The following press release comes from the Monster Energy SMX World Championship
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 28, 2026) – It was a historic night inside The World Center of Racing for Round 8 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac cemented his place atop the all-time greatest racers at Daytona International Speedway with a record breaking eighth Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship win at the iconic venue. The Colorado native broke a three-year tie with NASCAR legend Richard Petty, owner of seven Daytona 500 victories, to become the most decorated athlete of the speedway’s celebrated 67-year history.
It wasn’t an easy path to victory for Tomac, as he began the 450SMX Class Main Event in fourth, behind each of his primary competitors in the championship. Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence, last week’s winner and current points leader, opened the 20 Minute + 1 Lap race with the holeshot, but was quickly passed by Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, the defending series champion, slotted into third ahead of Tomac, which set the stage for a thrilling battle between the best in the class. As Roczen and Lawrence settled in out front, Tomac started his pursuit of the lead with an early pass on Webb for third. The top three continuously searched for faster lines on the ever-changing rutty, technical, sandy racetrack and sat within 1.5 seconds of one another with around 14 minutes remaining.
As the race approached the halfway point Tomac elected to make his push and took advantage of a couple sections on the track where he excelled to attack his rivals. He first made an assertive pass on Lawrence for second and on the ensuing lap railed the outside of an option lane to shoot past Roczen as they sprinted to the finish line jump. Tomac seized control of the lead with about 12:30 left on the race clock and quickly opened up a multi-second margin. Roczen held strong in second until the race closed in on the final five minutes, when Lawrence’s patience and persistence paid off and allowed the Australian to take over second. Lawrence upped his pace late in the race to make a bid to get Tomac, and got the gap to about three seconds. The championship leader kept digging and keeping the pressure on.
Tomac carried on to take his fourth win of the season and the 57th victory of his career by 1.3 seconds over Lawrence. Roczen finished in a distant third while Webb was largely on his own en route to fourth, with Quad Lock Honda’s Joey Savatgy in fifth.
Tomac closed to within a single point of Lawrence in the championship standings, while Roczen and Webb now sit tied for third, 20 points out of the lead.
Eli Tomac – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“[The wins] are all awesome, but somehow, I’ve won eight of these. I don’t want to think about how old I am. I just go out there and roost the berms like I’m at my home track [in Colorado]. I love this dirt and just love how this track develops. Of course, I had to work for it there and went through all my main competition. I just had a great time on my motorcycle and happy to make up points this weekend.”
Hunter Lawrence – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class
“It was a tough [Main Event] on a really tough track. I was figuring out where to compensate with the bike and it just took me too long to do that. In the end I was kind of making it work, but it was too late and Eli [Tomac] got his eighth win here. I really wanted to stop that tonight, but I couldn’t make up the difference.”
Ken Roczen – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“I gave it my best out there and led for a bunch. I had a really good start too and in the Main Event that really counts. I was searching a little bit in the beginning, it was a tricky track and a lot faster than what we’ve seen the past few years here. Once I got passed, I knew those guys were maybe a little bit faster, so I tried to hang on and follow some lines. I was right there until the end and just got messed up by some lappers and those guys got away a little bit. I just wasn’t the best tonight, but I’m happy with a podium.”
Daytona - 450SX Main Event
February 28, 2026| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eli Tomac | 1:17.257 | Cortez, CO  | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition | ||
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | 1:17.891 | Landsborough, Australia  | Honda CRF450R Works Edition | ||
| 3 |  Ken Roczen | 1:18.391 | Mattstedt, Germany  | Suzuki RM-Z450 | ||
| 4 |  Cooper Webb | 1:18.747 | Newport, NC | Yamaha YZ450F | ||
| 5 |  Joey Savatgy | 1:19.789 | Thomasville, GA | Honda CRF450R |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 221 |
| 2 | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 212 |
| 3 | Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany | 190 |
| 4 | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 187 |
| 5 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 158 |
The second race of the Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class Championship featured an impressive showing from Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, who entered the night show banged up from a hard crash in afternoon qualifying. The Pennsylvania native was able to secure the holeshot over Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda and established a firm grasp on the lead from the outset of the 15 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event. Behind them was Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Drew Adams, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Pierce Brown, the opening round winner and points leader.
