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Morning Report

Good morning, race fans! We are here at zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway to kick off the SMX Playoffs! “Playoffs!?” Yep! After 17 rounds of Monster Energy AMA Supercross rounds and 11 rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

After a nice hot day on Friday, today we are expecting another hot one today, as we are set with a high of 90° Fahrenheit with 67 percent humidity. Today will not be easy but any means as the riders deal with not only heat, but a tricky track.

Friday afternoon’s free practice sessions showed the tricky hybrid SMX Playoffs format is still far from figured out, even by these top factory riders. The long rhythm section along the bleachers gave just about every rider trouble, especially with the soft and moist dirt following Thursday night’s hard drain storm. Soft dirt caused tricky transitions and sent riders to the left and right rather frequently. The longer, more open motocross-style, high-speed sections were deep again due to the rain from the night before. And some of the doubles and triples were over-jumped throughout the sessions as riders sized up the varying jumps, especially the triple. This is definitely the busiest version of a hybrid SMX Playoffs, which is cool to see the progression of this format in just the short few years. It will be interesting to see how this format continues to grow and adapt and improve in the future.

Expect the riders to dial in the track more this morning as they continue to log laps. And since we had two free practice sessions for the SMX Next World All-Stars, the 250SMX, and 450SMX Classes, the first bikes on track will be qualifying sessions that will in fact count for overall qualifying. Check out some Friday highlights in our First Look video preview below.

Yamaha teammates Haiden Deegan (250SMX) and Justin Cooper (450SMX) come into the day with the red plate and top seeding spots in their respective classes, with Cooper having the points lead for the first time on a 450F in his career. Expect Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Chase Sexton, and Eli Tomac to be good in this format. Do not count out Cooper or Ken Roczen or RJ Hampshire. A Honda HRC CRF450R has won the overall in all six 450SMX Playoff races to date (Sexton and Jett Lawrence in 2023, then Jett and Hunter Lawrence in 2024). Will that streak continue today? Who takes the win today?

And if you missed it, Jorge Prado will not be racing these SMX Playoffs as the rocky relationship between the Spanish two-time MXGP FIM Motocross World Champion and the Monster Energy Kawasaki team. Just this week, that is no: 1) Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations spot on Team Spain and 2) No racing in the SMX Playoffs (despite sitting 13th and in a guaranteed spot in the motos).

As for the 250SMX Class, two-time 250SMX Champion Deegan will be really difficult to beat in this format. Jo Shimoda won the inaugural event here in 2023, so he will be a favorite along with Deegan. Tom Vialle, Garrett Marchbanks, Levi Kitchen, and Seth Hammaker will be riders to watch. Julien Beaumer, Ryder DiFrancesco, and Jordon Smith have done well in this format in the past and will also be riders to watch, as well as rookies Cole Davies and Drew Adams. Throw in the big names in the Wild Card races, plus the SMX Next World All-Stars and we are set for an exciting day at the races. It’s almost time to go!

Remember, single event points for the overall win, double points next weekend in Missouri, and triple points at the finale in Nevada. Expect to see some riders swap positions in the championship at the end of the day following the action. So, while the racing will see a normal payout this weekend, be ready for that double points to hit next weekend and really switch up next weekend. 

Full injury report for today’s SMX Playoffs first round.

Track walk is at 8:30 a.m. local time, then bikes are on track at 9:20 a.m. Here we go!

Check out a lap from Mitchell Oldenburg via the SuperMotocross page.

And here’s a drone fly over above the track as well.

Something to Watch: Lap Times, Total Laps

Something to watch for today's SMX Playoffs 1: this is the busiest track here at zMAX Dragway so far. Free practice lap times yesterday were long. Seth Hammaker’s 2:01.077 topped 250SMX and Hunter Lawrence’s 1:59.780 topped 450SMX. These lap times are significantly longer than the first SMX race here two years ago, and even about 20 seconds longer—at least as of yesterday. It will be interesting to see the lap times today and how many laps they do in today's two 20-minute plus one motos. Yesterday, we saw a session with six laps by one or two riders but also saw a session with just three laps by the top riders. Starts are always a key to racing and it will be an emphasis here today with this long and tricky track.

First Qualifying Sessions

250SMX

Yamaha teammates Daxton Bennick and Max Anstie were leading the field here in the first unseeded 250SMX qualifying session of the day. Ty Masterpool topped the session with a 1:56.956.

