Lawrence triumphs in Nashville Nail-biter

Honda’s Aussie star owned Music City as the 450 title fight hit a new peak

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship returned to “Music City” for Round 13 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, drawing a huge Nissan Stadium crowd to watch what had been the closest three-rider 450SMX title fight in class history. By night’s end, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence delivered when it mattered most, taking a commanding Main Event win that also handed him sole control of the points lead heading into the final four races.

Nashville marked the series’ first stop in the city since the 2024 season, and the 20 Minutes + 1 Lap 450 Main began with Quad Lock Honda’s Shane McElrath ripping the holeshot. The lead didn’t last long, with the early shuffle eventually putting Team Tedder Racing KTM’s Justin Hill out front from Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado, while Lawrence settled into the top five. Roczen soon went on the offensive and took over at the point as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac, who arrived as co-leader, was stuck outside the top 10 in the early laps.

As Roczen controlled the tempo, Lawrence surged into second and looked like the quickest rider on track. The front pair broke away through the middle stages, hovering around a one to two-second gap. Just after the eight-minute mark, Roczen lost traction approaching a triple and Lawrence pounced, moving into the lead and then completing the pass cleanly before stretching it to nearly two seconds. Roczen then hit the deck not long after, dropping back to fourth behind Hill and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb.

Lawrence continued to disappear up the road, building a cushion of more than 15 seconds in the closing minutes while the podium fight sparked behind him. Webb had an initial crack at Hill for second but was turned back, then reset and made it stick shortly after. Roczen followed Webb through into third as Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton applied pressure from fourth.

Out front, Lawrence stayed mistake-free to secure his fourth win of the season, beating Webb by 7.1 seconds as the reigning champ returned to the podium for the first time in four races. Roczen completed the rostrum with his fourth straight podium in third. Tomac, despite being fastest qualifier and winning his Heat Race, never became a factor in the Main Event, reaching as high as eighth before a late crash dropped him to 12th, matching his worst finish of the year.

With four rounds remaining, Lawrence now holds a 10-point championship advantage over Roczen, who jumps from third to second in the standings. Tomac slides to third and sits 15 points back after sharing the red plate entering Nashville.