As Hammaker and Shimoda asserted themselves out front, Adams continued what was turning into a breakout night with a pass for third. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies was making moves as the fastest rider on the track. The New Zealander made an impressive climb from ninth off the start to pass both his teammates and move into fourth. He then set his sights on Adams and successfully made the pass for third with six minutes to go. Not long after that Adams crashed out of the race, which allowed Brown to assume fourth.
With just over a minute remaining Shimoda went down in the sand section as he simultaneously looked to close in on Hammaker and fend off Davies. The defending SMX World Champion remounted quickly, but not before Davies and Brown got by for second and third. Hammaker completed a dominant wire-to-wire effort by a margin of 4.2 seconds over Davies, while Brown rounded out the podium. Shimoda was forced to settle for fourth, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Daxton Bennick in fifth.
Hammaker’s fourth career win ended a reign of dominance for the Star Yamaha effort, which had won every 250SMX Class race of the season up to that point. The Kawasaki rider’s victory moved him into second in the Eastern Divisional standings, where he is now two points behind Brown for the lead. Shimoda dropped to third, five points back.
Seth Hammaker – 1st Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“It feels unreal [to win at Daytona]. I had a big crash in qualifying, and I feel like it really tests you mentally how you come back from that. I’m proud of the effort tonight and the team crushed it. It’s super cool to get a win at Daytona. It’s an unreal feeling. Really good to get this win and keep the momentum rolling.”
Cole Davies – 2nd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“They didn’t prep the gates all day, so I didn’t get good traction out the gate and was buried off the start. It was a good comeback. I did what I could. I wanted that win, but still a good ride.”
Pierce Brown – 3rd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“It was a battle. Not the best start. I took a gamble with my gate, and we chose the wrong one. It happens. We battled and were there late when other riders made mistakes to salvage a third. I can’t be too mad about it. We’re in good shape [in points] and will keep doing our thing.”
Daytona - 250SX East Main Event
February 28, 2026| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Seth Hammaker | 1:19.024 | Bainbridge, PA | Kawasaki KX250 | ||
| 2 |  Cole Davies | 1:18.693 | Waitoki, New Zealand  | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
| 3 |  Pierce Brown | 1:19.968 | Sandy, UT | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
| 4 |  Jo Shimoda | 1:19.841 | Suzuka, Japan  | Honda CRF250R Works Edition | ||
| 5 |  Daxton Bennick | 1:20.175 | Morganton, NC | Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Davies | Waitoki, New Zealand | 89 |
| 2 | Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA | 83 |
| 3 | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan | 80 |
| 4 | Daxton Bennick | Morganton, NC | 71 |
| 5 | Pierce Brown | Sandy, UT | 63 |
Daytona also signified the third race of SMX Next – Supercross, which featured 22 of the top A and B class prospects in amateur motocross. Two different winners stood atop the podium through the first two races and that trend continued as a third different up-and-coming racer claimed victory at Daytona. Triumph Racing’s Deacon Denno opened the 8 Minute + 1 Lap with the holeshot and led early before he gave way to Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Kade Johnson. Denno fought back to reclaim the lead after just a lap and carried on to become the third different SMX Next winner in as many races. It was the first SMX Next victory for the 17-year-old Texan as well as the first for the budding Triumph amateur program. He took the checkered flag 4.4 seconds ahead of 18-year-old Landen Gordon, who rides for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, while 16-year-old Vincent Wey rounded out the podium for Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green.
Deacon Denno - 1st Place - SMX Next – Supercross
“I got the start but then jumped the whoops for the first time after skimming all day and lost the lead. It was a dumb move by me, but I made the pass back. Last year here in Daytona I finished 14th. There’s a lot that’s been done since then and just proves that if you work your butt off you can be up here like I am. I knew I could do it and I put the track together. I’m so stoked.”
