Haiden Deegan Penalized One Position for Cutting Through Split Lane Section, Birmingham Showdown Win Credited to Cole Davies
We have a post-race shakeup from the first 250SX East/West Showdown race of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. In arguably his best 250cc race to date, Haiden Deegan charged from outside the top ten off the start to take the race win in our first showing of both 250SX divisions together. It was Deegan’s sixth straight win of the season and his second career 250SX East/West Showdown.
However, Deegan was caught on camera splitting and cutting through the track markers on the split lane section, which has been noted as not a legal move. Deegan was seen on the Peacock broadcast running over the white track markers moving from the left (outside) section into the right (inside) section, which was reviewed by the race direction crew of AMA officials. The results now show a one-position penalty for Deegan.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammates Deegan and Cole Davies finished 1-2, with Deegan besting Davies, but the penalty to Deegan now credits Davies with the race win on the results page. This mean Davies is now on a two-race win streak in 250SX East.
| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cole Davies | 3.643 | 52.610 | Waitoki, New Zealand  | Yamaha YZ250F | |
| 2 |  Haiden Deegan | 52.604 | Temecula, CA  | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
| 3 |  Seth Hammaker | 0.791 | 53.113 | Bainbridge, PA | Kawasaki KX250 | |
| 4 |  Jo Shimoda | 0.490 | 53.020 | Suzuka, Japan  | Honda CRF250R Works Edition | |
| 5 |  Levi Kitchen | 6.030 | 53.188 | Washougal, WA | Kawasaki KX250 |
Update: SMX League Confirms Penalty
Watch the move in the video below.
In the 450SX main event, both Garrett Marchbanks (ninth at the checkered flag) and Cole Thompson (18th) were bumped back one penalty as well, just as Deegan was in sector three. Marchbanks officially finishes tenth and Thompson scores 19th.
Birmingham - 450SX Main Event
March 21, 2026| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hunter Lawrence | 51.783 | Landsborough, Australia  | Honda CRF450R Works Edition | ||
| 2 |  Ken Roczen | 51.275 | Mattstedt, Germany  | Suzuki RM-Z450 | ||
| 3 |  Eli Tomac | 52.396 | Cortez, CO | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition | ||
| 4 |  Justin Cooper | 53.058 | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Yamaha YZ450F | ||
| 5 |  Malcolm Stewart | 53.274 | Haines City, FL | Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition | ||
| 6 |  Cooper Webb | 52.975 | Newport, NC | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
| 7 |  Jorge Prado | 52.565 | Lugo, Spain  | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition | ||
| 8 |  Colt Nichols | 53.204 | Muskogee, OK | Suzuki RM-Z450 | ||
| 9 |  Jordon Smith | 53.670 | Belmont, NC | Triumph TF 450-X | ||
| 10 |  Garrett Marchbanks | 53.015 | Coalville, UT | Kawasaki KX450SR |
Update: Wil Hahn Interview during SMX Post-Race Show
Will Christien, from the TV broadcast crew, caught up with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 team manager Wil Hahn outside of the AMA truck. Hahn said he had yet to see the footage as the review process is currently underway. Here is the interview by Christien.
Christien: “For you on the 250, congratulations on going first and second, but that first and second got flip flopped for you not long ago there. So, you're dealing with, yes, celebrating your two riders doing so well today, but obviously now after the penalty on Haiden, it's complicated your day a little bit. So, kind of talk me through how that's all gone and what your position is on it.”
Hahn: “Oh, for sure, for us to be at the Yamaha home race for us and everybody's here, I mean, either way it's a great result for us, right? So, it's just a real shame for Haiden. He's worked really hard. He's on a really big win streak right now and a record and like all that stuff's really positive. Obviously, for the team side of things and for Yamaha and for all of us it's great no matter what, but we're still gonna review some footage here. I still wanna see it, so I haven't got a chance to review it and, but it is what it is, it's racing, right?”
