Cooper Webb Wins A Wild Night In Texas With Arlington Supercross Victory
Nate Thrasher takes the top spot in the 250SX class inside AT&T Stadium
Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb took a dramatic victory in round seven of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season inside AT&T Stadium. The race was the second Triple Crown format event of the 2023 season which combines three Main Event race results to determine the overall order of finish for the night. The event awards points to both the 17-round Supercross season and the brand new 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship.
Texas race fans enjoyed the 43rdrd the year of a Supercross event in the Arlington/Dallas metro area. They saw Cooper Webb become the winningest rider in the city’s history with five wins at the venue. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton took second with a night of big highs and some frustrating lows. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac took home third-place points at the event just after announcing he will delay his retirement and compete in the full 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship series. In the Eastern Regional 250SX class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher took the win with plenty of action and drama en route to 2-2-3 race finishes.
Cooper Webb won his third Triple Crown event and moved within two points of taking the red plate and the season points lead. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Race 1 in the 450SX class held enough excitement to be its own event. Eli Tomac grabbed a gap with Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia and Team Honda HRC’s Colt Nichols right behind. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson crashed in the first corner and Sexton was caught up in it.
The incident put Sexton well back in the field, finishing 11th
position after the first round.
Up front, Roczen kept Tomac honest. By the midpoint of the race, Roczen was alternately gaining and losing ground on Tomac while Sexton had worked his way up to fifth and Webb was moving forward and up to seventh. With less than two minutes left on the race clock, Sexton forced his way past Barcia to take third while Roczen further up the field was just 0.7 seconds behind Tomac. Webb caught up to Barcia in the final laps, but Barcia was able to hold off the KTM rider. At the checkered flag, Roczen had proven he had the speed to run up front in Texas, but the most impressive ride came from Sexton, who had quickly closed in on the leaders as he ran out of time in the short 12-plus-one. round race.
Jason Anderson got off to a much better start in Race 2 with a holeshot and a clear track ahead of him. Webb finished second on the holeshot strip, and Roczen held third ahead of Sexton, Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger and Tomac. On the opening lap, Sexton put his Honda into third, but a turn later slid out before the pit, relinquishing the spot to Tomac. Just over four minutes into the race, Sexton was on Tomac, who had two close calls while yelling. It took a couple of laps for Sexton to reclaim third place. Anderson was out to a comfortable lead four seconds ahead of Webb. Sexton was less than two seconds behind Webb, and if the first race was any indication, Sexton looked to reel in both riders. But both Anderson and Webb flew, and Sexton was never able to get within striking distance. At the checkered flag, Anderson won comfortably, Webb was second, Sexton was third, and Tomac was fourth. Going into the final race, Tomac was in the lead for the overall win with five points, Sexton had six points, Webb was on seven, Roczen had eight, and Anderson was sitting with nine.
The 450SX class delivered a dramatic Race 3. Tomac got the holeshot, Sexton was second on the holeshot strip with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper third, Barcia fourth and Webb fifth. Soon Tomac, Sexton and Barcia held the top three spots and distanced themselves from the pack. As the race clock ticked down towards eight minutes, Barcia got out of shape in the rushes and overshot the berm to the next corner. At almost the same time, Sexton washed out the front and crashed just one turn further up the track. Sexton got going in time to take second, but then Anderson and Webb were right on the back fender. Tomac then crashed in the flat turn after the bridge jump. He remounted in fourth while Sexton took over the race lead and was poised to take the overall win for the event. Then Anderson got lost in the rush and Webb got under him to take over second place; but Webb was 2.2 seconds behind. Then with 1:34 left on the race clock, a lapper inadvertently pushed Sexton wide, and Webb capitalized. Webb took the lead and rode perfectly to the end. Webb took the race win and the Triple Crown overall. It was Webb’s third Triple Crown victory, his last of 2019. Sexton was second for the night and Tomac was third overall although he had fallen back to sixth in the final race. The points of the night tightened the battle for the title. Tomac leaves Texas with the red plate, but Webb is back just two points and Sexton is back just five.
Nate Thrasher (29) was fast and consistent on Texas soil to claim his fourth career Supercross win. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
The Eastern Regional 250SX class started the night’s racing with Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie taking the holeshot in 250SX Race 1. Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence was quickly in the lead with Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle following, pushing Anstie back to third. A few corners later, Nate Thrasher ducked into second while Anstie passed Vialle back to regain third. Lawrence and Thrasher slowly pulled away from the pack as Thrasher got closer to Lawrence’s rear tire in the early laps. After reducing the gap to just 0.7 seconds, a mistake by Thrasher gave Lawrence some breathing room. Anstie held third until the end of the 10-minute plus one lap. Behind him, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith was the rider on the move, reaching fourth place with just under two minutes left on the race clock. At the finish it was Lawrence, Thrasher, Anstie, Smith and Vialle.
