1. The Champ Is Here
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Cooper Webb came into Houston's NRG Stadium with his back against the wall. With a point deficit nearing a full race after just three rounds, Webb needed a big night to reassert himself into the championship discussion, and he did just that. Consistent 4-2-3 scores gave the defending champ his first win of the season and 31st of his career. He shrunk his 24-point deficit on Eli Tomac down to a much more manageable 17. Despite not crossing the finish line first in any of the three races, this was a vintage clutch performance by Coop. Will he be able to carry this momentum into Glendale, a venue where he has historically struggled?
2. Deegan Domination
Haiden Deegan dominated the competition in Houston. We finally got to see Deegan in a head-to-head matchup against rival Levi Kitchen, and despite a valiant effort from Kitchen, Deegan was just too good. He has reached a level we have never seen from him in supercross. His shenanigans toward the competition may be polarizing, but he backs it up. At this point, the championship is all but his, and the biggest question is, can he win out? There was a lot of skepticism on whether staying down another year in 250SX would be hurtful or beneficial to Haiden's trajectory, but it's hard to argue against the improvement we have seen thus far in 2026. He is setting himself up to come into 450SX as an instant threat in 2027.
3. Tomac Avoids Disaster
Red Bull KTM's Eli Tomac was on rails all day in Houston. On a track where second through fourteenth were on the same second in qualifying, Tomac was fastest by nearly half a second. In his Race Day Live interview after the first qualifying session, he claimed it was a near-perfect lap.
In the first main, he put in an impressive charge from tenth to third, but in the second race, disaster struck. Eli had a rare big crash, forcing him to jump through the bars in a rhythm lane. He later explained the crash was caused by him dragging the rear brake up the face of the jump. Fortunately, he was able to remount and finish the race 13th.
He showed up for race three on his backup bike (the team didn't want to risk sending Eli out on his race bike in case of any undiagnosed damage from the crash) and won going away. It was a statement ride from Eli, proving not only was he fine after the crash, but that he is still the man to beat for this championship. Tomac was arguably the best rider in Houston, but he will take fourth overall, all things considered. He maintains the red plate heading into Glendale, one of his best venues on the circuit.
4. Kitchen's First Podium
Before the season started, if somebody told you it would take four rounds for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Levi Kitchen to land on the podium, you would have said they were crazy. But three first turn crashes later, and that's where we're at. Levi worked with Ken Roczen on his starts during the week at Moto Sandbox, telling PulpMX's Steve Matthes he "changed everything he's ever known," and it paid off in Houston. Kitchen got three good starts in Houston, including a holeshot in race two. He kept Deegan in check in race one and led most of race two, but was just a tick off being able to steal a race win. There was a quick game of cat and mouse between the two in race three, but Deegan ended that by pushing Levi towards the tough blocks, forcing him to check up and lose touch with the championship leader. Nonetheless, 2-2-3 scores for second overall is just what Kitchen needed to get his year back on track.
5. Yoder's Breakthrough Season
Hunter Yoder has taken full advantage of the opportunity with the ClubMX Yamaha team, finding a new level in 2026. Aside from his DNF in San Diego caused by a bike issue, Yoder has asserted himself as a top ten lock, going 8-7-7 in the other three rounds and flirting with the top five. Yoder's progression over the course of one off-season is a testament to the ClubMX bike, program, and latest addition, the director of performance, Chad Reed, who has been working closely with Yoder. Let's not forget he is doing all this with a partially torn ACL, suffered days before A1. It's a matter of time before his great starts and newfound speed land him inside the top five.
6. Christian Craig Sighting
A twelfth overall may not seem like something to celebrate, but for Quad Lock Honda's Christian Craig, Houston was a step in the right direction. After getting taken out by Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati's Dylan Ferrandis in race one and finishing a disappointing 19th, Craig was "signing up on indeed," per his Instagram post, but he bounced back for a pair of eighths in races two and three. Those were the first top ten finishes for Craig in either a main event or triple crown race since 2023. He'll look to build off that as the series heads to State Farm Stadium, home to Craig's first professional win ten years ago.
7. Kenny on the Cusp of a Win
Progressive/HEP Suzuki's Ken Roczen has been brilliant to start 2026. He picked up his third podium of the season in Houston, but it felt like he let a win slip away. After leading race one from start to finish, he struggled to move through the pack after mediocre starts in races two and three. Roczen was in position to get the overall early in race three, but after being briefly held up by his teammate Jason Anderson, he had a bad lap that allowed Webb to get by and steal the win. Regardless, Kenny may be in his best form since his arm injury in 2017 and is firmly in the championship mix up to this point.
8. McAdoo Returning to Form
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Cameron McAdoo has progressed through each of the first four rounds, and although his third place in Houston wasn't the best result he's had this year, it was the most competitive pace he's shown. Cam is working hard to get back to winning races and even had team manager Mitch Payton come out to the track to help him work through some sections with him during the week. Had he not gotten together with Deegan at A1, he would be comfortably second in points. It hasn't been flashy, but if he can stay healthy and continue to improve, he will come into 2027 as a clear title favorite.
9. The Sexton Rollercoaster
One week after a dominant win at A2, Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chase Sexton's Houston was another head-scratcher. Sexton had a solid first race, finishing second to his buddy Ken Roczen, but it went downhill from there. In race two, Sexton started nearly last, had a nice charge up to seventh, only to wash the front end and lose a couple of spots late. In the third race, Chase nearly hit the gate and was 17th out of the first turn. He somehow managed to get to seventh by the end of lap two and got as high as third, but a close call in a rhythm section allowed Anderson, Webb, and Roczen to all get by. He never recovered from that mistake and settled in to finish sixth. Sexton's performance was all over the map, and on a night where he could have made up significant points on Eli Tomac, he ended up losing a point. Sexton needs to find some level of consistency before the "off nights" prove too costly.
10. The 450 Class is Awesome
One month into the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, it's still nearly impossible to predict who will win on a week-to-week basis. Tomac, Roczen, Hunter Lawrence, Sexton, and Webb have asserted themselves as the main players and will fight for this championship. Each has their strengths and weaknesses, and it is truly unique to have five riders who could realistically win, and expect to win, every Saturday night. Meanwhile, HEP Suzuki's Jason Anderson and Red Bull KTM's Jorge Prado have established themselves as consistent spoilers to get between those top five. The racing has been amazing thus far, and although the likelihood of it staying this way for 17 rounds is low, let's enjoy it while we can.
