Monster Energy Kawasaki announced on social media that Chase Sexton will miss Round 8, the Daytona Supercross, after a practice crash that left him with hip and lower-back injuries. The team provided limited medical detail and no firm timetable; one post added he will be out “at least one round,” while other updates reiterated there is no return date.

Cycle News described the announcement as sudden and said missing Daytona is almost certain to end Sexton’s title hopes given the timing and his position in the points. Sexton, the 2023 450 Supercross champion, is currently fifth in the 450SX standings with one main-event win (Anaheim 2) — his only podium so far — and a season average finish of fifth. He trails points leader Hunter Lawrence by 27 points. This season’s reported finishes include 8th at Anaheim 1, 4th at San Diego, 5th at Houston, 7th at Glendale, 5th at Seattle and 6th at Arlington.

The absence follows Sexton’s high-profile move to Monster Energy Kawasaki in the off-season and would be his first missed Supercross since Seattle in March 2022. Kawasaki did not name a replacement; Garrett Marchbanks will be the team’s sole rider entered at Daytona. Team personnel, fans and media are awaiting further updates on Sexton’s recovery and possible return.

Racer X’s preview framed Daytona’s infield layout as the most unique round on the Supercross calendar, making the track’s technical characteristics the central factor shaping race strategy. Unlike the limerock era exemplified by Jeff Stanton — which featured 20-lap mains and roughly 90-second laps — Daytona’s infield prioritizes speed and technical riding over ironman-style endurance, so bike setup, speed control and precision will be decisive.

Analyst Jason Thomas walked viewers through the infield on the broadcast hosted by former Women’s National Champion Sarah Whitmore, outlining features that will influence tactics. The start splits the course toward the adjacent speedway and immediately sends riders through alternating 180-degree turns; laps include rhythm sections of doubles and triples, back-to-back split-bowl berms that have generated significant passing, and a particularly risky high-speed stretch near turn one that produced Levi Kitchen’s season-ending crash in 2025.

Later in the lap riders face setup compromises with clay Supercross whoops and a beach-sand sequence that contains a slowing tunnel jump, two designated sand lines and a fast dash alongside pit lane to the finish. The segment combined a track walkthrough with an injury rundown, naming riders who would be absent from the weekend’s competition; Racer X Online published the full injury list and details to prepare fans for on-track action and the altered starting lineup those absences create.

Pierce Brown completed a comeback at Arlington, winning the 250SX East opener and ending a 378-day absence from competition. The victory — his first career 250SX win — came nearly a year after he fractured his T5 vertebra while leading the Tampa main event on Feb. 8, 2025. Brown and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team called the result a milestone in a long recovery that included a brief, ill-fated return at the Ironman round of Pro Motocross and an infection the previous year.

Brown said the result “hasn’t sunk in yet,” added that he had been “hungry every day,” and called Arlington “the first race of ten,” describing 2026 as a year to “put it all together.” He said he planned a long-game approach focused on maximizing points and staying consistent over the remaining races while cleaning up mistakes. Arlington SX at AT&T Stadium produced a chaotic night: a first-turn pileup, a messy heat in which Brown initially struggled in the whoops before dialing them in, and differing accounts of how he took the lead. Some outlets reported he seized it on the gate (a light-gate lead), while others described a late pass on Jo Shimoda; Brown ultimately finished 2.4 seconds ahead of Shimoda and rode aggressively after the chaotic start.

Reports also varied about qualifying — some sources said he qualified P1, others that he struggled — but he nevertheless left Arlington holding the red plate. Daxton Bennick reached the podium for the third consecutive season opener, underscoring the depth of the field. The night was clouded by a warning-light controversy after video showed Brown and Bennick jumping with the warning light on; the AMA ruled no penalties, stating, “the presence of the warning light alone does not prohibit riders without accompanying flag signals.” The event also prompted public comments about safety and race control from Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager Lars Lindstrom after two separate red cross-flag incidents were called during the night.