In the second 250SX class race, Jordon Smith nailed the holeshot ahead of Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan and Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas. Nate Thrasher was sixth at the starting line, but on the opening lap he moved up and made an aggressive contact pass on Lawrence in the corner after the call. Lawrence lost two positions while his Yamaha teammates ran first and second. Lawrence moved into third before the race’s midpoint and steadily reeled in the Yamaha riders. Soon the top three were within one second of each other, but a mistake by Thrasher sent him sideways over the bridge jump and Lawrence ran into him and went down. With just over a minute left on the race clock, the incident put Thrasher out of striking distance for the win. Lawrence picked up the bike and salvaged third. Heading into the final race, Lawrence appeared to have the advantage in track speed, but the points were tied between Lawrence and Thrasher with Smith just one point out.
Race 3 was wild from start to finish. Nate Thrasher took the holeshot and early lead while Hunter Lawrence crashed in the first turn. Anstie then beat Lawrence and the Hondas pinned Lawrence and added extra delay as the pack roared away. Out front Thrasher led Troy Lee Design’s Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman, Jordon Smith, Tom Vialle and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Jace Owen. Lawrence and Anstie began to cut through the pack while Smith at the front pushed Mosiman into second. With under four minutes left on the race clock, Mosiman crashed under the tunnel and Smith ran into him, handing second place to Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin. Thrasher was away in front with a lead of more than nine seconds. But Thrasher had been racing with a damaged ACL in his knee, and that possibly contributed to a big crash in the jump. Thrasher rallied in third, a position that would give him the overall win. On the final lap, Smith crashed hard on the jump, but recovered to finish fifth and earn second overall. Lawrence crossed the line in sixth place to take third place overall for the night.
The series returns to Florida next weekend for one of the most physically demanding races of the year, the DAYTONA Supercross. Round 8 of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series and 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship takes place on a Supercross track carved out of the Daytona International Speedway tri-oval. The unique track design will be a look ahead to the three hybrid track SuperMotocross events in September. Playoffs 1 and Playoffs 2 provide increasing points that combine with the triple payout points for the SuperMotocross World Championship Finals held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 23rd.
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series and SuperMotocross World Championship rounds are all streamed live on Peacock, with select events also airing domestically on NBC, USA Network and CNBC. International coverage can be found through SuperMotocross.tv. Tickets for the DAYTONA Supercross as well as the other nine remaining Supercross events are on sale now. Go to SupercrossLIVE.com to purchase tickets, read race results and stories, and find broadcast times on Peacock, NBC, USA Network and CNBC.
The 450SX Class podium (racers from left to right) Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
450SX Class Results
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, NC, KTM (5-2-1)
2. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (3-3-2)
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colorado, Yamaha (1-4-6)
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (8-1-3)
5. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki (2-6-4)
6. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (6-5-5)
7. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (4-7-7)
8. Christian Craig, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (7-8-8)
9. Justin Cooper, Tallahassee, Florida, Yamaha (11-9-9)
10. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM (10-11-10)
450SX Class Championship
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colorado, Yamaha (160)
2. Cooper Webb, Newport, NC, KTM (158)
3. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Florida, Honda (155)
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (130)
5. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Florida, Suzuki (122)
6. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (121)
7. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Florida, GASGAS (113)
8. Christian Craig, Clermont, Florida, Husqvarna (90)
9. Joey Savatgy, Clermont, Fla., Kawasaki (85)
10. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Honda (84)
250SX Class podium (racers from left to right) Hunter Lawrence, Nate Thrasher and Jordon Smith. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (2-2-3)
2. Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Yamaha (4-1-5)
3. Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Florida, Honda (1-3-6)
4. Tom Vialle, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (5-9-2)
5. Max Anstie, Cairo, Ga., Honda (3-4-9)
6. Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Yamaha (6-12-1)
7. Michael Mosiman, Minneaola, Fla., GASGAS (7-6-7)
8. Haiden Deegan, Tallahassee, Florida, Yamaha (15-5-4)
9. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Arizona, Kawasaki (8-8-8)
10. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (9-7-16)
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship
1. Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Florida, Honda (73)
2. Max Anstie, Cairo, Ga., Honda (62)
3. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (57)
4. Haiden Deegan, Tallahassee, Florida, Yamaha (53)
5. Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Yamaha (53)
6. Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Yamaha (52)
7. Tom Vialle, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (52)
8. Michael Mosiman, Minneaola, Florida, GASGAS (49)
9. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (43)
10. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Arizona, Kawasaki (37)
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