The first 250SMX seeded qualifying session began and it was Nate Thrasher leading the fast lap times as riders navigated the track. Seth Hammaker jumped up to the top time but late in the session the #56 machine had a big crash. Hammaker looked to have caught his footpegs on the face of the triple out in the long rhythm section, which caused him to come up short and endo hard on the top of the landing. He got up quickly and rode off the track on his bike, which was a great sign after that gnarly crash. Haiden Deegan topped the session with a 1:57.972, besting Hammaker’s 1:59.068. At the moment, Masterpool’s 1:56.956 is the top 250SMX time. Unfortunately, he will be in the Wild Card (LCQ) race this afternoon in order to get into the points-paying motos. Check out Hammaker's wild crash below.

450SMX

The first 450SMX seeded qualifying session got underway and it was P1 Justin Cooper leading the field. Cooper had a tip over in a turn after the finish line, which put RJ Hampshire out front. Jett Lawrence went to the top of the board with a 1:56.335 as Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and Ken Roczen were all under 1:58 here. Sexton with a 1:55.591 late to take the top 450SMX seeded first qualifying spot! Jett Lawrence with a 1:55.719 of his own late but Sexton's time is 0.128 seconds faster.

Beta teammates Benny Bloss and Mitchell Oldenburg topped the 450SMX unseeded qualifying session.

Breaking News: Malcolm Stewart Is OUT

Malcolm Stewart is OUT for today with a back injury after he came up short on a jump during Friday's free practice sessions. He tried to give it a go today but has decided to sit out the remainder of today. This means we will take another rider from the 450SMX Wild Card race.

SMX Next World All-Stars

Caden Dudney was leading the SMX Next World All-Stars first qualifying session. Carson Wood put down a fast lap and moved to P1 with a 2:06.518. But then Dudney went 2:02.838 to take over the top time with his blazing lap time, nearly 3.5 seconds faster. Late in the session, Chris Harris and Landon Gibson both had separate, big get offs in the long rhythm section. Harris was taken off the track on the back of the Alpinestars medical cart, sitting up. Gibson was helped up and rode his Husqvarna off the track and back to the pits. Dudney, Wood, Kade Johnson, Kayden Minear—all Yamahas—and Max Shane (Husqvarna) rounded out the top five.

Second Qualifying Sessions

250SMX

Levi Kitchen led the field both on track and on the results board. But Julien Beaumer had a huge crash late in the session, which brought out a red flag. Beaumer went long in a transition and then was going to come up short on a triple, so he ejected off the bike through the bars and went down hard. He was tended to by the Alpinestars medical crew as the session was red flagged. Beaumer was put on a backboard and in a neck brace, then was taken off the track on the Alpinestars medical cart. Tough break for the #23, who had a breakout ride here last year and landed on the podium. Especially after Beaumer had that big crash and hard hit to his head at the Budds Creek Motocross Park Pro Motocross finale.

Haiden Deegan did not get a clean lap in before the red flag came out and he was 16th—last—in the session. When the session resumed, Kitchen was back in the front of the field. Deegan was able to put in a heater and move up to sixth by the checkered flag. Kitchen’s 1:55.578 topped the session but Masterpool’s 1:56.956 from the first session stood as the top time. Despite Masterpool qualifying fastest, he will still have to race the 250SMX Wild Card race this afternoon since he was unseeded entering the playoffs. Ryder DiFrancesco was second in the session, then Seth Hammaker. Ty Masterpool topped the second 250SMX unseeded session with a 1:57.244.

450SMX

Jett Lawrence topped the second 450SMX seeded qualifying session after him and his brother Hunter Lawrence were leading the session early. Jett Lawrence’s 1:56.122 was the top time in the session but Chase Sexton’s 1:55 from the first session would stand as the top overall 450SMX qualifying time. Per the Race Day Live broadcast, we will take the top seven finishers from the 450SMX Wild Card race coming up soon.

Mitchell Oldenburg took the 450SMX unseeded qualifying session two top time after he was just barely…Beta…than his teammate Benny Bloss. I’ll see myself out…

Again, we will see the top seven riders out of both the 250SMX and 450SMX Wild Card races. Those are coming up shortly!

