Eli Tomac shatters track record with eighth win at Daytona; Seth Hammaker cruises to victory in 250SX East class
Photo Credit: Garth Milan
Eli Tomac always saves his best for Daytona International Speedway, and he delivered once again on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Rider earned his record-breaking eighth win in Daytona Beach, Fla., becoming the all-time winningest racer — regardless of race discipline — at the iconic venue. Tomac passed NASCAR great Richard Petty, who secured seven Daytona 500 victories across his long and illustrious racing career, to elevate himself to the top of the Daytona leaderboard.
Tomac had to work for his record-breaking victory, as the Colorado native found himself trailing Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence and Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen throughout much of the first half of the race. With about 12:30 remaining on the race clock, Tomac pulled into the lead and never looked back, keeping the class leader, Lawrence, and Roczen at bay.
“[The wins] are all awesome, but somehow, I’ve won eight of these,” Tomac said. “I just go out there and roost the berms like I’m at my home track. I love this dirt and just love how this track develops. I had to work for it there and went through all my main competition. I just had a great time on my motorcycle and happy to make up points this weekend.”
With the win, Tomac (170) moved to just one point behind Lawrence (171) for the 450SX class lead, with Roczen (151) and defending 450SX champion Cooper Webb (151) of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing tied for third.
It was all Seth Hammaker in the 250SX East class, as the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider took the holeshot and cruised to victory under the lights at Daytona International Speedway.
Hammaker felt very little pressure during the win, defeating second-place finisher Cole Davies of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing by over four seconds. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Pierce Brown added a third-place finish, while a late crash pushed Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda off the podium and into a fourth-place finish.
“It feels unreal,” Hammaker said. “I’m proud of the effort tonight and the team crushed it. It’s super cool to get a win at Daytona. It’s an unreal feeling. Really good to get this win and keep the momentum rolling.”
Following the second round in Daytona, Brown maintained his hold on the top spot in the class with 45 points while Hammaker followed closely with 43 points. Shimoda is the only other racer with at least 40 points, trailing the class leader by five points two rounds into the 250SX East title hunt.
The 2026 AMA Supercross season enters its back half on Saturday, March 7, when the series shifts to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Opening ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern and the racing action will be streamed live on Peacock.