Deegan WINS Arlington Triple Crown!

Haiden Deegan took home the win and the points lead after his near-perfect sweep in Arlington, Texas, finishing 1-1-2. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider started poorly in each of the three races but battled his way to the front in dominating fashion.

Despite his struggles to begin the year, the #38’s second win of the season came at a crucial time. On a night where the title contenders ran into their own problems, Deegan was able to leapfrog them in the standings, creating a 6-point cushion.

Jordon Smith was leading late in race one until a vicious crash in the whoop section. Smith was unable to continue for the remainder of the evening, and it was confirmed post-race that he had sustained a punctured lung. Tough luck for the entire Triumph Racing team, as their season continues to be plagued by injuries.

Muc-Off FXR ClubMx Yamaha’s Coty Schock landed on the podium for the first time in his career. Schock finished 2-4-6 across the three races which earned him the 2nd place on the podium. It was a great ride for Schock, and the whole ClubMx team should be proud of their performance at AT&T Stadium.

Michael Mosiman continues his steady rise back to form, finishing on the podium for the first time since 2022. Coming off a string of nasty injuries, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider finished 3-2-7 across the three races to secure 3rd overall.

Honda HRC Progressive pilot Jo Shimoda benefited from the recent time off, to rest and recover his injured finger. Jo appeared much closer to ‘100%’ showing much more aggression throughout the evening. He scored 5-5-3 to secure 4th overall.

Julien Beaumer entered the weekend holding the red plate, but unfortunately dislocated his shoulder during one of the qualifying sessions, which hindered his performance throughout the night. Juju confirmed post race that he will undergo further treatment for the shoulder but this will not prevent him from racing the rest of the series. He finished 6-8-4 in the races for 6th overall.

New Zealand rookie Cole Davies won the final race of the evening but a first turn crash in the second race derailed his chance at a podium finish. The #100 is now third in points, 22 points behind Deegan.

Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha’s Enzo Lopes went 9-6-8 to finish 8th overall. Solid showing for the Brazilian as he looks to find his flow in his return to racing. His teammate Dilan Schwartz, made his first appearance of the season and finished 15th.

Lux Turner put his AEO Powersports KTM Racing machine up front in each of the three races and finished strong to secure a career best 9th overall. Turner looked fast all day and seemed more than comfortable running inside the top ten. His teammate Avery Long returned from a concussion sustained in San Diego, finishing up in 18th place.

Dream Chasers Racing rider Anton Nordstrom qualified for his first ever AMA Supercross main event in Arlington. The Swedish native has been racing the GT Arena Motocross series to begin the year, aboard a KTM 300-SX 2-stroke machine, and then was offered the chance to race the remaining 250SX West Coast rounds aboard a YZ250F with the Dream Chasers Racing effort. I caught up with Anton post-race, and he mentioned that he had only ridden the bike once prior to Arlington due to injury.

“First main event of the year, qualified 14th, super happy about that. I was stressing out after qualifying, seeing my time drop with the A group out, and when they were done, I was still 14th. I was like, wait, what? Did I make it? There were some happy tears, I’m over the moon, so stoked to make the main event after being close two times last year,” said Nordstrom when asked about the emotions of making his first-ever main event.

Qualifying for your first main event is a big milestone for any rider when paving their way through the pro ranks, I asked Anton if his expectations have now changed for the remaining rounds.

“My goal for the supercross season is to make the main events, that goal is still the same” he said. “Now I know that I am capable of doing it, so, I have more confidence in myself for sure!”

The Triple Crown format provided a unique opportunity for the Swede, with three gate drops instead of the traditional one.

“The first two were horrible [main events] because I was so nervous” he said. “The last one was much better, I was actually fighting the guys at the back of the pack”

Despite the West Coast competitors now having a break as we head to Daytona, Nordstrom will be heading to Florida to line up in the 450SX class.

- Edward Heather (@edward_heather on Instagram)