Smith Makes Up Ground at East/West Showdown in Nashville
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith gained valuable points in the West with a fourth-place finish at Nashville Supercross / Apr 21, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith made up important points in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship, cutting his deficit by eight points with a fourth-place finish inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Teammate Haiden Deegan rode with heart at the first of two East/West Showdown races, coming all the way up to sixth after starting 18th to stay within 13 points of the lead in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship. Nate Thrasher finished 13th on a tough night, while rookie Daxton Bennick endured his fair share of adversity as he made it to the main through the LCQ and finished 20th. Unfortunately, Nick Romano had a crash in his heat race that also had him in the LCQ and did not transfer to the main.
Smith showcased his prowess on the track, despite facing some challenges. Starting strong with a second-place finish in the 250SX West qualifying, he continued his impressive performance by securing second in his heat race. In the main event, Smith displayed remarkable resilience, climbing from a fourth-place start to briefly hold third position before a tip-over dropped him to sixth. Undeterred, he pushed forward, ultimately crossing the finish line in fourth and collecting valuable points to sit 18 points from the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship lead.
Like Smith, Deegan exhibited remarkable tenacity and skill as he battled through adversity to secure a commendable sixth-place finish. Despite a solid fourth-place performance in 250SX East qualifying, the Californian faced a setback in his heat race, where a tip-over in the sand relegated him to eighth place, narrowly securing his spot in the main event. With a less-than-ideal gate pick, he was pinched on the start of the main event and found himself 18th. Deegan refused to yield, showcasing his determination and resilience on the track. With unwavering focus and grit, he steadily worked his way through the pack, ultimately crossing the finish line in an impressive sixth place.
Despite facing numerous challenges throughout the race, Thrasher showcased his resilience and skill at the East/West Showdown in front of the home crowd. He started the day on a positive note with a seventh-place qualifying spot in the 250SX West category but then encountered difficulties in his heat race and finished seventh. Then in the main event, there was an early-race crash, and with nowhere to go, he went off track and found himself 20th. Undeterred, he climbed through the field to secure a respectable 13th-place finish.
The rookies, Bennick and Romano, faced a challenging evening at the East/West Showdown in the tricky conditions. While Bennick qualified seventh and Romano ninth in the 250SX East qualifying, both riders crashed in their 250SX Heat Race, necessitating a trip to the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). Bennick managed to salvage his night with a strong performance in the LCQ, securing a second-place finish and earning a spot in the main event. However, Romano's night came to an early end in the LCQ. Despite Bennick's efforts in the main event, the race proved to be another uphill battle with a tough start, and he ultimately finished in 20th.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing heads to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, next weekend for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross East Region’s penultimate round and Round 15 of the SuperMotocross World Series at Lincoln Financial Field on April 27.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“Today, as a whole, we made some steps in the right direction, and the guys made some headway with this being an east/west shootout. Jordon made up some ground and had a good race, even with a mistake that pushed him off the podium. Haiden had his challenges. He was the very first gate on the inside and tried to fight for position but started way back. It wasn’t easy, but he put his head down and rode an awesome race. With some unfortunate things that happened to some other guys in the same coast, he made up some points as well. As we saw, anything could happen, and the whole outlook of the season changed in one race. We somewhat know what to expect at the next two rounds, but it could be chaos again in Salt Lake. Nate rode well but seemed to find himself in unfortunate situations. Nick had his share of trouble overall, and I know Dax is frustrated, but we’ll get him turned around this week. We’ll regroup with our rookies to make sure they are where they belong.”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was a pretty good day. The track conditions were tough. It kept changing. At first it was muddy, then it was dry, so it made it tough to get used to the track. Overall though, I had some good starts and was running well. I just had that one little mistake in the main event that cost me a podium. We’ll keep working and come back in Denver.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #38
“The day started out pretty good, and I haven’t been at the top of qualifying before, so that was pretty lit. In the heat race, I was in second but crashed and was in 11th when I got up. I barely made it into the main, which was a little scary. In the main event, I got the first gate, and got pinched off on the start and came out last. Then I got stuck a little bit in that second turn crash. I just charged forward and made my way up to sixth. So now we just have to come out swinging in Philly.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #57
“It was a tough night in Nashville. We were in an unfortunate situation on the first lap, which put me in a bad spot at the beginning of the main. I feel like my riding was decent. I’ve just got to figure out my starts. We’ll put this one behind us and get ready for Denver.”
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #59
“The day as a whole was tough, but knowing that there were a lot of guys out there who crashed and got hurt, I’m thankful we get to head back and get ready for Philly. We’ll put in the work we need to get back on track.”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“It was a tough night with some bad luck during the night show. I was running fourth in the heat race and fell in the sand, then I got tangled up in the LCQ. No excuses; it was just a rough weekend. There’s no quit in me, and we will end these last two races on a high. The track tonight was good considering the rain and mud, Dirt Works did a great job.”
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Nashville Results
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship Standings
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship Standings
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