Hunter Lawrence Takes Control in Nashville as 450SX Title Fight Turns

Round 13 of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship brought the title battle to Nashville, and when the dust settled it was Hunter Lawrence who came away with the biggest result of the night. With a commanding victory in the 450SMX Main Event, the Honda rider moved into sole possession of the championship lead with four rounds remaining.

Inside Nissan Stadium, the premier class once again delivered the kind of tension expected from one of the closest 450 title fights in recent memory. Early in the Main Event, Ken Roczen looked set to take another major step in the standings after moving into the lead, while Jorge Prado ran near the front and Eli Tomac found himself buried deep in the pack after a difficult opening lap.

Lawrence wasted no time putting himself in the fight. After moving into second, he began closing on Roczen and with just over eight minutes to go, he made the decisive move for the lead. From there, he never looked back. The Honda rider opened a comfortable gap and controlled the closing stages to secure his fourth win of the season, finishing 7.1 seconds clear of the field.

Behind him, Cooper Webb fought through for second, while Roczen recovered from a late crash to salvage third and keep his podium streak alive. Tomac, despite topping qualifying and winning his Heat Race earlier in the day, never found a way forward in the Main Event and eventually finished 12th after a late fall.

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The result dramatically shifts the 450SMX standings. Lawrence now leads the championship by 10 points over Roczen, while Tomac drops to third and sits 15 points off the lead after entering Nashville as co-holder of the red plate.

Lawrence said:
“It feels great. I’m so happy my wrist wasn’t holding me back today. Every Saturday I want to go out and have no limitations holding me back from anything.”

Roczen admitted it was not his sharpest night, but still came away with important points:
“I just felt a little bit off today compared to the past few weekends, but nonetheless we still have only four races to go, and anything goes in the Main Event.”

Tomac was left frustrated after a strong day unraveled when it mattered most:
“What a day – the whole day was good, other than the Main Event result. I lost a bunch of points today, but all I can do at this point is ride my best at the remaining rounds and let the chips fall where they may.”

Davies Dominates East 250SX as Bennick Misses the Podium

In the Eastern Divisional 250SMX class, Cole Davies delivered another statement ride, charging to his fourth win of the season and strengthening his grip on the championship.

The Main Event started with Daxton Bennick taking the holeshot for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, ahead of Nate Thrasher and Drew Adams. But once Davies found his rhythm, he quickly moved through the pack and took control of the race before the halfway point.

From there, the Yamaha rider was untouchable, building a lead of over five seconds and eventually taking the win by a massive 17.2 seconds. The real drama came behind him, where Seth Hammaker fought back from an early crash to rejoin the podium battle, only to later receive a penalty that dropped him out of the top three.

That promoted Devin Simonson to a maiden podium in third, with Thrasher taking second. Bennick, after running in the podium positions for much of the race, ended the night just off the box.

Davies said:
“The whoops were sketchy today. I didn’t get off to a good start, but I made it happen and I’m stoked with that.”

With the revised result, Davies now holds a 29-point lead in the East 250SX standings with three races remaining, while Bennick sits third, 40 points back.

Title Pressure Rising

• Nashville delivered exactly what late-season Supercross is supposed to bring: a major swing in momentum, a title fight reshaped, and pressure building in both classes.
• Lawrence now controls the 450SX championship, Roczen remains right there, and Tomac suddenly has work to do. In the 250 East, Davies looks increasingly difficult to stop.
• With only a handful of rounds left, the margin for error is disappearing fast.