Despite a warm, dry start to the day, as of very early this morning, the forecast does call for rain this evening during the night show. Starting at around 5 p.m. Eastern, rain showers are expected in the area. We will continue to monitor the weather throughout the day.

Tune in for all the action for today’s event via Peacock for qualifying and the night show main program. And make sure to tune in for tonight’s pre-race show during opening ceremonies to hear from Jason Weigandt and Florida native—and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame member— James Stewart. Weigandt and Stewart might also be integrated as a part of the broadcast throughout the night, so stay tuned!

As far as the racing on the track, last weekend we got our first glimpse at the 250SX East Region Championship contenders as their season kicked off in Houston, Texas. Hunter Lawrence struck first as the #96 took the checkered flag in P1 in the main event, followed by veterans Max Anstie and Jordon Smith. There were a lot of storylines to cover throughout the field as we also saw a handful of rookies making their respective professional AMA Supercross debuts. Some found success while others failed to make the main event. So, who will back up their riding from the first 250SX East Region event? And who will turn around their second race following a subpar opening round? We will find out today. For all injury news leading up to today's race, check out our Tampa Supercross injury report. 

In the 450SX Class, things are a little clearer in terms of the championship—although there is still a lot of racing left this season. Eli Tomac claimed the Houston SX main event win, despite not looking up to the speed of Chase Sexton or Jason Anderson in the heat races or even early on in the main event. However, Tomac came through win the win on a night he said later he “could not hang.” The defending champion has now started 1-1-6-1 as he is in the midst of his best 450SX season start to date. Sexton is the only other ride to claim a main event win so far to this point in the first four events, taking the Anaheim 2 Supercross Triple Crown overall win. Championship contenders Anderson, Cooper Webb, and Ken Roczen have each finished on the podium, but have yet to find paydirt and finish the night on the center of the podium. Things are far from over, but ET3 is looking to keep the ball rolling as the rest of the field looks to dethrone the #1. Who do you have taking the race win tonight? Let us know in the comments section below.

Note: Tomac, Webb, and Roczen completed the 450SX main event podium at the 2020 Tampa Supercross.

The riders will be taking to the track for track walk at 10:30 a.m. Eastern local time. Stay tuned here and on the Racer X Online social media accounts for more updates throughout the entire day. 

Free Practice

250SX

The first on track riding session of the day has now completed, with the 250SX Group C free practice riders taking to the course for the first time. Gerhard Matamoros had the fastest time early on with a 58.410. In the 250SX Group B session it was Jack Chambers who had the first fast lap. Then Marshal Weltin put in a 53.419. The sand section claimed a handful of riders in the first two sessions. The long whoops section also saw a couple riders go down.

In the 250SX Group A session, a lot more guys were taking the outside lane in the sand turn, but it also saw a couple of riders go down, including Chris Blose and Hardy Munoz. Chance Hymas had an endo in the sand, but he quickly got up and got going again. It was Max Anstie who topped the session over Hunter Lawrence and Haiden Deegan. These times do not count towards overall qualifying. 

Free Practice 250SX Group A

450SX

Cooper Webb and Adam Cianciarulo shuffled for P1 in the 450SX Group A session early. Eventually, it was Chase Sexton who topped the session as the only rider to go sub-50, as the #23 put in a 49.708. Jason Anderson finished P2 with a 50.060.

Free Practice 450SX Group A

Benny Bloss tops the 450SX Group B session with a 52.032 and Scotty Wennerstrom topped the 450SX Group C session with a 56.093.

Check out some raw footage from Tom Journet’s camera from free practice.

First Qualifying Session

250SX

Bryton Carroll topped the 250SX Group C session with a 57.155, then Marshal Weltin's 53.228 tops the 250SX Group B first qualifying session. In the first 250SX Group A session, it was Hunter Lawrence leading the field around the course. He also led the field on the board, as his 51.000 bested Max Anstie’s 51.009 early. Anstie and Hardy Munoz had a get together in the sand turn, but both got up and going again. Then, Lawrence dropped a 49.708. Coty Schock got tossed from his Honda at the end of the whoops section, and then came around the next lap and went down again. The following lap, his teammate Cullin Park had a get off in the whoops as well. The sand and whoops sections today stay undefeated and that is not expected to change throughout the rest of the day.

