With this weekend marking the halfway point of the 2026 Supercross Championship, there are a few key storylines to follow going forward. In reverse order, here they are:
- Chase Sexton’s career status
Chase Sexton made the move from Red Bull Factory KTM Racing to Monster Energy Kawasaki this past off-season. So far he had one win with the team, but has had an inconsistent run with the team.
He is now sitting out for an unknown time to heal from a practice track injury. Sexton is not fully comfortable with the bike yet, and the team has been bringing in retired racers to help set the bike up for success.
This team change marks the third change for Sexton since 2023. He is running out of teams to go to because every time he has left a team, it has not been on fully positive terms. Can Sexton get his bike set to where he likes before it is too late, or is the two-time champion’s career heading in a negative direction?
- Jorge Prado’s Supercross season
Prado is a muti-time MXGP Champion and was one of the best racers in Europe in the past few years. In 2024, Prado raced a handful of supercross races, getting a feel for the American side of racing.
In 2025, Prado left KTM, who he was racing for since 2011, to race for the Monster Energy Kawasaki team. That year went completely off track for Prado, leaving a smudge on his resume that he hopes to forget.
This year, he went back to racing for the KTM group, and he has proven himself to be a good Supercross racer. He won the opening heat race of the 2026 for KTM and went on to get on the podium that same night, immediately proving haters wrong.
He had a shoulder joint injury in Seattle, but he came back this past week to get more experience in supercross, where he went on to finish sixth. If Prado is healthy by the time Motocross comes around, he could be a real threat to the championship contention.
- Eli Tomac’s first year at KTM
For multiple years now, there has been talks that the 33-year-old fan favorite would be retiring. At the end of 2025, Tomac’s contract was up with Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha, and the team would not be renewing it. The team stated that they wanted to keep him, but, with Haiden Deegan moving up, there would not be room for Tomac.
There were talks of him moving to Red Bull Factory KTM Racing, but it was hard to believe that Tomac would go to the team that he battled with for countless years. He went on to sign with them, and now he looks the happiest that he has in his whole career so far.
He won the opening round this year and has stacked up four wins through the season so far. He has been extremely verbal about how happy he is to be working with the team. He should be a title contender this summer in Motocross, and this was definitely a good move for Tomac to make.
- Haiden Deegan’s dominance in the 250 West class
Deegan has been racing this season to defend his supercross title, which he won last year. This year, he has won all but one race so far. He has had one of the best 250 careers in recent memory.
He has won at least one title each since he turned pro, with a total of five to his name. This summer, he will be moving up into the 450 class to race against the likes of Eli Tomac and Jett, along with his brother, Hunter Lawrence.
Deegan is not afraid to stir up some drama, so he has already started a rivalry with Jett Lawrence. Fans should keep an eye out for Deegan throughout the rest of the year, and watch as he works his way towards another championship to his name.
- The 450 title battle between Hunter Lawrence and Eli Tomac
Hunter Lawrence has two wins on the season with consistent finishes. Lawrence has five second-place finishes, two wins, and two fourth-place finishes. This riding helps to stay right in the points battle with consistency.
This has given him a four-point advantage over Eli Tomac. They have more than a 20-point differential over third place, which is held by defending champion Cooper Webb.
However, Tomac has more experience in 450 Supercross, along with more wins. With eight rounds still remaining, both riders will likely need more race wins rather than just podium finishes to secure the title.
Track conditions, starts, and late season momentum will play a major role in deciding the 2026 champion. Don’t be surprised if the title fight boils down to the last round of Supercross in May at Salt Lake City.
