Chase Sexton celebrated his first victory on his Kawasaki KX450 as the AMA Supercross Series made its second stop in Anaheim at Angel Stadium in 2026. Sexton dominated qualifying, setting the fastest lap and becoming the only rider to break the one-minute barrier.
During the night event, the 2023 450SX champion appeared confident after taking the lead in his heat race but soon repeated the mistakes from earlier rounds, resulting in a crash in a sandy turn. Sexton started the main event in second place behind Jason Anderson and initially looked poised for a strong win. However, Hunter Lawrence of HRC moved him down to third before Sexton quickly reclaimed second, positioning himself right behind Anderson. Meanwhile, Eli Tomac, the current points leader, also pushed hard, overtaking Lawrence to challenge Sexton’s pace.
Tomac succeeded in passing Lawrence but lost momentum when battling Anderson, allowing Lawrence to retake third and push toward second place. With seven minutes to go, Lawrence was about three seconds behind Sexton and managed to narrow the gap to two seconds despite traffic complications. However, Austin Forkner’s obstruction in the final laps sealed Lawrence’s fate, ensuring Sexton’s win — a result that finally matched the speed he had shown all season on his Kawasaki.
Lawrence held on to second place, extending his consistent season start, while Tomac finished third, keeping his podium streak intact but ending his winning run at the same venue where he triumphed two weeks earlier. Cooper Webb moved past Anderson for a top-three finish as Anderson slipped to fifth, though it was his best AMA result with the HEP team this season. Joey Savatgy secured sixth after recovering positions, and Ken Roczen climbed from a last-place start due to an early crash to finish eighth. Jorge Prado rebounded from outside the top 10 to finish seventh, and RJ Hampshire and Justin Cooper completed the top ten.
Aaron Plessinger crashed on the final lap of his heat race but still qualified in eighth; however, he withdrew from the main event midway through the top 10. Heading into Round 4 in Houston, Tomac leads the championship with an eight-point margin over Lawrence, while Sexton rose to third with 13 points, just behind Roczen by one point. Defending champion Webb trails 24 points behind in a tie with Anderson.
In the 250SX class at Anaheim, the race was chaotic from the start as two factory riders crashed at the first corner. Privateer Avery Long collided with Cameron McAdoo, causing a fall that took Chance Hymas out of the race. Levi Kitchen also crashed on the first jump after suffering equipment issues but managed to remount and finish in the top nine despite multiple early crashes this season. Currently, Kitchen trails the leader by 33 points, effectively ending his title hopes.
Hayden Deegan, the reigning 250SX West Champion, helped seal Kitchen’s fate with a strong performance. Though only fifth at Anaheim 1, Deegan won Anaheim 2 after chasing down Michael Mosiman late in the race. Mosiman, while unable to keep pace with Deegan, earned his second consecutive podium and moved into second place in the standings. Team Star Racing’s DiFrancesco secured a podium finish by holding off McAdoo, who settled for fourth place. Max Folland finished fifth on his Yamaha, ahead of Max Anstey, whose title challenge has faltered following two missed podiums, leaving him ten points behind Deegan in third place overall.
Fan Take: Sexton’s breakthrough win on his Kawasaki signals a potential shift in the 450SX championship battle, shaking up the established hierarchy and promising more intense competition. For racing fans, this race exemplifies the thrilling unpredictability of Supercross and hints at an exciting season where multiple riders are capable of taking the top spot, keeping the sport fresh and captivating.
