The third edition of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) begins this weekend at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, with a new No. 1 seed, and Justin Cooper hopes he can do more with it than Chase Sexton.
Chase Sexton entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the first two editions of the playoffs, but fell to third in 2023 and seventh in 2024. This year, he begins the quest for his first SMX title, sixth in the standings as Cooper assumes the top spot. Cooper will have a three-point advantage over second-place Jett Lawrence and is five points above Malcom Stewart and the remainder of the field.
Three points is not enough of a cushion, however, as the only champion the SMX playoffs has produced in the 450 division is Jett Lawrence. He has won four of the six previous SMX rounds and finished on the podium in all but one event. The only time he failed to podium was in the inaugural season, when he finished fourth overall, which may have been due to a hangover from his Pro Motocross experience. He was perfect as a rookie in the outdoor season that year.
After losing one race on speed and another because of a mistake at the gate this year, he was not perfect in 2025, but he won every other round, and no one questions his momentum or his right to be favored this weekend. Jett won at zMax in 2024 with results of second in the first race and a victory in Moto 2.
Now Jett has his eyes set on winning a sixth premier class title in eight attempts. The two he failed to win were because of a thumb injury in Motocross last year and a knee injury in the 2023 Supercross campaign.
Sexton (zMax, 2023) and Hunter Lawrence (Texas Motor Speedway, 2024) are the only other overall playoff winners.
One cannot discount the seeding. Hunter Lawrence lost the 2024 SMX Championship due to a tiebreaker. He enters as the fifth seed this week, but with one more point earned at any time during the 2025 Supercross or Motocross seasons, he would have earned three additional points heading into zMax and landed the third seeding.
The SuperMotocross World Championship’s unique scoring method ensures that every race matters and that the title will invariably go down to the final race of the season. Riders are seeded first through 20th and awarded the number of points such a race finish would provide. Added to that is a standard-point Round 1, with Round 2 offering double points and Round 3 offering triple points. Riders cannot afford to fall behind in the first two rounds, but they really need to be on their toes in Round 3, which will be held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 20.
Charlotte is the only three-time venue on the schedule as the top 20 in both divisions try to set the tone for the three-race playoff.
250 Notes
As with the 450 division, there has been only one championship winner in the 250 class. Haiden Deegan has been equally dominant on the small bike as Jett on the big ones. He won three of the six rounds (LA Coliseum, 2023; zMax Dragway, 2024; and Texas Motor Speedway, 2024), and stood on the podium in every other round.
One of Deegan’s wins was an unlikely one. After finishing fifth in Moto 1 at the LA Coliseum in 2023, he needed help to take the overall win, and he got it. Moto 1 winner Jordon Smith fell and finished 10th in the second race. Meanwhile, Levi Kitchen, who finished 10th in the first race, won Moto 2 and upended the points. Deegan scored the overall with a 5-2.
Deegan responded the following season with a sweep of the races at zMax and he dominated that year.
Still, the 250 class has been much more egalitarian overall, with six moto winners. Deegan’s six lead the division with Hunter Lawrence sweeping Chicagoland in 2023. Jo Shimoda, Smith, Kitchen, and last year’s Moto 2 winner, Pierce Brown, are the remaining winners.
Deegan dominated the Supercross and Motocross divisions in 2025 with 11 combined wins and 19 podiums. Shimoda has made significant strides in recent weeks and has closed the competitive gap. Shimoda won four times in Supercross and Motocross, earned nine podiums, and 13 top-fives. He has equaled Deegan in the number of top-10s scored at 21.
In his last hurrah as a 250 rider in the SMX Playoffs, Deegan is highly regarded as the favorite to keep his championship streak alive.
SuperMotocross 2025 Top-10 finishers
450s
Jett Lawrence (10 wins, 12 podiums, 12 top-fives, 14 top-10s) [15 moto wins]
Chase Sexton (8 wins, 14 podiums, 18 top-fives, 21 top-10s) [1 moto win]
Cooper Webb (5 wins, 13 podiums, 16 top-fives, 22 top-10s)
