Eyes on 2025 SuperMotocross

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Daxton Bennick achieved a consistent top-five result at tonight's second round of the 250SX East season at Daytona, racing to a fifth-place finish in Round 8 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship. Bennick and his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition were on pace from the outset at the famed Daytona International Speedway, negotiating a challenging race track to claim third position in 250SX East qualifying once the two sessions were completed. The 20-year-old then launched to the holeshot for the second Heat Race of the round, finishing a hard-fought P4 and earning a direct transfer to the Main Event at the conclusion of the six-lap sprint. Starting outside the top 10 in the Main Event, Bennick made a steady climb through the pack throughout the race, charging all the way to the checkered flag as he delivered a well-earned P5 finish and banked solid points toward his championship. Bennick currently holds fifth in the standings after 3-5 Main Event scores to open the 250SX East series, as the SMX World Championship features its second Triple Crown event of 2026 next weekend in Indianapolis. "It's good to wrap up here in Daytona with a P5," said Bennick. "I struggled a little bit in Q1, but I really found a flow and got some speed together for Q2 and finished up in third place. My Heat Race was good – we made some improvements in the whoops in between rounds and I think that showed tonight, but we will keep working on that. Then, for the Main Event, I pushed a little wide off the start, which made it hard on myself. I came from around 11th to fifth, so we salvaged good points on what could have been a bad night, which I am happy with." 450SX contender Malcolm Stewart was seventh-quickest on the combined 450SX qualifying timesheets, finding a strong rhythm aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition in front of his home fans in Florida. The 33-year-old then claimed a P4 result in his Heat Race after challenging for the lead during the early stages, before launching to a fast start in the Main Event to circle the opening lap among the front-runners. Stewart ultimately took 10th place at Round 8, adding another consistent score to his campaign. "Daytona is always a fun race for me," reflected Stewart. "Being at home is nice and yeah, tonight’s Heat Race was good – I had an opening lap that was pretty awesome, so it was cool hearing the crowd cheer for me! In the Main Event, we had a good start, but I got shuffled back a bit after a few mistakes. Daytona is the type of track where if you’re not flowing, it can bite you, and tonight we didn’t have the best flow in the Main. Overall, the positives are that we had good starts and we showed a bit of speed, but we need to improve on maintaining that pace. We’ll keep moving forward and look forward to the next round." Next Race: March 7 – Indianapolis, Indiana Results 450SX Class – Daytona 1. Eli Tomac (KTM) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 6. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 10. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 8 of 17 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 171 points 2. Eli Tomac, 170 3. Ken Roczen, 151 8. Aaron Plessinger, 95 11. Malcolm Stewart, 75 13. Jorge Prado, 73 18. RJ Hampshire, 38 Results 250SX East Class – Daytona 1. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) 2. Cole Davies (Yamaha) 3. Pierce Brown (Yamaha) 5. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250SX East Class 2026 after 2 of 10 rounds 1. Pierce Brown, 45 points 2. Seth Hammaker, 43 3. Jo Shimoda, 40 5. Daxton Bennick, 37

Husqvarna Factory Racing star secures indoor title with one round to spare

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing recruit Daxton Bennick delivered an impressive podium finish on debut with the team at tonight's 250SX East season-opener in Arlington, landing a convincing third-place result in what was Round 7 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship. Bennick made his first official appearance with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna at AT&T Stadium in Texas, piloting his Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition – which featured special graphics for Military Appreciation Round – to fifth position at the conclusion of qualifying. After taking P5 in the second 250SX Heat Race, a strong launch to the Main Event had the 20-year-old feature in a race-long duel toward the front of the field, and at times, applying pressure for the lead of the race. In an exceptional display of speed and consistency at the Eastern Division opener, Bennick recorded a P3 finish to open his 2026 campaign. "Arlington was good!" said Bennick. "I struggled a little bit in the first practice just getting comfortable with being at the races again, and then in the second one I felt a lot better – I found a flow that really worked for me and I was gelling well with the bike. Its power was awesome and allowed me to get that three in, which only a handful of us were able to do in that big rhythm lane. My starts today were great too – and felt very repeatable – which I am stoked about. In the Main Event, I put my head down, got into a good position off the start, and went to work. I wish I could've been a little better in some areas to maybe win, but it is the first round and I kept that in mind, but I think we have some good results coming and I'm happy with how my night went." 450SX challenger Malcolm Stewart posted the fastest time in the opening 450SX qualifying session in Arlington, before being classified P10 overall on combined times equipped with his Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition as the afternoon sessions concluded. After a challenging start in the Heat Race, the 33-year-old worked his way forward with a composed ride, advancing into third position by race's end and building momentum ahead of the Main Event. Stewart managed to circulate in seventh for a large share of the Main Event, before a late-race fall relegated him back to 11th at Round 7 of the SMX World Championship season, with positives to take after a solid outing in Texas. "The Texas fans are always a good crowd," reflected Stewart. "All day I felt really good, through both qualifying and the Heat Race. The Main Event was going really well too, but I made one little mistake over the on-off, which cost me quite a few positions. We ended up 11th, but other than that, we're trending in the right direction, and things are getting back on track to where we need them to be. The crash was a little bit of a bummer, but I am more proud of my riding than the results. At the end of the day, we can continue to keep fighting heading into my home race in Daytona next weekend – hopefully the Florida fans bring the vibe!" Next Race: February 28 – Daytona, Florida Results 450SX Class – Arlington 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Eli Tomac (KTM) 3. Cooper Webb (Yamaha) 8. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 11. Malcolm Stewart (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) 12. Justin Hill (KTM) 17. Kevin Moranz (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 7 of 17 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 149 points 2. Eli Tomac, 145 3. Cooper Webb, 133 10. Aaron Plessinger, 79 11. Jorge Prado, 73 12. Malcolm Stewart, 63 13. Justin Hill, 61 17. RJ Hampshire, 38 Results 250SX Class – Arlington 1. Pierce Brown (Yamaha) 2. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 3. Daxton Bennick (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) Standings 250SX East Class 2026 after 1 of 10 rounds 1. Pierce Brown, 25 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 22 3. Daxton Bennick, 20