In one of the most bizarre accidents of 2026, Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper crashed on Lap 4 of the second heat for Round 10 of the SuperMotocross World Championship at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
Cooper’s leg was trapped by Tomac’s rear wheel, and he was dragged several yards before Tomac became aware he had an unexpected passenger.
“I just checked up for Ken [Roczen] there, and Eli kind of saw the opportunity go under me and kind of hesitated. I already had my weight leaning that way. [My] leg ended up in the back wheel, and it was really scary because he was clutching it and all that.
“First of all, I just wanted to get my leg out from the pipe. My shin was getting burned by the exhaust, so once I was able to rotate my ankle away and someone came over, he knew I was there.”
Cooper recovered and finished seventh in the heat race, but with the air filter dislodged from Tomac’s bike, he headed to the mechanic’s area and finished one lap off the pace.
“Once he started clutching it, I freaked out,” Cooper continued. “So it’s just racing dirt bikes. I just had to get up. We’re going to have a bad gate pick for the main, but hopefully we can get a start.”
Tomac headed to the Last Chance Qualifier for the first time in seven years.
“That was a frustrating heat race,” Tomac said after winning the LCQ. “Looking back, maybe it was a little aggressive. You just never know in those moments. I saw Justin get hung up by Kenny and shot the gap. And it didn’t work out. Move on from it. Glad to make it through the LCQ. It was stressful.”
Tomac entered Round 10 four points behind championship leader Hunter Lawrence.
Tomac was the fastest qualifier in Birmingham.
In his post-race comments, Tomac addressed the decision to pull into the mechanic’s are. The move cost him the opportunity to advance directly into the Main.
“I looked down because my boot was hanging up on the side plate/filter, and then I almost kept riding, and then I was like, ‘I think I have to pull in.’ ” Tomac said “I thought it was pretty risky to be riding, basically, a straight air intake for how dusty and fluffy the track was. So I came in, and Jade [Dungey] got the panel back on and the filter back on.
“But it was tough, because then I went back and I’m like, ‘Man, I got to go to the LCQ now. Should I have just stayed out there and just ran it, and hoped for the best?’ It was a tough decision to make, to come in there and put that side panel back on.
A terrible gate pick in the LCQ did not hinder Tomac. He earned the holeshot and rode quickly away from the field, beating Cade Clason to the line by 13.816 seconds.
Tomac’s most recent LCQ appearance prior to this round was in Nashville in 2019. He won the feature that evening.
Tomac executed a great start in the Main Event and ran third throughout the race. He lost the tow of the winner, Lawrence, and second-place Ken Roczen, but salvaged a strong finish and left Birmingham with a nine-point gap to Lawrence.
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— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) March 22, 2026
Eli makes contact with Cooper and dislodges his air filter, causing Tomac to pull into the pits.
Justin would remount and charge to a transfer position 💪 #SupercrossLIVE #SMX pic.twitter.com/XsShiEvntX
