FORT WORTH, Texas – What happens in Vegas will cash out a $1 million check.
In a record-setting $10 million purse for the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship Finals Fueled by Monster Energy, it’s a winner-take-all among the top three championship contenders.
Hunter Lawrence holds the edge after winning the overall in Round 2 held at Texas Motor Speedway. His first win of the year couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It was a good day,” Lawrence shared after the race. “I don’t think I surprised myself. I think I’ve been knocking on the door long enough all year long.”
Ironically enough, Lawrence won the second round in the inaugural World Championship last year when he competed for the 250SMX title. With this year’s promotion into the 450SMX class, it took 28 starts to grab the Moto 1 victory and a third-place finish in Moto 2, enough to win the overall and grab the championship lead by a single point.
With triple points earned next Saturday, he knows what he has to do to claim the title fighting against Chase Sexton and brother Jett Lawrence.
“It’s funny, the red plate in this series means as much as the Motocross or Supercross series because you’ve got the double (points this week) and the triple points next weekend, so it’s winner-take-all next weekend. In outdoors, if you’ve got a nine point lead, you can finish behind the guy both motos and still win (the championship).
“It’s what this series was made to do. It’s Vegas.”
With 24 top 10 finishes and 11 podiums in his last 15 AMA starts combined, momentum is on his side.
And now with a win on the stage of the World Championship Playoffs, there’s one thing left for the Australian native to do.
The final round of the SuperMotocross World Championship will be on The Strip in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 21. Coverage begins live streaming on Peacock with Race Day Live at 4:30 p.m. ET with opening ceremonies starting at 9:30 p.m. ET. The first rerun will air on NBC, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET with an encore on CNBC on Monday at 1 a.m. ET.
450SMX OVERALL RESULTS
2024 SMX Playoff 2 – Fort Worth, TX
Texas Motor Speedway
- #96, HON, Hunter Lawrence, 1-3
- #4, KTM, Chase Sexton, 4-1
- #1, HON, Jett Lawrence, 3-2
- #3, YAM, Eli Tomac, 2-5
- #2, YAM, Cooper Webb, 5-4
- #94, SUZ, Ken Roczen, 6-6
- #7, KTM, Aaron Plessinger, 9-7
- #21, KAW, Jason Anderson, 8-8
- #14, HON, Dylan Ferrandis, 7-9
- #45, SUZ, Colt Nichols, 13-10
- #15, HON, Dean Wilson, 14-11
- #51, GAS, Justin Barcia, 12-13
- #27, HUS, Malcolm Stewart, 11-17
- #28, HUS, Christian Craig, 10-18
- #12, KAW, Shane McElrath, 15-14
- #11, SUZ, Kyle Chisholm, 18-12
- #79, KTM, Harri Kullas, 17-16
- #75, YAM, Marshal Weltin, 22-15
- #23, YAM, Grant Harlan, 16-22
- #22, KAW, Freddie Noren, 20-19
- #36, YAM, Phillip Nicoletti, 19-21
- #70, YAM, Jerry Robin, 23-20
- #32, YAM, Justin Cooper, 21-23