Cooper Webb places 2nd at Daytona SX (Round 8)

Monster Energy’s Cooper Webb (Star Racing/Yamaha) increased his overall 450 class points lead ahead of defending Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion Chase Sexton (KTM), placing 2^nd at the Daytona SX, Round 8 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, held on the infield Saturday at Florida’s famed Daytona International Speedway. And also scoring a podium finish running the glowing green M-claw logo - in the 250 ESX class - was Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki), who battled valiantly towards a 3^rd place finish.

Webb, who entered the Daytona SX with a five point lead over KTM’s Chase Sexton, would exit Daytona with a ten point margin ahead of Sexton, who wadded up in his heat race and had to transfer to the Daytona main via the LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier), which is a rarity for SX champions.

Right out of the gate in the 450 main event it was Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson putting the No. 21 KX 450SR up front, and leading his first laps of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. Anderson would then dice for the lead with Aaron Plessinger (KTM), the two bringing the Daytona SX faithful to their feet at Bike Week’s hottest ticket as Plessinger eventually got the advantage on Anderson.

In pursuit, Suzuki’s Ken Roczen would pass Webb down low heading into Lap 5, then got past Anderson and Plessinger for the lead in the next several laps. Webb would remain close, until he stalled his YZ coming out of a corner it the midpoint of the race, which allowed Sexton to get right up on Webb’s rear wheel. The stall would allow Roczen to open up a lead that Webb wouldn’t be able to close, settling on 2^nd for Daytona, but three positions up on Sexton (5^th).

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha racers weren’t done with Sexton as Webb’s teammate, Justin Cooper, caught KTM’s defending champ, passed him, and marched on to 4^th place – essentially handing another point to Webb for his overall championship points chase vs. Sexton.

“Overall in the main… I got a great start, put myself in an awesome position,” said Webb. “It was a good charge, but made some mistakes there at the end. But overall, another P2 and solid points night, so we’ll take it.”

Anderson would round out the Monster Energy scoring in the 450 main event with an 8^th place finish, which kept him just off the box in 4^th position in the overall standings after eight (of 17) rounds.

In the Eastern 250 Region’s (250 ESX) return to racing, KTM’s Tom Vialle and 250 ESX points leader, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Max Anstie collided in the first corner, with Anstie getting the worst of it, going down and off the track before re-emerging in dead last position. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen brought the crowd to its feet with a powerful pass on Chance Hymas (Honda) for 3^rd place, only to crash – in spectacular fashion – at the race’s halfway point, which brought out the race-stopping red flag. Kitchen would leave the race on a stretcher, giving the obligatory ‘Thumb’s up’ to the crowd.

On the Daytona 250 ESX single file restart, Hammaker pulled out in 4^th place and would eventually blitz past Hymas for 3^rd place – a position he held through the checkers.

“After the whoops, in that rhythm section, me and Hymas were going three-three (rhythm jumps) before that wall into the sand - and he didn’t get the next three,” explained Hammaker on his pass on Hymas for the third and final Daytona 250 ESX podium position. “He (Hymas) didn’t get the next one and I saw an opportunity. It was pretty close, and I like that right side in the sand. I knew it was kind of ‘then or never.’ And I had to thread the needle.”

Rounding out the Daytona 250 ESX top ten scoring for Monster Energy were Anstie, who battled all the way back from dead last to 6^th position, and his Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha teammates Daxton Bennick and Nate Thrasherin 8^th and 9^th places, respectively.

Daytona 450 class results                                              250 ESX class results

2^nd – Webb (Monster/Star/Yamaha)                                               3^rd – Hammaker (Monster/PC/Kawasaki)

4^th – Cooper (Monster/Star/Yamaha)                                             6^th – Anstie (Monster/Star/Yamaha)

8^th – Anderson (Monster/Kawasaki)                                               7^th – Bennick (Monster/Star/Yamaha)

Overall Standings (8 of 17 rounds)

450 class                                                                          250 ESX class

1^st – Webb, 168 points                                                                   1^st – Anstie, 63 points

4^th – Anderson, 125 points                                                            5^th – Thrasher, 87 points

6^th – Cooper, 122 points                                                                6^th – Hammaker, 43 points

Notes & Quotes

• Things weren’t looking up for Webb early on in his heat race when he crashed – in the opening corner. “My heat race wasn’t very great,” Webb said. “Falling down in the first turn is never good. Kind of a panic, a little bit, when you’re in that position.”
• And it seemed to only get worse for Webb when, unbeknownst to fans, a reporter asked Webb, somewhat jokingly, about losing his cell phone after his heat race. To which Webb cooly replied: “You can always buy another cell phone. Is what it is.”
• NBC Sports came up with the best stat of the weekend: Webb has left Daytona two times in his career with the overall 450 class points lead. And both times he won the championship.
• “Me and Chance (Hymas) ride all the times together, and we always seem to find each other races, too.” – Hammaker regarding his close pass on Hymas for 3^rd in the 250 main.
• Tip of the hat from everyone at Monster Energy to Husqvarna’s R.J. Hampshire, who lost his father recently. Hampshire said, emotionally, from the first rung of the podium, following the race, that Daytona was the only supercross he and his dad attended when he was a kid.
• Webb on the Daytona track. “It’s an awesome race track, it really is. You’re always searching for lines, changing, making mistakes. But then you nail something one lap and you’re right back in it.”
• No official word as of press time from the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team’s Levi Kitchen on his status following his wreck in the 250 main. It was noted at the post-race press conference that he was alert and speaking with officials at Daytona’s infield hospital.
• Heading into the Indy SX, Monster Energy racers Webb and Anstie hold both the 450 and 250 ESX class Red Plates as the point leaders in their respective classes.

Up next: 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross bounces north to Indianapolis for Round 9 of the tour, scheduled for Saturday, March 8^th, at Lucas Oil Stadium.