450 Storylines:
KEN ROCZEN: Nailed his 26th 450SX Class victory, moving to only 1 away from Bob Hannah for 10th all-time. Hannah’s 27 was the original long standing 450SX Class wins record, before Rick Johnson broke it in Miami 1989. 50% (13/26) of Roczen’s 450SX Class wins have been aboard Suzuki, which is good for 3rd all-time behind Ricky Carmichael and Mark Barnett on Suzuki’s all-time wins list. Roczen exits St. Louis squarely in the Championship battle, only 5 points off the red plate. He had not won back-to-back races since he swept the 2021 Indy residency.
JUSTIN COOPER: Scored a heat race win, nailed a runner-up finish in the Main Event, and recorded his milestone 50th 450SX Class start. It was his 7th podium in those 50 starts, and he’s looking forward to making his 180th career SMX League start in Nashville. Cooper has been incredibly efficient in scoring top-10’s in his career. He is 12th all-time of athletes with 50+ starts in 450SX Class top-10% (44/50, 88%).
HUNTER LAWRENCE: One weekend after the 2nd worst finish of his 450SX Class career, Lawrence claims back a share of the red plate with his 9th podium of the season and 11th of his 450SX Class career (44th all-time). Hunter ties his brother Jett for 27th in all-time SMX League top-5 finishes with his 102nd. He is 18/31 (58%) in 450SX Class top-5 finishes while Jett is 15/21 (71%).
NOTES: Jorge Prado (4th): Best finish since his podium in the Anaheim Opener. It was his 3rd 450SX Class top-5 finish in 15 starts & 5th SMX League top-5 finish in his 26th start. Eli Tomac (6th): Remains in the points lead albeit a tie and with descending performances. He has gone 1-2-3-5-6th in the last 5 rounds. Dylan Ferrandis (10th): 50th career 450SX Class top-10 finish (56th all-time) in 68 starts (74%). He is 154/188 (82%) in his SMX League career. Justin Hill (14th): 90th career 450SX Class start, seeks 200th SMX League start in Nashville.
450 Venue Notes:
- HISTORY LESSON: The first 450SX Class round held in Nashville was on April 6, 2019, and Eli Tomac scored the victory aboard Kawasaki. Eventual Champion Cooper Webb (KTM) finished 3rd to retain the red plate. Nashville became the 47th different city to host a 450SX Class round and Nissan Stadium became the 60th different venue to host.
- 2023 NASHVILLE: Supercross didn’t return to Nashville again until 2023 and was Rd. 15 of the season. Tomac led the Championship by 11 points over Webb and 21 points over Sexton with 3 rounds left. Webb was injured in his Heat Race, Sexton won the Main Event, and then Tomac was injured the next week in Denver, handing the title to Sexton.
- 2024 NASHVILLE: The 3rd edition of the Nashville Supercross was in 2024 and was Rd. 14 of the season. After a Triple Crown sweep of Indy in Rd. 10, it looked like the rookie Jett Lawrence was going to run away with the Championship, but after a strong 3 round stretch from Webb the Championship was tied going into Nashville. The rookie dominated Nashville to start a 3 round win streak that led him to his 1st 450SX Class Championship. The 2026 Championship is also tied going into Nashville, this time with Tomac and Hunter Lawrence.
- CHAMPIONSHIP %: After Sexton’s improbable Championship comeback in 2023, including his Nashville win, and Jett’s 2024 dominance, Nissan Stadium is now 2/3 with winners taking the title. Tomac was unsuccessful in winning the title in 2019 after scoring the Nashville win. 2026 will mark the 4th round held in Nissan Stadium.
250 Storylines:
CHAMPIONSHIP CLINCH: Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) finishes off his 2nd straight 250SX Class Western Divisional Championship 2 rounds early with his victory in St. Louis. Deegan has 6 SMX League Championships, tying him with Cooper Webb, Broc Glover, Jeff Stanton, and Bob Hannah for 10th all-time. He ties Glover and Hannah for 1st on Yamaha’s all-time SMX League Championship list, and this is Yamaha’s 60th SMX League Championship (26 MX, 32 SX, 2 Playoff). It was Yamaha’s 14th Western Divisional Championship.
HAIDEN DEEGAN: His 13th career 250SX Class victory ties him with a slew of athletes for 2nd on the all-time 250SX Class wins list: Nathan Ramsey, Austin Forkner, Jeremy McGrath, and Jett Lawrence. His 31st SMX League victory is good for 24th all-time sandwiched between Mike Kiedrowski and David Bailey.
COLE DAVIES: Extends his Eastern Divisional points lead to 11 over Seth Hammaker, who finished 3rd. It was his 15th career 250SX Class start and he earned his 9th podium and 13th top-5 finish. He was also making his 20th career SMX League start, in which he has amassed 5 wins 9 podiums, 13 top-5’s, & 17 top-10’s.
NOTES: Seth Hammaker (3rd): Making his milestone 70th career SMX League start and 35th 250SX Class start, Hammaker impressed with his 15th career 250SX Class podium (17 SMX League podiums). Only trails the red plate by 11 points with 4 Eastern Divisional rounds remaining. Nate Thrasher (4th): 50th career 250SX Class start and nailed 20th career 250SX Class top-5. Seeking his 25th SMX League top-5 finish and 50th SMX League top-10 finish in Nashville.
250 Venue Notes:
- HISTORY LESSON: The first 250SX Class round held in Nashville was on April 6, 2019, and Martin Davalos (Kawasaki) won. Going into Nashville, Austin Forkner held a 26-point lead on Sexton with only 3 rounds remaining in the Eastern Divisional Championship. Forkner sustained an injury during practice, while Sexton’s runner-up moved him into position to capture the red plate a round later. Twice Sexton has visited Nashville with a large points deficit, only to erase it and win the title (2019 Eastern Divisional & 2023 450SX Class).
- INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Nashville became the 39th different city to host a 250SX Class round and Nissan Stadium became the 52nd different venue to host when the series first visited in 2019. Since then there have been 7 venues premier: Empower Field, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Snapdragon Stadium, Protective Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, & Acrisure Stadium.
- LATE SEASON STOP: Hunter Lawrence clinched the 2023 Eastern Divisional Class title with his victory in Nissan Stadium a full round early over a rookie Haiden Deegan. In 2024 Nashville was an East/West Showdown that RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) won, in what was paramount to his final Western Divisional Championship tally. His victory compared to Levi Kitchen’s 14th was ultimately the difference in the Championship. Tom Vialle’s 3rd was the best finish in the Eastern Divisional, once again paramount to his Championship over Deegan’s 6th.
- CHAMPIONSHIP %: H. Lawrence’s title clinch in Nissan Stadium 2023 doubled with Hampshire’s Showdown romp of 2024 have improved Nashville’s 250SX Class Championship % to 2/3, as Davalos did not win the title in 2019 after winning Nashville. Combined with the 450SX Class, the Championship % is 4/6.