Fort Worth SMX 2024
Playoff #2 | Fort Worth
Although Supercross has run in multiple stadiums in Dallas, Irving and Arlington, the SuperMotocross playoff round at Texas Motor Speedway is a first for this type of racing in Fort Worth.
Thirty miles northwest of Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, TMS has hosted major NASCAR races since its opening in 1997.
After coming so close in both Supercross and Pro Motocross, Hunter Lawrence (1-3) got his first ever 450 win in the penultimate round of his rookie season AND took over the 450SMX points lead.
H. Lawrence found himself in a familiar position after he won the opening moto at Texas Motor Speedway. He won three opening motos throughout the 2024 Pro Motocross and wasn’t able to get the overall.
The math worked out in Hunter’s favor in Fort Worth when costly mistakes in moto one caused his brother Jett Lawrence (3-2) to cough up his shot at the win. The younger Lawrence took a rare third.
The opening moto featured the Lawrence brothers and Eli Tomac (2-5) in a classic battle. Tomac hunted them down from 6 seconds back but couldn’t make a pass stick on Hunter.
Chase Sexton (4-1) was a non-factor in moto one but ran away with moto two, opening a double digit lead before cruising to a 9-second + victory.
Four different 450 riders won the first four motos of the 2024 SMX series, which was one more moto than riders who won the 22 motos in Pro Motocross.
Unlike the 450 class where four different riders have won, Haiden Deegan (1-1) dominated again, this time after pulling both holeshots and leading wire to wire in both motos.
At the triple points paying Las Vegas finale, Deegan can finish third and still win the title. He’s +19 on Tom Vialle (3-2). Vialle finished second overall and Honda’s Jo Shimoda (2-3) continues to impress after being only 5 weeks removed from a broken collarbone.
The 250 class lost quite a few riders before gates even dropped. Jalek Swoll, who crashed out of Charlotte moto 1 announced he was done for the season. Chance Hymas withdrew to rest his knee. Casey Cochran also sat out after crashing in Charlotte.
