H.E.P. Motorsports’ Ken Roczen wheeled his No. 94 Suzuki into first position during the opening laps of qualifying, but it was a short-lived lead, as Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton was hot in pursuit.
Only a few minutes into the session, Sexton elevated his No. 23 machine to the top of the leaderboard with a 52.580-second lap time. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo was close behind with a 52.889-second lap time, while last week’s winner Justin Barcia was third.
After ending the first qualifying session on top, Star Racing Yamaha’s Eli Tomac slipped down to fourth in the second session. The current championship leader is entering the race 11 points ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb, who qualified eighth.
With three races to go — including Saturday’s race at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. — it’s crunch time for the title fight. Both Tomac and Webb are dueling for a third career 450SX championship.
Roczen qualified fifth.
Justin Hill, Jason Anderson, Webb, Benny Bloss and Colt Nichols completed the top 10. Notably, Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger will sit out this weekend’s race due to an ongoing injury.
Overall 250SX Qualifying Results
Though Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda was out front early in qualifying, it was points leader Hunter Lawrence who soared to the top of the scoreboard in the final session of the day. The Honda HRC rider turned a 52.407-second lap time aboard his No. 96 steed.
If Lawrence finishes the race 20th or better, he will secure the 250SX East title.
Star Racing Yamaha’s Jordon Smith slid into second with a 53.325-second lap time, while Shimoda claimed third on his No. 30 green machine. Haiden Deegan, who is currently second in the championship and 49 points behind Lawrence, qualified fourth. Last week’s winner Max Anstie completed the top five.