I mean, we all figured that Malcolm Stewart would end up at Dustin Pipes' HEP Motorsports Suzuki team for 2027 as he wanted a supercross-only deal and Pipes needed a guy. Stewart enjoyed the JGR Suzuki he rode years ago and it seemed like a natural fit. But oh no, Mookie became hot property with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing asking about a third rider for SX-only and then, is that Monster Energy Kawasaki's music playing??? Yeah! It did seem odd as Kawasaki hasn't had more than two guys since, checks notes, forever but as that tweet said, there was interest and maybe it was a Monster Energy AMA Supercross (and SMX Playoffs) only thing, right? Because again, sources VERY close to Malcolm told me many times, his outdoor career was over after this season. Like, VERY, VERY close to Malcolm. Like, maybe Malcolm himself.

But I've since learned that the Kawasaki/Malcolm Stewart thing is going to happen for the #27. And it's for the full SMX season! Who knew? I guess Kawasaki made Stewart an offer he couldn't refuse and he'll go back to motocross next year. Good work for Malcolm and he'll be teamed with Garrett Marchbanks (who we expect to re-up for '27 as well) and...Chase Sexton? We all know things are rocky there with the #4 and Kawasaki but he does have a three-year contract, with two years remaining for 2027 and 2028. So, was this Stewart signing a precursor to letting #4 out of his contract (where we think he will go to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) or is Kawasaki going to run three bikes for the first time in, checks notes again, forever? Stay tuned, I suppose, but either way, it's cool that he's going to be on the same team on which his older brother became one of the sport's all-time greats.

Read more on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna SMX team shutting down: