DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Jett Lawrence beat Eli Tomac to the finish line at Daytona International Speedway to become only the third rider in a decade complete the distance before him.
Until tonight, only two riders finished ahead Tomac at Daytona in that span. Justin Brayton won in 2018; Ryan Dungey won in 2015. Tomac finished second in both of those races, keeping the remainder of the field at bay.
“It felt great,” Lawrence told NBC Sports’ Will Christien from the top of the podium. “I felt good all day. But like I said earlier, I came here for business. I stood on business so I’m just happy to come out of here with a win. Hopefully we can keep clicking them.”
Lawrence’s win was not without drama. The team chose to change his back tire as he entered the gate and pulled the cover off with only a second to go before the drop.
“I was tweaking at that point,” Lawrence said after the race.
During the past decade, Tomac has never finished worse than second, but he told NBC Sports before the race that the only position he deemed important was first.
“Thinking back to the race, [I’m] frustrated I didn’t do the quad; [that] cost me,” Tomac said after the race. “So got to take more risks next time. That’s that. So, yeah, second place. ... “That’s all what it came down to. And then I moved over to the right side and … the depth of the rut was a lot smaller, and [I’m] just bummed that I didn’t take that [line] earlier.”
The official margin between Lawrence and Tomac was a little more than five seconds, but that does not reflect the fierceness of the contest in the early stage of the race.
After choosing to skip the sight lap on a soggy evening as an effort to keep from adding the additional weight of the mud he would pick up, Sexton had a few sketchy moments on the first lap. He survived, found his rhythm and began to stretch an advantage on his teammate Tomac.
As Tomac slowly closed the distance, Lawrence caught both riders.
At the barely ripe age of 20, Lawrence is willing to take chances. While that has bitten him a time or two this season, it was the perfect solution to the problem as he swept past Tomac and Sexton and then built up a big lead as they jockeyed for second.
Sexton made Tomac work exceedingly hard for his late-race pass into the runner-up position before taking the final spot on the podium.
“It’s definitely a step in right direction,” Sexton said. “I’ve had a rough couple weeks with my hand being hurt. … It was a good first couple laps. I was doing this section next to the tunnel jump pretty good. Then I started getting a little sketchy and stopped doing it, and I paid the price for it.”
Tomac was also slowed by a smoking clutch, although he admitted to being too much in the zone to have noticed during the race.
Cooper Webb entered the weekend only three points behind Lawrence in the closest points’ challenge in Supercross history at the middle of the season. He finished fourth, which is the first time in his career that he failed to stand on the podium in Daytona.
Having lost a few points in Daytona, Webb remains second in the standings with a deficit of 10. Sexton is three points further back in third.
Ken Roczen rounded out the top five.
Hunter Lawrence crashed midway through the Main event and hurt his shoulder. He will have an MRI performed during the week.
Click here for complete 450 results | Championship points
In the 250 class, the Monster Energy Supercross series has a first time winner in the 250 division for the second straight week. Tom Vialle pounced after Cameron McAdoo made a minor mistake and then rode away from the field.
“It was nice to get that win,” Vialle told NBC Sports. “I had my first podium last week and first win this week. I actually feel good. I could have rode 30 minutes.”
McAdoo finished second to both first time winners and after triggering the dramatic first turn crash in Detroit, he is gaining momentum in time for a long stretch of 250 East races.
Vialle is now one point behind Max Anstie, who finished eighth in the race.
Vialle and McAdoo chose not to take the sight lap on a muddy track — a move that may have kept some weight off the bike. They used that slight advantage to finish up front.
“It was about really patience and I think I may have run out of patience,” McAdoo said. “It may have cost me that lead but gosh this is awesome. I love coming to Daytona . It’s got so much history and just for the opportunity to be here and do what I love to do is awesome.”
McAdoo’s teammate Seth Hammaker stood on the bottom rung of the podium. It was his first podium of the season.
Haiden Deegan experienced a hard get-off in Qualification 1, but he the pain aside and finished fourth.
After three weeks of record attendance, Daytona International Speedway announced this is their highest-ever attended edition of Supercross here.
Pierce Brown rounded out the top five and is tied with McAdoo for second in the standings.
Complete 250 East Main results | Combined 250 Points
Features
450s
Sexton carries the red plate to the holeshot.
Looking for his sixth consecutive win and eighth overall, Tomac gets a good start in second.
Lawrence beat Tomac in the heat, but he trails at the moment in third with 18 minutes remaining.
Sexton starts to pull away to an almost four second lead with 15 minutes remaining. Tomac is strong in the second halves of races, but he cannot afford to lose contact.
Tomac closes on Sexton while Lawrence closes on Tomac.
Lawrence catches and passes both Tomac and Sexton with a fast charge through the whoops.
With 10 minutes remaining, the top three are still close but Tomac’s bike begins to smoke and he’s starting to fall back. His bid for No. 8 is fading. Jason Thomas says the team reports a clutch is giving up.
Further back in the pack, Aaron Plessinger falls from fifth. He’s having difficulty righting the bike.
The changing of the guard may be complete with Lawrence becoming the new Daytona dominator. He leads Sexton by 10 second with five remaining. Tomac is another two and half back.
If the results stay this way, it will be the worst finish for Tomac in a decade. Also, the first time in his history Webb won’t finish on the podium; he currently rides fifth.
With time running off the clock, Tomac finally gets around Sexton, but Lawrence has checked out.
250s
Several riders are changing tires including Anstie and Chance Hymas.
Cameron McAdoo did not take the sight lap but it doesn’t matter; he leads early.
Danger Boy passes him on the first lap though.
McAdoo gets a run through the whoops and retakes the lead. Teammate Hammaker comes with him — Deegan falls to third.
Now Vialle goes past Deegan. Danger Boy may be sore from his Qualification 1 crash.
With 10 to go, Vialle climbs to second and he sets his sights on McAdoo.
Points leader Anstie is well back in the field in ninth.
McAdoo runs off course with six minutes, 30 seconds remaining. Vialle leads and is looking for his first SX win.
Deegan has a remarkable save. He nearly crashes, does a 360 and keeps the bike upright. He was catching Hammaker but lost three seconds with the acrobatic move.
With the white flag in the air, Vialle has an eight-second lead.
We have back-to-back first-time winners. Vialle wins at Daytona one week after Deegan won a Arlington.
Teammates McAdoo in second and Hammaker round out the podium.
Deegan is just off the podium in fourth; Brown is fifth.
Click here for complete 250 East results.
Last Chance Qualifiers
250s
The 250 LCQ is typically the most chaotic race of the weekend.
Marshal Weltin, Jace Kessler and Bryton Carroll are the top three.
The race for the final transfer spot is heated between Lorenzo Locurcio and Bryce Shelly. It gets resolved when Shelly jumps off course twice in the closing laps.
Click here for complete 250 East LCQ results.
450s
The top four have separated from the crowd.
Fredrik Noren leads with Kyle Chisholm close behind. Jeremy Hand and John Short hold the transfer spots as time runs off the clock.
No one wants to make a mistake but they can’t help but race. Noren barely holds off Chisholm. Short nips Hand at the checkers.
Click here for complete 450 LCQ results.
Heats
450s
In Heat 1, Justin Barcia gets the holeshot, but Ken Roczen takes the lead quickly.
Roczen loses grip on the front tire and slides down. He doesn’t let it deter him and regains the lead with time running off the clock.
Sexton also gets around Barcia.
When the white flag waves, Sexton is pestering Roczen.
Roczen doesn’t rattle. He wins the heat with Sexton second. Roczen credited moving around to find the line for his victory.
Barcia rounds out the top three, which is a step in the right direction for a rider who has struggled in 2024.
Aaron Plessinger in fourth and Hunter Lawrence round out the top five.
Click here for complete 450 Heat 1 results.
In Heat 2, the question of whether Tomac still has the Daytona mojo is answered early. he slots into second but it’s Justin Cooper with the early lead.
Lawrence takes a moment to get his momentum but at the halfway mark he passes Jason Anderson and Dylan Ferrandis for third.
