Lawrence capitalizes as chaos hits Birmingham: Deegan penalized, Davies inherits 250SX win
Round 10 of the AMA Supercross season in Birmingham, Alabama delivered one of the most dramatic nights of the year, with chaos, comebacks, and controversy shaping the outcome in both classes. In 450SX, Hunter Lawrence took full advantage of a troubled night for Eli Tomac to extend his championship lead, while in 250SX, a post-race penalty denied Haiden Deegan victory in the first East vs West Showdown, handing the win to Cole Davies.
Lawrence wins as Tomac limits the damage
Hunter Lawrence (Honda HRC) secured his fourth win of the season—and second in a row—by delivering a composed and controlled performance up front, while his main title rival was forced into recovery mode.
Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM) faced adversity early in the night after an incident with Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) in his heat race led to a mechanical issue, sending him to the LCQ. It marked his first appearance in a last-chance qualifier since Nashville 2019—where he famously went on to win the Main Event—but this time, the outcome was different.
Despite a poor gate pick, Tomac charged into third early in the Main Event, passing Jorge Prado after several laps of pressure. However, by then Lawrence had already built a comfortable gap of around four seconds. As the race progressed, Tomac lost second place to a hard-charging Ken Roczen (HEP Suzuki), who stormed through the field from outside the top 10 to finish runner-up.
With the win, Lawrence extends his championship lead to 9 points over Tomac, while Roczen remains 31 points back despite his standout ride. Prado finished seventh in a resilient effort after a heavy crash earlier in qualifying had put his participation in doubt.
450SX HIGHLIGHTS
Deegan penalized, Davies takes East vs West showdown
The first East vs West clash of the season lived up to expectations, but the final result was decided after the checkered flag.
Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) appeared to claim victory after an impressive charge from outside the top 10 to the lead in the closing stages. However, officials later penalized him for an illegal line change in a split-lane section, dropping him one position and costing him the win.
That promoted Cole Davies (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) to the top step after he had finished second on track, following a tight three-way battle with Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC). In a dramatic late shuffle, Shimoda fell from second to fourth within just a few corners before the finish.
Davies now leads the East Coast standings by 6 points over Hammaker and 9 over Shimoda. Pierce Brown’s night ended in disappointment after a heavy crash forced him out, dropping him to fifth in the standings, 26 points behind.
Despite the penalty, Deegan continues to control the West Coast championship, extending his lead to 42 points over teammate Max Anstie, who finished seventh in Birmingham.
250SX EAST / WEST SHOWDOWN HIGHLIGHTS
