Ryan Nitzen | February 25, 2023
We’re in Dallas, Texas for round seven of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross which takes place today inside At&T Stadium. Along with being back on the “east coast”, tonight’s race is also a triple crown format which puts pressure on all three gate drops. At the end of three mains, it’s Nate Thrasher and Cooper Webb claiming overall wins.
450SX
Main Event #1 – Eli Tomac kicked off the first 450 main with a crucial holeshot as his other competitors found themselves on the ground. Roczen and Barcia were closely in tow but Jason Anderson, Cooper Webb, and Chase Sexton were all buried in the back of the pack.
Tomac continued to lead despite Roczen nipping at his heels. The two leaders ran into lappers late in the race but the number one kept it in control for the win. Roczen stayed close but was never close enough to make a pass.
Chase Sexton had his troubles at the start after a run-in with Anderson. The number-23 worked his way through the pack and put a clutch pass on Justin Barcia with just a few minutes left on the clock. He starts the night with a third on the books.
Main Event #2 – Main number two put Cooper Webb at the front of the field over Jason Anderson and Ken Roczen. Anderson quickly passed Webb for the lead and ran off with the win. He clocked the fastest lap of the race and finished over 2.5 seconds up on Webb.
Webb put in a solid race despite getting passed. He ran second for the whole race and held off a charging Chase Sexton. They finished about a second apart at the line.
Chase Sexton had another come-from-behind ride in main two. He battled with Eli Tomac for most of the race but made the pass after the whoop section. Sexton closed in on Webb towards the end but settled for third.
Main Event #3 – Another winner take all situation in the final 450 main of the night. Tomac grabbed the holeshot over Chase Sexton and looked to check out with third win of the night. The number-one held the top spot for nearly half the race and fended off a charging Chase Sexton. Tomac then washed the tires after the over-under tunnel and forgave the lead to Sexton. The Yamaha rider went on to finish sixth.
Chase Sexton challenged for the lead early on but tucked the front early in the race. It looked to be over for Sexton at this point, until Tomac threw it away. This put Sexton into the lead while Cooper Webb gave chase. Sexton later got held up by lappers and handed the lead over to Webb.
Once Webb took over the lead he never relinquished. The number-two went on to take the win and essentially the overall. Sexton towed in for second and second overall.
450SX Final Results (Top 10)
1. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
5-2-1 |
2. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
3-3-2 |
3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1-4-6 |
4. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
8-1-3 |
5. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
2-6-4 |
6. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
6-5-5 |
7. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
4-7-7 |
8. |
Christian Craig |
(Hus) |
7-8-8 |
9. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
11-9-9 |
10. |
Justin Hill |
(KTM) |
10-11-10 |
250SX
Main Event #1 – The first main of the 250SX class saw the first triple crown gate drop of the year for the east coasters. Hunter Lawrence pulled the start over other foreign transports Tom Vialle and Max Anstie. Vialle ran second for the most of the first lap but a big mistake gave the spot over to a charging Nate Thrasher.
Lawrence led the entire race despite efforts from Thrasher. The Honda rider kept it consistent and mostly mistake free to take the first win of the night.
Thrasher looked to be the fastest rider on track and even set the quickest lap of the race. He got close to Lawrence multiple times but minor mistakes kept him from ever making a real pass. He settled for second to start the night.
Max Anstie started up front and held tough for the shortened race one. He was 12 seconds back at the finish.
Main Event #2 – Another start for the 250SX riders saw Jordon Smith take the holeshot with Lawrence and Haiden Deegan in the mix. Smith put himself up front and held the lead for the rest of the main.
Nate Thrasher and Hunter Lawrence found themselves together with Lawrence getting the short end of the stick. He got shuffled back to fourth while Thrasher closed in on the leader.
The top three were all battling for the lead as they ran into lapped traffic. Lawrence tagged the rear wheel of Thrasher off the over-under bridge which put the Honda rider on the ground. Despite this fall, he still finished third.
Main Event #3 – Drama kicked off the final 250 race of the night as Thrasher and Lawrence were tied for overall points. Thrasher grabbed the holeshot while Lawrence hit the deck in turn one. This put the two competitors at the opposite ends of the field.
Thrasher controlled the lead for most of the race. He looked to capitalize on Lawrence’s mistake and led until a late-race crash in the whoops. Thrasher remounted in third but gave the lead over Jeremy Martin. The Star Racing Yamaha rider finished third but took the overall in the process without ever taking a win.
Jordon Smith looked to be in contention for the overall win but fell with Michael Mosiman under the tunnel jump. He finished the race fifth and second overall.
Despite Lawrence’s crash off the start, he clawed his way through the pack during the shortened main. He managed to finish sixth in the race and third overall.
Jeremy Martin actually grabbed the win in the final race but finished sixth overall.
250SX East Final Results (Top 10)
1. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
2-2-3 |
2. |
Jordon Smith |
(Yam) |
4-1-5 |
3. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
1-3-6 |
4. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
5-9-2 |
5. |
Max Anstie |
(Hon) |
3-4-9 |
6. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
6-12-1 |
7. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
7-6-7 |
8. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
15-5-4 |
9. |
Chris Blose |
(Kaw) |
8-8-8 |
10. |
Chance Hymas |
(Hon) |
9-7-16 |
QUALIFYING
Only 22 riders make it straight from the qualifying sessions tonight due to the triple crown format. The rest go to the LCQ if they want a shot at the night show. Jason Anderson threw down the best time of the day with Ken Roczen and Chase Sexton just behind. The 94 an 23 were only separated by 0.004. Times are tight tonight with nine of the top ten riders all in the 46-second range. Anderson was fast at the last triple crown so he’ll be one to watch tonight.
Full Results
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
46.280 |
2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
46.335 |
3. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
46.339 |
4. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
46.504 |
5. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
46.613 |
6. |
Christian Craig |
(Hus) |
46.633 |
7. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hon) |
46.767 |
8. |
Benny Bloss |
(Yam) |
46.888 |
9. |
Joey Savatgy |
(Kaw) |
46.898 |
10. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
47.037 |
250SX East
We’re back on the east coast which means the 250 east coast riders are out on track trying to qualify for the night show. Hunter Lawrence put in the best time of the day and was the only 250 rider in the 46’s. Nate Thrasher and Max Anstie were close in times, just a tenth apart. In fact, all riders from second through eighth were all within one second of eachother.
250SX East Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
46.747 |
2. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
47.145 |
3. |
Max Anstie |
(Hon) |
47.251 |
4. |
Jordon Smith |
(Yam) |
47.306 |
5. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
47.857 |
6. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
47.955 |
7. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
48.026 |
8. |
Chris Blose |
(Kaw) |
48.053 |
9. |
Chance Hymas |
(Hon) |
48.547 |
10. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
48.552 |
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