Cooper cannot keep Tomac at bay. With one minute to go, Tomac takes the lead.
“Not so fast”, says Lawrence. He wins the top spot as time runs off the clock. Two laps to go.
Tomac fades during the final two laps. Lawrence wins by six seconds.
Cooper stands on the last step of the podium.
Ferrandis finishes fourth.
One of the top performances of the night was put in by Webb who overcame a slow start to finish fifth.
Click here for completer Heat 2 results.
250s
The command has been given, NASCAR-style, and the 250 class is out of the gate.
Gnarly track aside, Jeremy Martin is fully healed and leading the field.
McAdoo gets around Martin and almost immediately Martin crashes out of second. Move Deegan up to P2.
J-Mart slides back to seventh.
Deegan makes a slight mistake but holds on.
McAdoo holds on for the victory with Deegan and Chance Hymas holding onto a top-three. McAdoo is now three-for-three in heat wins.
Pierce Brown in fourth and Jalek Swoll on the Triumph rounds out the top five.
Click here for complete 250 East Heat 1 results.
Daxton Bennick gets the holeshot and leads early in Heat 2.
With the red plate on his Honda, Anstie takes the lead from Bennick but he’s riding on the edge.
And now off the edge: Anstie jumps off course. He comes back on ahead of Bennick, who was more than four seconds behind.
Vialle catches Bennick for second, jumps off the track, but gets around Bennick when he tips over one jump later.
Anstie has calmed down and with Vialle and Bennick experiencing problems, he has an almost nine second lead.
Hammaker and Coty Schock also got around Bennick when he tipped over.
Anstie closes the heat out with a win. This is Anstie’s first Heat win.
Vialle finishes second with Hammaker keeping his third-place spot.
Bennick finishes in fifth.
Click here for complete 250 East Heat 2 results.
MORE: This is Tomac’s house
After taking a couple of weeks off to allow his hand to heal, Adam Cianciarulo returns to action on one of the toughest tracks on the schedule. In 250s, Jeremy Martin will join him after clearing concussion protocol.
Qualification
With rain hitting the track just before qualification, deep ruts are already forming early in 250 Group B. It will only get worse until Dirt Wurx is able to regroom the track.
450s
This is a track that rewards tough riders: Tomac is fast early in Qualification but gets overhauled by Webb and Sexton as the clock runs long. Roczen settles into fourth with points’ leader Lawrence rounding out the top five.
Since his debut in 2018, Webb has finished second or third in every Daytona SX race.
Lawrence does not tend to excel in these track conditions.
Making his return to action, Cianciarulo is just outside the top 10 in 11th.
With hard rain again in between Q1 and Q2, it’s time to admit this may be a full-blown mudder.
Given how rapidly track conditions were deteriorating, Qualification 2 has been canceled for the 450 division. This will give the track crew additional time to work on the course.
Click here for complete 450 Qualification 1 results.
250s
Deegan gets off to a rough start - clipping a Tuff Blox after a standing start and briefly hitting the ground. It continues to go badly for Deegan. He cross ruts on a jump and a gets thrown hard to the ground.
Deegan gets his bike upright and rides back to the pits.
“Had to give the fans a show,” Deegan told Steven “Lurch” Scott on Race Day Live. Said he took some damage to his posterior region, but was in good spirits overall.
Bennick, McAdoo and Vilalle take the top three spots.
Despite the returning rain, Supercross is running Q2. Some of these ruts are so deep they are down to the ground.
While it looks like Q1 speeds are going to hold up as the fastest, there is still a lot to be learned from how the riders handle in Q2.
McAdoo takes a gentle fall with three minutes remaining.
If conditions do not improve, keep an eye on these riders: Brown (first in Q2), Hammaker (second), Vialle (third), McAdoo (fourth) and Deegan (fifth).
The rookie Bennick officially wins Qualification. Deegan suffers most after with Q1 crash. He will not have a great gate pick with the 20th-fastest time — his first ever sub-10th-place qualification.
Click here for complete 250 W Qualification
MORE: 2023 Daytona Supercross coverage
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