Cooper Webb wins Arlington Supercross Triple Crown, closes to within two of Tomac Eli Tomac extends contract, will race full SuperMotocross schedule

ARLINGTON, Texas – Cooper Webb edged out Chase Sexton in a late race in Race 3 of the Arlington Triple Crown Monster Energy Supercross to create a points tie to win Round 7 on a tiebreaker.. Webb’s win in the third race of the evening, which gave him 5-2-1, was just what was needed to give him his second win of the season.

“In racing, you never know for sure,” Webb told NBC Sports correspondent Will Christian. “I didn’t put myself in a good position at the beginning. I made a mistake in the rhythm section that cost me dearly. The track was really difficult, you couldn’t catch up if you pushed hard. It was quite sharp and smooth underneath.”

None of the three podium finishers had perfect races. Webb’s slow start in race 1 hooked him hard and with fifth place he had a lot of opportunities to make up for.

Sexton finished third in the first two races and was poised to take the overall win until roundabouts came into play.

Eli Tomac won Race 1 and later said, “I love doing these Triple Crown Events. I had a great start there and ended up getting into that corner and then doing my own race.”

RESULTS: How they finished the 450 Main in Arlington

Race 3 round 7 should have been the winner in all formats. Two dots separate the top three from this feature. Tomac led with 5, Sexton was second with 6 and Webb was third with 7 in the Arlington Supercross Triple Crown. It was the right lineup considering how hard these three riders have been pushing each other all year.

In the final race, Tomac took the lead until he made a mistake on the back of a tunnel jump. His bike flew out from under him, dropping Tomac from the lead to fourth place.

Sexton pressured Tomac early in race 3 until he fell, costing him three seconds. The combination of Tomac’s crash and Sexton’s fall allowed Webb to close the distance.

Each of the riders was able to overcome their mistakes and climb the podium, and the overlapping movement played a decisive role. With Sexton held up by a driver with less than two minutes left on the clock, Webb pounced and took the lead.

With a score of 3-3-2, Sexton finished second. Tomac finished the podium with a score of 1-4-6.

Tomac held onto the red plate, but narrowly over Webb by two points. Sexton is five points behind third Tomac.

Jason Anderson started the evening hard. He crashed on the first lap and was knocked down by Sexton, and his ninth-place finish in that race made the overall victory all but unattainable. Anderson won the second race and finished third in the final heat for fourth place overall.

With a score of 2-6-4, Ken Roczen rounded out the top five.

Here’s how Cooper Webb did it in 450 Race 3️⃣

Monster Energy 450 Main Event Live @Kroger#SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross pic.twitter.com/Y9PG2DDS8p

Supercross Live! (@supercrosslive) February 26, 2023

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The Triple Crown format always adds drama to the evening.

Nate Thrasher and Hunter Lawrence advanced to the final race of the 250 East Triple Crown with four points each. As in the 450 class, overall victory will go to the rider with the best result in Race 3. Things went awry for Lawrence in the first corner. Passing through the dense crowd, Lawrence ran out of the room and put down his bike. Max Anstie hit him in the back and flipped over the top, pinning Lawrence under two bikes.

Meanwhile, Nate Thrasher pulled ahead and the calculations seemed easy. Thrasher was on his way to an easy win until he crashed, losing first place to Jeremy Martin. Thrasher recovered to finish third, and after a couple of second places in the first two races, he earned the fewest points to take his first win of the season.

To make his victory more dramatic, Thrasher rode with an injured knee.

“I’ve been digging all night,” Thrasher said. “In the second race I had an accident. My knee is bothering me, but that’s no excuse. We should have won the last main and I’m a little disappointed. But the way I drive right now is incredible. I have the speed to win every night and I didn’t have that before.”

Click here to see the full 250 top results.

As he rode, Jordon Smith counted in his mind. He knew he was ahead of Lawrence after that driver’s crash in turn one and saw his teammate Thrasher go down at the end of the race. Had Smith been able to close the distance and pass Thrasher for third, the 250 East race would also have ended in a draw, with Smith’s best race 3 result giving him the win.

“When I saw Nate fall and realized that Hunter was somewhere behind me, I knew that I could get him,” Smith said. “The race was treacherous, the last one. I was trying to run some math in my head and I knew I needed to get Nate, so I was trying to push him on the last lap and all those whoops, you just can’t push them too hard.”

Smith was rocked by the whoops and couldn’t catch up.

Lawrence is human. After winning the first two rounds in the 250 East division, he was victorious in Race 1 of the Arlington Triple Crown. He had a poor start in the second race and only got up in the third. An accident at Turn 1 sealed his fate, but even then Lawrence was able to break out of the last rows and finish sixth.

Lawrence tied Smith by 10 points that evening and finished second in the tiebreak.

“Tough day at the office,” Lawrence said after the race. “A few setbacks, but the guys who won the championship last year didn’t win the Triple Crown, so I’m trying to make the most of it.”

With a score of 5-9-2, Tom Vialle finished fourth.

Max Anstie finished 3-4-9 in three races and rounded out the top five.

Results of the race in 2023

Oakland: Eli Tomac equals Ricky Carmichael with 48 wins
Tampa: Cooper Webb wins first win of 2023
Houston: Tomac recovers from A2 crash to win third race of 2023
Anaheim 2: Triple Crown Produces New Winners Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen
San Diego: Tomac and Jett Lawrence double down
Anaheim 1: Tomac wins first game for the first time

Arlington Supercross coverage

Eli Tomac extends contract with Pro Motocross and SMX
Max Anstey: Don’t Skip Steps
Marvin Musquin out indefinitely with wrist injury
Supermotocross ranking after Oakland
Eli Tomac wins Oakland; ties Ricky Carmichael on the winners list
Results and points after Auckland
Jason Anderson gets suspended sentence for rough driving
Eli Tomac wins Arlington 2022

ARLINGTON, Texas. Monster Energy Star Racing has announced that Eli Tomac will extend his contract and compete in the full season of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross and the inaugural SuperMotocross (SMX) championship.

In 2022, Tomac won both dirt bike championships, ending his Supercross title with one race left on the schedule and surviving a fierce battle with Chase Sexton in the outdoor series. He now has the opportunity to claim three titles in a season with a new three round playoffs at the end of the year.

“At the beginning of the season, I really thought it was going to be a farewell tour, but I had too much fun racing my bike,” Tomac said in a press release. “I enjoyed every minute of the journey with the team so I am happy to announce that I will be racing the entire SMX series.”

Tomac started the season strongly with back-to-back season opener victories in Anaheim, California and San Diego. Despite serious problems at Anaheim 2 and Tampa, he held onto the red plate, signifying his points lead in the first six rounds. He enters this weekend’s Supercross round in Arlington seven points ahead of Sexton and Cooper Webb..

“We are thrilled to have Eli on board for the entire SMX season,” said Jeremy Cocker, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team Manager. “It’s been a great start to 2023 and he’s been riding phenomenally. We hope to maintain this momentum for the rest of the year and defend 450 titles in both Supercross and Motocross and claim the title at this first Supermotocross World Championship.”

Tomac entered the 2023 season with four motocross titles (2022, 2019, 2018 and 2017) and two supercross titles (2022, 2020). He was runner-up in motocross in 2016 and 2021. In 2015, 2017 and 2019, Tomac finished second in Supercross. In fact, he has not gone beyond the top three in points in any series since 2017.

Tomac opened the season by breaking a tie with Chad Reed and finishing fourth on the Supercross win list with 44. Last week in Oakland, Tomac won his 48th round to tie Ricky Carmichael in third place. He…