Eli Tomac makes Daytona history with record-breaking eighth Supercross win
By Team TMX on 2nd Mar 26
There are iconic venues in American motorsport – and then there is Daytona. On Saturday night, inside the fabled Daytona International Speedway, Eli Tomac ensured his name now sits above them all.
Round 8 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship delivered a landmark moment as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider claimed his eighth premier-class victory at the Daytona Supercross, breaking a long-standing tie with NASCAR great Richard Petty to become the most successful competitor in the speedway’s 67-year history.
It was a statistic few expected to see beaten. Petty’s seven Daytona 500 wins had stood as a benchmark of supremacy at the Florida venue. Now Tomac stands alone.
Tomac began the 450SMX main in fourth, tucked in behind all three of his chief title rivals. Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence grabbed the holeshot in the 20-minute-plus-one-lap encounter but was quickly overhauled by Suzuki’s Ken Roczen. Cooper Webb slotted into third, with Tomac watching the early fireworks unfold ahead of him.
The Daytona surface - always unique and always technical - deteriorated rapidly into a rutted, sandy chessboard. For much of the opening half the top three circulated within a second and a half, probing for traction and advantage.
A decisive move on Lawrence for second opened the door, and one lap later he railed the outside option to surge past Roczen as they blasted towards the finish line jump. With just over 12 minutes remaining, Tomac seized the lead – and once there, he was gone.
The KTM rider stretched out a multi-second buffer, controlling the race with trademark composure. Lawrence clawed past Roczen in the closing stages to salvage second, but the gap never truly came down. At the chequered flag Tomac secured his fourth win of the season – and the 57th of his career – by 1.3 seconds.
Behind the leading trio, Webb rode to a relatively lonely fourth, with Joey Savatgy completing the top five.
More significantly, Tomac’s triumph slashed the championship deficit to just a single point behind Lawrence, while Roczen and Webb now sit tied for third, 20 points adrift.
“I don’t want to think about how old I am,” smiled Tomac. “I just go out there and ride like I’m at my home track in Colorado. I love this dirt, love how this track develops. I had to work for it tonight - went through all my main competition - but I had a great time on the bike.”
Lawrence admitted he simply left his charge too late. “I really wanted to stop that eighth win,” the Australian said. “But I couldn’t make up the difference.”
Earlier in the evening, the Eastern Divisional 250SMX class delivered its own shake-up.
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, nursing injuries from a heavy qualifying crash, grabbed the holeshot and never looked back in the 15-minute main. Under sustained pressure from Jo Shimoda and the hard-charging Cole Davies, the Pennsylvanian controlled proceedings from the front.
Davies stormed from ninth to second in a standout ride for Star Yamaha, while points leader Pierce Brown capitalised on a late mistake from Shimoda to claim third.
Hammaker’s victory - his fourth career 250 win - ended Star Yamaha’s unbeaten run in the division this season and moved him to within two points of Brown at the top of the standings.