Hunter Lawrence (1 win, 10 podiums, 14 top-fives, 15 top-10s) [2 moto wins]
Eli Tomac (1 win, 8 podiums, 11 top-fives, 14 top-10s) [2 moto wins]
Aaron Plessinger (1 win, 7 podiums, 12 top-fives, 20 top-10s)
Ken Roczen (1 win, 7 podiums, 11 top-fives, 13 top-10s)
Malcolm Stewart (1 win, 3 podiums, 7 top-fives, 24 top-10s)
Justin Cooper (7 podiums, 18 top-fives, 24 top-10s)
Jason Anderson (3 podiums, 3 top-fives, 10 top-10s)
RJ Hampshire (1 podium, 6 top-fives, 11 top-10s)
Shane McElrath (1 podium, 1 top-five, 8 top-10s)
Daxton Bennick (1 podium, 3 top-fives, 12 top-10s)
Justin Barcia (4 top-fives, 18 top-10s)
Dylan Ferrandis (2 top-fives, 12 top-10s)
Joey Savatgy (2 top-fives, 11 top-10s)
Jorge Prado (2 top-fives, 7 top-10s)
Justin Hill (1 top-five, 11 top-10s)
Valentin Guillod (5 top-10s)
Dean Wilson (5 top-10s)
Benny Bloss (4 top-10s)
Colt Nichols (2 top-10s)
Benoit Paturel (1 top-10)
Coty Schock (1 top-10)
Harri Kullas (1 top-10)
Mitchell Harrison (1 top-10)
Kyle Webster (1 top-10)
Logan Leitzel (1 top-10)
Mitchell Oldenberg (1 top-10)
250s
Haiden Deegan (11 wins, 19 podiums, 21 top-fives, 21 top-10s) [13 moto wins]
Jo Shimoda (4 wins, 9 podiums, 13 top-fives, 21 top-10s) [5 moto wins]
Cole Davies (2 wins, 4 podiums, 7 top-fives, 10 top-10s)
Seth Hammaker (2 wins, 3 podiums, 9 top-fives, 16 top-10s)
Chance Hymas (2 wins, 2 podiums, 5 top-fives, 10 top-10s) [2 moto wins]
Tom Vialle (1 win, 11 podiums, 14 top-fives, 15 top-10s)
Levi Kitchen (1 win, 6 podiums, 6 top-fives, 11 top-10s)
RJ Hampshire (1 win, 5 podiums, 7 top-fives, 8 top-10s)
Julien Beaumer (1 win, 5 podiums, 9 top-fives, 12 top-10s)
Jordon Smith (1 win, 3 podiums, 5 top-fives, 10 top-10s)
Nate Thrasher (1 win, 2 podiums, 5 top-fives, 9 top-10s)
Max Anstie (1 win, 2 podiums, 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s)
Garrett Marchbanks (3 podiums, 10 top-fives, 18 top-10s)
Michael Mosiman (2 podiums, 5 top-fives, 11 top-10s)
Maximus Vohland (1 podium, 2 top-fives, 10 top-10s)
Coty Schock (1 podium, 2 top-fives, 10 top-10s)
Cullen Park (1 podium, 2 top-fives, 5 top-10s)
Jalek Swoll (1 podium, 1 top-five, 3 top-10s)
Jeremy Martin (1 podium, 1 top-five, 1 top-10) [1 moto win]
Cameron McAdoo (1 podium, 1 top-five, 1 top-10)
Gage Linville (1 podium, 1 top-five, 1 top-10)
Mikkel Haarup (2 top-fives, 7 top-10s)
Ryder DiFrancesco (2 top-fives, 6 top-10s)
Austin Forkner (1 top-five, 6 top-10s)
Drew Adams (1 top-five, 5 top-10s)
Ty Masterpool (5 top-10s)
Dilan Schwartz (5 top-10s)
Anthony Bourdon (3 top-10s)
Henry Miller (3 top-10s)
Enzo Lopes (3 top-10s)
Casey Cochran (2 top-10s)
Parker Ross (2 top-10s)
Hunter Yoder (2 top-10s)
Carson Mumford (2 top-10s)
Hardy Munoz (2 top-10s)
Cole Thompson (2 top-10s)
Devin Simonson (2 top-10s)
Lux Turner (1 top-10)
Jett Reynolds (1 top-10)
Gavin Towers (1 top-10)
Lance Kobusch (1 top-10)
Jack Chambers (1 top-10)
Mark Fineis (1 top-10)
Preston Taylor (1 top-10)
Luke Neese (1 top-10)
Bryce Shelly (1 top-10)
450s
Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2024: Jett Lawrence [1-1] (Followed by Hunter Lawrence [3-2], Eli Tomac [2-3])
Texas Motor Speedway 2024: Hunter Lawrence [1-3] (Chase Sexton [4-1], Jett Lawrence [3-2])
zMax Dragway 2024: Jett Lawrence [2-1] (Eli Tomac [1-2], Chase Sexton [4-3])
LA Coliseum 2023: Jett Lawrence [1-1] (Ken Roczen [2-2], Cooper Webb [5-3])
Chicagoland Speedway 2023: Jett Lawrence [1-2] (Ken Roczen [3-1], Chase Sexton [2-3])
zMax Dragway 2023: Chase Sexton [1-1] (Ken Roczen [3-3], Dylan Ferrandis [2-4])
250s
Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2024: Pierce Brown [2-1] (Haiden Deegan [1-2], Jordan Smith [5-3])
Texas Motor Speedway 2024: Haiden Deegan [1-1] (Tom Vialle [3-2], Jo Shimoda [2-3])
zMax Dragway 2024: Haiden Deegan [1-1] (Julien Beaumer [2-4], Levi Kitchen [5-2])
LA Coliseum 2023: Haiden Deegan [5-2] (Jo Shimoda [4-4], RJ Hampshire [2-6]) *
Chicagoland Speedway 2023: Hunter Lawrence [1-1] (Jo Shimoda [2-2], Haiden Deegan [3-3])
zMax Dragway 2023: Jo Shimoda [4-1] (Tom Viall [3-2], Haiden Deegan [1-5])
* Moto winners, Levi Kitchen (Race 2) and Jordon Smith (Race 1), finished 10th in the other race. They finished sixth and seventh overall, respectively.
Motocross Previews
Budds Creek | Unadilla | Ironman | Washougal | Spring Creek | RedBud | Southwick | High Point | Thunder Valley | Hangtown | Fox Raceway
Supercross Previews
Salt Lake City | Denver | Pittsburgh | New Jersey | Philadelphia | Foxborough | Seattle | Birmingham | Indianapolis | Daytona | Arlington | Detroit | Tampa | Anaheim 2 | San Diego | Anaheim 1
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