SMX Next World All-Stars

Carson Wood and Vincent Wey led the field around the track. Despite his big crash earlier this morning, Landon Gibson was on track for the second SMX Next qualifying session. Ryder Malinoski had a close call in the long rhythm section as he got cross rutted and sent left, but he rode it out and saved it. SMX Next, 250SMX, and 450SMX Class, this section continued to give riders problems. Kade Johnson’s 2:04.661 was the top time in the session, over a 2:05.233 by Caden Dudney and a 2:05.700 by Wood. But it was Dudney’s 2:02 from the first qualifying session that topped overall qualifying.

Wild Card Races

250SMX

Ty Masterpool got into the early lead in the 250SMX Wild Card race, ahead of Max Anstie. Masterpool would take the race win with a big whip, followed by Anstie, Cullin Park, Daxton Bennick, Lux Turner, Gage Linville, and Henry Miller. Justin Rodbell came up short in eighth, the first non transfer spot.

450SMX

Coty Schock got the early 450SMX Wild Card lead as Grant Harlan went down in the first turn (on the side that made a left-hand first turn out of the split gates). Schock lead Benny Bloss and Harri Kullas. The ClubMX Yamaha rider would take the race win over Bloss, Kullas, Mitchell Oldenburg, Jeremy Hand, Dean Wilson, and Romain Pape. Kyle Chisholm finished eighth in the first non-transfer spot.

Watch some highlights from the 450SMX Wild Card race via Benny Bloss on the SuperMotocross page.

Breaking News: Julien Beaumer is OUT

Following his big crash in the second 250SMX seeded qualifying session, KTM has announced Julien Beaumer is out for the remainder of today.

First Motos

250SMX

After an exciting opening ceremonies, it was time to go racing. The temperature was hot, but the stands were packed with fans. The gates dropped and it was Seth Hammaker with the holeshot and early race lead! Hammaker came out of the gates that had a left-hand first turn, then a right-hand second turn into the left-hander that joins the field together. He was challenged early by Jo Shimoda, but Shimoda went down since he clipped a Tuff Block! Hammaker opened up a 12-second lead as Austin Forkner took over second place and Shimoda remounted around tenth. Garrett Marchbanks was down in the back motocross, high speed section, which brought out a red cross flag. Haiden Deegan bested Forkner after a battle for a few laps, then he went after the #56 out front. Hammaker’s lead went from 12.5 seconds to 10 seconds then to six seconds then to 1.5 seconds. Suddenly, the #56 had the big #1 right on his rear wheel! Deegan made an inside pass after the long rhythm section in the back as they went into the high-speed motocross section. Deegan went on to take the race win as Hammaker, Levi Kitchen, Shimoda, and Forkner rounded out the top five. At the moment, there are no penalties for jumping on the white cross flag, but we will keep you updated. Onto the first 450SMX moto.

450SMX

The gates dropped and it was Jett Lawrence who grabbed the early lead and the holeshot from the same side gate that Seth Hammaker did in the first 250SMX moto (the gates facing the tower behind the start of the dragstrip, with a left-hand first turn, then right-hand second turn). Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, and Chase Sexton settled into the next few positions. Not sure what happened, but Justin Cooper was DEAD last off the start as they came through the finish line for the first time. Something must have happened because that is not what we normally see from the #32. Tough start to the motos here for the SMX points leader. Oddly enough, timing says he's 32 seconds back of the leader...

A lap later, Cooper caught up to the riders ahead of him…and a crashing Romain Pape almost took Cooper down! Pape went for a wild ride in the sand and swerved left as he crashed, narrowly missing Cooper!

Out front, Tomac was keeping the #1 honest…until he went down after the starting straight! This allowed Sexton to inherit second place. Jett Lawrence’s gap was about 2.4 seconds until a lap later he opened it up to 3.7 seconds as he took the white flag. One more lap, then Jett Lawrence took the checkered flag and the race win! 

Cooper came through 11th, which is definitely not ideal, but his ride was underrated. 

Update: Weather Delay at 4:16 p.m. Eastern

Hard rain and lightning in the area have put us in a weather delay for the time being. Fans have been told to clear the grandstands.

Update: Weather Delay Continues Still, As of 5:45 p.m. Eastern

Update: Weather Update from zMAX Dragway 🚨

The following announcement was just made: