Slaw
The seventh round of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship signified the annual visit of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for Military Appreciation Night inside AT&T Stadium. A captivating night of racing produced a pair of first-time winners, as 450SMX Class points leader Hunter Lawrence finally seized control of the spotlight with an impressive breakthrough victory for Honda HRC Progressive. The Australian outlasted each of his championship rivals to assert his hold of the red plate.
The anticipated opening race of the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class Championship was equally exciting and got underway with Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda out front for the holeshot in his first race since he underwent surgery in November to repair two fractured and displaced vertebrae in his neck and upper back. The reigning 250SMX World Champion from Japan was followed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Pierce Brown and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Daxton Bennick, while Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies, a title favorite, started deep inside the top 20 after he fell in the first turn and collected multiple contenders.
Shimoda sprinted out to a lead of more than three seconds and stabilized his advantage through the opening portion of the race until an unexpected sequence changed the complexion of the race. Red medical lights were displayed as Shimoda approached the finish line, which required him to not jump any obstacle until cleared. As he rolled through to begin the next lap, both Brown and Bennick completed the obstacles at normal race pace, with no apparent lights displayed, which allowed Brown to not only overcome the deficit but also make the pass for the lead. Shimoda resumed full pace in second and fought back but was unable to get by Brown as Bennick pursued from third. Shimoda’s pursuit of Brown and the lead continued throughout the remainder of the 15 Minute + 1 Lap race and while the Honda rider appeared to be faster at times, he was unable to attempt a pass. With less than one minute to go Shimoda made one final push and dove under Brown with an inside line but was unable to sustain the momentum, which allowed Brown to pull away to victory.
Quotes
Hunter Lawrence – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“It’s cool, but we’ve got a lot of racing left. I’m happy to tick that little box. It’s a huge thank you to my team and everyone that’s around me. We’ve got an amazing group and that’s really the most valuable thing in my program. It takes a whole village to move mountains.
“Even when you get a sixth place it’s really tough, but man how cool it was racing against all those boys. Me and Kenny [Roczen] had some awesome back-and-forth, Coop [Webb] was right there, Eli [Tomac] was right there. It’s pretty cool racing with the sport’s legends. Awesome.”
Eli Tomac – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class
“[The first lap] absolutely saved my race. I was happy to make some moves there and just happened to find openings that allowed me to pass two or three guys at a time. Somehow by Lap 2 or 3 I could see the front of the race and knew I was okay. What a difficult track tonight. I fought to the end as much as I could. Second was all we had tonight.”
Cooper Webb – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“It was a fun race, for sure, but I’m honestly a little bummed. I was pretty nice and should have been more aggressive with [Roczen] and maybe gotten the pass [for the lead] earlier. It was a sick race with all of us four bunched up there. I tried to make the pass on [Roczen for second] and Eli [Tomac] ended up getting me and ran me off the track, then Kenny got back by me. I kind of lost the tow of [the leaders]. I’m bummed at myself. I saw a few openings I should have taken and I didn’t. I was too patient tonight. Overall, we’ll take it.”
Pierce Brown – 1st Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“I don’t even know where to start. There were so many nights where I didn’t think this would be possible. Missing a year, especially with the injury I had, it’s pretty degrading. It’s a scary thing to come back from and there were a lot of doubts. I’m just thankful I never stopped fighting. Every day this offseason we put our best foot forward. Wow. This is…amazing.”
Jo Shimoda – 2nd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“I saw the red [medical] light come on and you’re not supposed to jump that, so I don’t know what happened. We’ll review it. Overall, it was a good one for me. I felt rusty all day, to be honest, but my adrenaline kicked in for the race. It’s a good way to start.”
Daxton Bennick – 3rd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“I turned a pretty bad day into a good day. I thought if I could be top five [in the main event] that’d be good for me. I struggled all day, but I’m pumped to come away with a podium. I dug deep in that race. We’ll keep digging this week and come out swinging next weekend.”
Arlington SX Results
450SX
250SX
Championship Standings
450SX
250SX
