Thrasher Tops 250SX East Podium in Arlington

26-02-2023

Thrasher Tops 250SX East Podium in Arlington

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher returned to the top step of the podium last night at the first Triple Crown of the season for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Tennessee rider notched a 2-2-3 score in the challenging conditions to take the first win of the season and advance his position in the title fight. His teammate Jordon Smith bounced back from a tough night in Tampa to take the runner-up spot with a 4-1-5 tally. Haiden Deegan came back from a tip-over in the first main event to finish his first-ever Triple Crown in eighth with a 15-5-4 result. Daxton Bennick rode a superb race to earn back-to-back victories in the Supercross 250SX Futures class.

Thrasher showed speed straight away and led the way for the team with second in qualifying. He got a good start in the first main event and quickly made his way to the runner-up spot, where he would ultimately finish. In the second main event, he got another good start and advanced to third, and then passed Deegan on the second lap. He tried to pass Smith but was also trying to protect the runner-up spot and went on to take another second-place finish. Tied for first going into the final main event, Thrasher grabbed the holeshot and then built a comfortable gap up front. Unfortunately, he went down in the whoops in the final laps but rejoined in third to claim the overall victory. His first win of the season also marked the fourth of his career and advanced him from seventh to third in the championship standings.

Smith qualified fourth for a decent gate pick in the first main event but got hit from behind in the first turn and found himself back in 10th after the first lap. The North Carolinian put his head down and charged back to fourth. Learning from that first start, Smith came out swinging with the holeshot and led from start to finish. He got another good start in the final main event in third, and around the halfway point, he was on the heels of the rider in second. Unfortunately, the rider went down under the tunnel jump, and Smith had nowhere to go. He rejoined in fifth, where he would finish, securing second overall and his second podium of the season.

In just his third pro race of his career, Deegan put in a good showing in tough conditions at the AT&T Stadium. He had decent qualifying in 10th and found himself 14th after the opening lap of the first main event. The Californian was making his way forward but had a tip-over and ultimately finished 15th. He then got a great start with the less-than-ideal gate pick and slotted into second behind his teammate Smith, crossing the line fifth at the end of the 10-minutes-plus-one-lap race. In the final main event, Deegan was sixth after the first lap but rode a smart race in the challenging conditions to make his way to fourth and end the night eighth overall.

The young Bennick put in another superb ride in the 250SX Futures class. He topped the timesheets in both qualifying sessions and grabbed the holeshot in the main event. The North Carolinian set the pace up front and earned his second-consecutive victory in the amateur series by a seven-second margin.

The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday, March 2, for Round 4 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship and the eighth round of the SuperMotocross World Championship at the iconic Daytona International Speedway.

2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Arlington Results

2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship Standings

Nate Thrasher

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“It was a good night. I started off with a second in the first main, and I felt really good with my speed. In the second main event, I didn’t ride my best. I tightened up a little bit and was in a sandwich between Jordon and Hunter (Lawrence). I made a couple of runs on Jordon but couldn’t quite get by, and then I had to protect my position because Hunter was behind me. So it was tricky, but I was happy to get another second. We went into the last one in a good position, I was kind of in the lead, but we were all pretty even. I just had to go out there and win and execute it perfectly at the start. I got out front, and I had a 10-second lead, and I just kind of backed it down a little bit. Then I got tangled with a lapper, but it is what it is. I just need to be a little better.”

Jordon Smith

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“It was a good bounce back from Tampa. I didn't get a good start in the first main. I had a pretty good jump but got hit in that first turn. The first turn tonight was gnarly with how fast you were coming in – the outside guys could sweep and the inside guys were coming straight – so you had to be careful in the first turn. We made some adjustments for the second and third main, which worked out pretty well. It was a pretty hectic night, especially that third main event. Everything else wasn’t too bad, but that third main was crazy! It felt really good to get a race win, and being second on the podium was good as well. It’s always nice getting a 1-2 for the team.”

Haiden Deegan

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“I had a super fun time at my first Triple Crown. I had a little bit of an unfortunate first race, but we are continuing to learn, which is the goal. I’m super excited for Daytona next week!”

Daxton Bennick

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“It was a really good night. I qualified first in both my practices and won the main event for the Futures class. I’m pumped about it! It was a really good day. The track was really challenging, so it made it fun and made me ride really smart, so yeah, it was good.”

Jensen Hendler

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager

“I’m very happy with how the weekend went. I don’t think we could have done much better. Daxton won the futures final, and Nate and Jordon ended up first and second overall in the Triple Crown format. Going into the final race, Nate was tied for the lead, and Jordon was one point down from there, so we were in a good position. In the final race, all three guys got great starts, and with things happening all over the track, we ended up 1-2 overall. It was awesome! “Deegan had great starts in all three races. Small mistakes kept him off the podium tonight, but he’s learning fast and definitely, has what it takes to be a podium guy. We will keep gaining experience every race and hope to see him up there soon.”