The battle for supremacy between the Eastern and Western divisions of the 250 class at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, began in qualification, and it was Seth Hammaker (51.567) who held the top spot.
Levi Kitchen (52.146) was the best of the Western riders and second overall as he chose to protect his bike in the second session.
Pierce Brown (52.438) also relied on his first qualification time to land third overall.
Ryder DiFrancesco (52.475) was one of a handful of riders who picked up the pace in Q2. He was fourth overall.
Maximus Vohland (52.572) rounded out the top five.
Times slowed in the second qualification session, but the riders had a lot to learn about the changing conditions.
There was also a moment of frustration in the second session as DiFrancesco and Haiden Deegan jockeyed for a position that would allow them to take one more heater. Neither rider could put down that final, fast lap, and Deegan (52.607) wound up sixth overall.
Combined 250 Qualification Results
East Qualification 2
Hammaker (52.527) followed his first session speed with a fast time in the second qualification. He maintained his position at the top of the chart when the checkered flag waved.
Daxton Bennick (52.641) was second fastest among the East riders on the rutted track.
Eastern points leader, Cole Davies (53.074), landed third.
Fourth-place Jo Shimoda (53.284) and Pierce Brown (53.513) rounded out the top five.
West Qualification 2
The Eastern divisional riders were the first on track during Qualification 1, so to level things out, the Western riders went first in the second session.
At the end of the session, it was DiFrancesco (52.475) who landed at the top of this board. Q2 times were slower than those in the first session.
Vohland (52.572) was 0.097 seconds slower in Q2, with Deegan (53.065) settling for third.
Fourth-place Kitchen (53.131) and Dilan Schwartz (53.738) rounded out the top five. After the session, Kitchen indicated he was protecting his bike after setting a fast time in Q1.
West Qualification 1
Deegan and Kitchen swapped fast laps in the early minutes of Western divisional time trials, but it was Kitchen (52.146) who posted the fastest lap overall on his last trip around the track.
Deegan (52.607) landed second on this chart as two of the East riders, Hammaker and Brown, went faster on a smoother track.
DiFrancesco (52.857) was third overall.
Fourth-place Max Anstie (53.293) and Schwartz (53.809) rounded out the top five.
Qualification 1 West Results
Combined E-W Qualification After Q1
East Qualification 1
Hammaker (51.567) posted the fastest time in qualification for the Eastern division by 0.871 seconds over Brown (52.348), as both riders look to make up ground on the championship leader Davies.
Jalek Swoll (52.757) was the third quickest.
Davies (52.761) and Cullin Park (52.901) rounded out the top five.
Nate Thrasher (52.920) looks to get his season on track. He was sixth in this division.
Shimoda (52.926) wound up seventh.
Bennick (53.349) crashed on the final lap, but appeared to be uninjured. He was eighth.