450SX

When the 450SX Group A field took to the track for the first official qualifying session, it was Jason Anderson leading Eli Tomac and Aaron Plessinger. Florida’s own Justin Starling had a crash in the whoops and was tended to by the Alpinestars medical crew. He was able to get up under his own power and he walked off with a medical crew member, as he did not rejoin the session. Chase Sexton was pushing the envelope, having a tip over in the 180-degreen turn before the whoops section. However, it paid off for the #23 as he moved into P1 with the first sub-50 second lap with as he put down a 49.573. Eli Tomac put down a 49.621 to move into P2. Adam Cianciarulo put down a 49.051 to take over the top time, followed by a 49.355 by Cooper Webb. Sexton retook the top time with a 48.771, that topped the board. Cianciarulo’s 49.051 claimed second ahead of a last-lap 49.065 by Anderson.

Benny Bloss topped the first 450SX Group B session with a 51.022.

Second Qualifying Session

250SX

When the 250SX Group A session took to the track, Jordon Smith, Hunter Lawrence, Nate Thrasher, Haiden Deegan, and Max Anstie were shuffling for the top qualifying spot on the board. Eventually, series points leader Lawrence took the fastest overall 250SX qualifier spot on the day with a 49.380. The #96 earned his first fastest qualifier of the 250SX East Region Championship after Max Anstie claimed the first fastest overall qualifying spot at the Houston Supercross opener.

The track crew made a change to the track as there is one less whoop, giving riders more space ahead of the 90-degree right-hand turn that follows.

450SX

The 450SX Group A session took to the track and when the gates dropped, it was Eli Tomac who grabbed the fake holeshot ahead of Justin Cooper. Adam Cianciarulo put in a 49.083 to move into P1 in the session. Then Chase Sexton put down a 49.083 to take over P1 momentarily, until Jason Anderson’s heater of 48.599 took him to the top spot. Sexton then tipped over in the same 180-degree turn he went down in earlier in the first qualifying session. Mid-way through this session, a slight rain started. Fans started to scatter and look for cover from the rain. Chase Sexton claimed the top overall 450SX qualifying spot with his 48.555. This gave Honda HRC both top qualifying spots on the day.

250SX Heat 1

Ahead of opening ceremonies, the rain had stopped, and more fans started to pack the stands.

As the opening race began, it was chaotic right from the beginning. In the first turn, Jack Chambers, Chris Blose, and Michael Mosiman all went down. Nate Thrasher jumped out to an early lead ahead of his teammate Jordon Smith. But on the opening lap, Smith washed the front end of his YZ250F in the turn after the standard supercross triple, which dropped him back early. In the following section, a few riders tangled and went down, including Cullin Park and Marshal Weltin. The following lap, Chambers went down again in the exit of the whoops and was momentarily stuck under his bike. Blose went down again in the sand turn that has been troublesome all day long—and will continue to be throughout the rest of the night. Thrasher held on for the race win as Smith battled back and made a late pass on Tom Vialle to take over second place.

250SX Heat 2

The second heat race of the night kicked off and it was Haiden Deegan who got to the holeshot line first. Deegan led Jeremy Martin early on, but the #238 was not challenged as he had a few seconds gap over Martin. Hardy Munoz went down in the sand and cut off part of the corner when he remounted, which he received a penalty for. Munoz finished ninth but the penalty bumped him to tenth, elevating Caden Braswell from tenth to ninth.

Deegan ran away as Martin got passed by Chance Hymas, as the #6 went to the inside of the turn as the Honda HRC rookie went to the outside. Halfway through the heat race it started to drizzle again slightly. Hunter Lawrence made his way up to fifth and then used the outside line in the sand turn to make a pass on Max Anstie, which moved him into fourth place. Matthew Curler went down hard on the last lap in the dragon’s back.

450SX Heat 1

When the gates dropped on the first 450SX heat race, it was Florida’s Adam Cianciarulo who took the holeshot and early lead. AC lead his teammate Jason Anderson and Christian Craig, but Anderson made a lead in the turn following the whoops. Fredrick Noren, Josh Cartwright, and Chase Marquier all three went down in the first run through the sand section. Anderson held on to claim the race win ahead of Cianciarulo, Craig, Benny Bloss, and Dean Wilson.

