Max Anstie kicks off 250SX East chase with victory
Photo Credit: Jeff Kardas
It was quite the homecoming for Malcolm Stewart.
The Florida native and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider claimed his first-ever AMA Supercross 450SX class victory at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 8. Stewart battled back from eighth place early, taking the overall lead in the 19th lap and holding on to the finish line to secure the win.
“I don’t know if they were twisting the throttle for me, because, for a split second, I was like, ‘Alright I need to get this done,’” Stewart said. “I was feeling really good, and you know what, Stewart is back in the whoops, y’all!”
Joining Stewart on the podium was Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson.
Stewart jumped to sixth in the overall 450SX standings following the win, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton maintained his hold on the class despite his fifth-place finish in Tampa — holding 101 points through five rounds of the 2025 AMA Supercross season. Webb and Anderson also jumped into the top three of the overall standings following their podium finishes, maintaining 96 and 84 points respectively.
Max Anstie of Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha claimed the first race of the 2025 AMA Supercross 250SX East title chase. Despite getting the holeshot, it was not an easy victory for Anstie — who trailed behind teammate Pierce Brown until Brown suffered a crash, causing a red flag and a staggered restart. From there, Anstie maintained the lead with ease to capture the win.
“[Pierce Brown] was riding so well and just spun and ended up going over the bars… After that, it kind of took the wind out of my sails,” Anstie said. “Honestly, I was like, ‘Let’s not do anything silly right now.’ The whoops were really tricky and it’s round one so you’re always a little more nervous.”
Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Daxton Bennick battled his way to second place while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo finished third. However, Bennick faced a five-point penalty following the race — netting only 17 points despite the second-place finish — which vaulted Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker into third place of the overall standings with 18 points.
The 2025 AMA Supercross season continues on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Ford Field in Detroit. Gate drop is set for 2:30 p.m. and all of the racing action will be streamed live on Peacock.