Hardy Munoz took over the lead as Sayles went wide into the sand. Munoz took over the lead as Sayles was quickly shuffled back outside of a transfer spot and the top seven. Munoz led as Brock Papi sat second, then Derek Drake and Josh Varize moved into the final transfer spots. The top four had no pressure from Marshal Weltin, who was just out of reach. Late in the race, Varize went from fourth to second in a few turns with several nifty moves to secure his spot in the main event. Munoz took the 250SX LCQ race win ahead of Varize, Papi, and Drake.

450SX LCQ

Gate dropped on the 450SX LCQ and it was Justin Bogle on his tropical/Florida-themed Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki who grabbed the holeshot. He was challenged by Tristan Lane early but Bogle reclaimed the lead and checked out. Bogle was riding well and had a nice quad line in the first rhythm section. On the last lap he threw a few whips for the fans and took the checkered flag in typical JB19 fashion with a nac-nac. Behind him, Garrett Marchbanks was picking off riders like he was an all-pro NFL safety going against a rookie quarterback. He moved into the top ten and then quickly got into fifth. Then he got around Cade Clason to take over the final transfer spot. But he was not done yet, as he got around Lane and then Breece to finish second and qualify for his first 450SX main event. Clason took the final transfer spot from Lane as he followed Breece, Marchbanks, and Bogle to the main event.

250SX Main Event

The gate dropped on the 250SX main event, and it was once again Stilez Robertson with the holeshot (flashback a year ago when he holeshot and led the first three-fourths of the race before finishing second. More on him in a second). Jett Lawrence quickly got to the lead, and he checked out. His points-sharing competitor Cameron McAdoo was about tenth at the holeshot stripe, but he moved into seventh by the end of the first full lap. Lawrence led Robertson, Phil Nicoletti, Enzo Lopes, and RJ Hampshire, who was running in fifth until he went down by the triple one turn before the over-under bridge. Pierce Brown and McAdoo would move up with Hampshire’s crash, but the #24 would eventually join Brown and McAdoo for an insane battle. The trio went back and forth and back and forth section after section as Lawrence and Robertson started to run away out front. The Brown, McAdoo, and Hampshire battled last for so long and had so many back and forth moves—it was intense! Near the end, Hampshire went down in the elevated turn, which allowed Brown and McAdoo some breathing room. On the 12th lap, McAdoo used the split lane to get around Brown to take over third place.

Out front, Lawrence claimed the checkered flag—the actual one—with a 14-second gap back to Robertson, who started well and rode by himself for a majority of the race to earn his second career podium finish (hint, they both are second-place finishes at Daytona International Speedway). Lawrence retakes sole possession of the 250SX East Region points by five points over McAdoo, but the Kawasaki rider’s third saved him from a much larger points deficit than it appeared he was facing early in the race. Robertson’s strong ride also jumped him to third in the standings ahead of Enzo Lopes (career-best fifth place finish) and Pierce Brown (solid fourth in the main event).

450SX Main Event

All eyes were on Eli Tomac, and everyone was wondering if someone could keep him from the center of the podium or not. Fans packed the speedway bank anticipating the final race of the night and boy did it deliver! The gate dropped on the 450SX main event, and it was Cooper Webb who grabbed the holeshot just ahead of Eli Tomac, Malcolm Stewart, Jason Anderson, Vince Friese, and Chase Sexton. Then, in turn two, Anderson bumped into Tomac, who was sandwiched into Stewart. In turn three, Stewart and Anderson collided, which ruined the chances of either of the two fighting for the race win as they both had to fight through the field. They would find each other again later…

Out front, Webb continued to click off lap after lap as Sexton, Tomac, Justin Barcia, Dylan Ferrandis, and Ken Roczen shuffled into the top six. Ferrandis and Roczen would trade spots and trade them again before the #14 would get passed Barcia to take over fourth late in the race. Webb clicked off five laps in the lead. Then another. Then another. Then another. Tomac and Sexton were gaining on Webb, but neither were close enough to attack the rider ahead of them.

Then, as Stewart was battling Dean Wilson inside the top ten, he clipped the Tuff Block on the very inside of the elevated turn, which made him go down, collecting both Wilson and Anderson, who was right behind the Husqvarna teammates. Stewart would finish seventh, Anderson eighth, and Wilson behind Roczen in tenth.

Tomac got by Sexton to take over second place on the over-under bridge as Webb clicked off yet another lap. Tomac set his sights on the #1 and would eventually claw his way up to striking distance. Suddenly, Tomac’s bike started smoking from a vent hose on the bottom of his bike. The question “Can he catch Webb?” turned to “His bike will make it, right?” With about three laps to go, Tomac was right on Webb’s rear wheel going through the whoops ready to bounce on a pass attempt when Shane McElrath got blue flags and moved right going a lap down. But in doing so, McElrath accidentally moved right into Webb’s line exiting the whoops, which ruined the #1’s pace entering the split lane turn. Tomac swung wide and came out of the inside into the over-under bridge with the lead! It seemed Tomac was going to make a pass for the lead anyway, but, hey, you never know. ET3 held on to claim the main event victory and wrote his name into the history books by claiming his all-time record sixth 450SX main event win at Daytona International Speedway. The win was also Tomac’s 41st 450SX main event win, which ties him for fifth all-time with Ryan Villopoto.

Tomac's win and Anderson finishing eighth means ET3's six-point lead entering the day becomes a 17 point-lead by tonight's finish. While Webb was pissed post-race on the situation, he did take it as a positive leading so many laps after getting the holeshot. He now sits third in the standings, although he is still over a full race down from Tomac. Sexton held on for third place.