450SX Heat 2

The second 450SX heat race started with championship contenders Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac who exited turn one ahead of the field. Sexton had a slight advantage as Tomac swung wide. Joey Savatgy was third early, but a mistake cost him as he went down. The #17 would eventually finish 10th. Justin Starling had a big crash in the whoops in qualifying, but he lined up and started the race in order to earn his start money. In his first run through the whoops, Alex Ray went down. Ray’s struggles in the whoops would continue. Aaron Plessinger quickly made a pass on Tomac in the whoops to take over second place behind a checked-out Sexton. Justin Barcia was all over Ken Roczen and when the duo got to the whoops, Barcia blitzed right past a jumping Roczen. Hunter Schlosser stalled his bike late in the race and he almost got clipped as he sat in the 90-degree turn following the whoops section. Sexton held on to claim the race win by almost eight seconds ahead of Plessinger. Cooper Webb got into sixth towards the end of the race, but he was too distant from fifth-place Roczen to make a move. John Short snuck in an eighth place.

250SX LCQ

Hardy Munoz grabbed the holeshot in the LCQ. Jeremy Hand and Jack Chambers went down in the sand turn. Hand would go down again in the sand section again. Cullin Park somehow lined up for the LCQ after his rough crash in the first heat of the night, but he pulled off halfway through the first lap. Garrett Hoffman went down and remounted out of a transfer position. Out front, Munoz had a comfortable lead as he cruised to the race win. Brock Papi shuffled into second place, followed by Luke Neese. Marshal Weltin sat in fifth and went for a last-lap pass on Devin Simonson. Weltin sent it in the sand section, jumping from the inside line in the straight to the outside lane in the turn at the last second! He moved into the final transfer spot. He hugged the final corner, but Simonson came in hot and slammed Weltin wide. It was an all-out rush to the finish line and Simonson barely got there to claim the fourth and final transfer spot!

450SX LCQ

The 450SX LCQ started with Kevin Moranz grabbing the holeshot ahead of Joey Savatgy. Chase Marquier and Grant Harlan were third and fourth, but Marquier went down in the sand turn. Savatgy got around a downed Marquier but also passed Harlan to take over second again. Savatgy got around Moranz and then took the LCQ race win. Savatgy, Moranz, Josh Hill, and Harlan claimed the four transfer spots into the main event. Alex Ray had a crash in the whoops and finished 21st.

250SX Main Event

When the gate dropped on the 250SX main event, it was Jeremy Martin who grabbed the holeshot, although he was quickly passed by Nate Thrasher and Haiden Deegan. On the opening lap, Jordon Smith and Tom Vialle both went down in the sand turn. Those two would eventually find one another again and battle back and forth. Eventually, Vialle finished sixth and Smith suffered a mechanical late that dropped him to 15th. Out front, Thrasher had a comfortable lead over Max Anstie. Hunter Lawrence made his way around Haiden Deegan and Michael Mosiman then caught Anstie before making a run at Thrasher about halfway through the race.

On the very last lap, some great laps from Lawrence paired with lappers holding up Thrasher, the two were side-by-side in the sand turn. The two made contact but both stayed up. Thrasher was ahead and went to protect the very inside line, but, similar to Marshal Weltin in the LCQ, he drifted wide enough where Lawrence could sneak in and make a pass attempt. Lawrence positioned himself in front of Thrasher and it was an all-out sprint to the finish line and Lawrence got their first, by 0.134 seconds! It was quite the finish! Anstie ended up third, ahead of Deegan and Martin.

450SX Main Event

When the gates dropped on the 450SX main event, it was Cooper Webb who grabbed the holeshot but was quickly passed by Chase Sexton. Sexton snuck up the inside of who snuck up the inside of Webb and quickly took the lead. Webb remained in second as Aaron Plessinger got into third. Sexton led the first 21 laps of the race but a crash in the whoops handed the race lead over to Webb. The #2 went on to lead the final four laps of the race and claim his first race win of the 2023. This win was the first main event win for Webb since the Salt Lake City 2 Supercross in May 2021.

“That's too damn long,” Webb said on the podium afterwards.

Sexton and Plessinger claimed the other two podium spots ahead of a distant fourth place Ken Roczen and fifth place Eli Tomac. The field was rather spread out between Plessinger, Roczen, and Tomac.

Jason Anderson and Justin Barcia had a get together on the opening lap when Anderson took the #51 high in the turn before the finish line. The move took them both to the ground and forced them to work up through the field. Anderson eventually came through in sixth, passing Barcia (who finished eighth) at some point.