Hunter Lawrence Claims Indianapolis Triple Crown Victory
Round 9 of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross season brought the championship to the heart of motorsport country at Lucas Oil Stadium. The second Triple Crown event of the season delivered intense racing across three Main Events as championship leader Hunter Lawrence emerged victorious to extend his advantage in the 450SMX title fight.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class, Cole Davies delivered a flawless performance with a clean sweep of all three races to capture his first win of the season.
Lawrence Edges Tomac in Triple Crown Showdown
The opening 12 Minute + 1 Lap race saw Ken Roczen take control early and cruise to a comfortable victory. Behind him, Lawrence secured second while Eli Tomac battled through the pack from outside the top ten to finish third. Cooper Webb and Justin Cooper completed the top five.
Race 2 produced even more drama. Roczen’s chances for the overall ended when he mistimed a rhythm section and collided with Aaron Plessinger, sending Plessinger out of the race and Roczen to the back of the field.
Out front, Tomac appeared poised to win after passing Justin Cooper for the lead. However, Cooper regrouped and launched a successful counterattack to reclaim the top spot and take the victory. Webb finished third while Lawrence lost ground after getting caught up with lapped riders and finished fourth.
after a quiet and consistent night.
The final race proved decisive. Lawrence grabbed the holeshot and quickly established control ahead of Tomac. As the track deteriorated and lapped traffic intensified, the Australian gradually built a comfortable margin and rode flawlessly to secure the win by 5.5 seconds.
The strong finish allowed Lawrence to claim the overall victory via tiebreaker after both he and Tomac finished the night tied on seven points. Lawrence’s results of 2-4-1 narrowly edged Tomac’s 3-2-2 thanks to the Race 3 tiebreaker.
Eli Tomac, Hunter Lawrence, and Cooper Webb
Championship Battle Tightens
Lawrence’s second victory of the season extended his lead in the championship standings to four points over Tomac heading into the series’ lone off weekend. Webb sits third in the standings, 25 points behind the leader.
“This win means a lot. We’ve been testing all week and pushing hard with the team, so this feels like a great reward for everyone involved.”
Lawrence said
Davies Dominates 250SMX Triple Crown
The Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class also featured its first Triple Crown of the season, and it marked a major breakthrough for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Davies.
Davies began the night by taking a commanding Race 1 victory over Jo Shimoda, with Seth Hammaker finishing third. Championship leader Pierce Brown faced adversity early, fighting back from a last-place start to finish tenth.
to secure a runner-up finish.
Race 2 delivered an exciting battle between Davies and Shimoda as they worked their way past early leader Jalek Swoll. Davies eventually secured the lead and went on to claim his second win of the night, while Brown rebounded with a strong third-place finish.
to earn an overall podium result.
The final race once again saw Davies at his best. After working past Swoll for the lead, the New Zealander sprinted away from the field before surviving a late push from Hammaker and Shimoda to complete a perfect 1-1-1 sweep.
Jo Shimoda, Cole Davies, and Seth Hammaker
The dominant performance earned Davies his first win of the 2026 season and moved him into the points lead. Hammaker now sits just one point behind in second, while Brown and Shimoda are tied for third, only two points off the top.
Momentum Builds Toward East/West Showdown
With the Indianapolis Triple Crown now complete, the championship battles in both classes remain incredibly tight. Lawrence’s momentum in the premier class and Davies’ breakthrough performance in the 250SMX division have set the stage for an exciting next chapter.
The series now heads toward the first East/West Showdown of the season, where the best riders from both 250 divisions will meet on the same gate—an event that could significantly reshape the championship picture.
