Hunter Lawrence wins Budds Creek, retakes 450SMX lead
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 23, 2026
Hunter Lawrence retakes lead
Hunter Lawrence put himself back on top of the 450SMX standings with a win at Budds Creek National in Mechanicsville, Maryland, in the penultimate round of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship. Heavy morning rain left the track muddy early, but it dried enough later in the day to produce competitive racing, and Lawrence made the most of the changing conditions. He turned the final rounds of the season into a straight fight for the title picture and left Budds Creek with the points lead again, a result that shifts the pressure squarely onto the last race of the championship.
The win carried extra weight because it was his sixth victory of the season, a mark that shows how often he has been in control when the racing has mattered most. Budds Creek was another chance to bank a big result and it delivered. Lawrence did that and more, taking over the lead at exactly the right time. The margin for error disappears now, because the series is down to a winner-take-all finale. Lawrence’s result set that up against his brother and teammate Jett Lawrence, and the family storyline now sits at the center of the 450SMX title race.
Lawrence’s ride also fit the shape of the event itself. Budds Creek started with a track that needed time to recover after rain, then moved toward faster, more workable conditions as the day went on. That kind of swing tests riders in different ways, and Lawrence handled the change when it mattered. He left with the class win, the points lead and the kind of momentum that can decide a championship. In a season where every round has tightened the race at the top, this one mattered because it changed who controls the final decision. The championship now goes to the last gate drop with Lawrence ahead and one race left to settle it.
Chance Hymas breaks through
Chance Hymas gave Honda HRC Progressive its other Budds Creek victory and reset the tone of the 250SMX class with a win that ended a long wait. It was his first victory since Thunder Valley last year, and it made him the seventh different 250SMX winner of the summer. That alone says how open the class has been. No rider has run away with it for long, and Hymas entered Budds Creek and left it with a result that stands out both for the win itself and for the timing of it.
The Budds Creek win put Hymas back in the spotlight after a stretch without a first-place finish. He had been searching for another breakthrough since Thunder Valley, and he found it in a race that rewarded patience and control. The muddy opening stages at the track gave way to better conditions later, and that kind of progression can reward the riders who adapt fastest. Hymas did that and turned the day into a victory that mattered beyond the checkered flag. It marked his return to the top step and added another name to the list of 250SMX winners this summer.
That kind of turnover has become a defining feature of the class. Seven different winners in a single summer points to a field that has stayed tight from round to round. Hymas joined that group at Budds Creek and did it with a performance that also gave Honda HRC Progressive its second class win of the day. The team left Maryland with both major trophies, and Hymas’ result carried the additional value of proving he can still close the deal after an extended stretch without a win. For him, the breakthrough came at the right time. For the class, it was another sign that the summer has offered little room for predictability.
Budds Creek delivers sweep
Budds Creek produced a clean sweep for Honda HRC Progressive, with Hunter Lawrence taking the 450SMX class and Chance Hymas winning the 250SMX class. That kind of double victory gives a team a rare clean finish on a day when the track still carried the marks of an earlier storm. The morning rain made the surface muddy at first, and the event had to work through that before the racing opened up. Once the track dried enough to allow competitive laps, Honda HRC Progressive was the one team that converted the day into two wins.
The sweep also reinforced how much this round mattered inside the larger championship picture. Budds Creek was the penultimate stop of the season, so every result carried more weight than it would have earlier in the summer. Lawrence used the 450SMX win to reclaim the points lead, while Hymas used the 250SMX victory to end his wait for another triumph. Both outcomes arrived in the same program, and together they gave Honda HRC Progressive a strong showing at a time when teams and riders are trying to finish the season in the right position.
The day’s results also sharpened the championship narratives for the final round. Lawrence now heads into the finale with the 450SMX lead and a chance to settle the title against Jett Lawrence. Hymas leaves Budds Creek as one of the summer’s multiple winners in the 250SMX class, part of a group that has kept the category unsettled all season. The two classes followed different paths, but the outcome at Budds Creek tied them together. One rider reclaimed control of the premier class, another broke through after a long wait and one team swept both races on a day that changed the shape of the championship.
