Thrasher becomes fifth winner in 250SX East class
Photo Credit: Jeff Kardas
After a one-week break, the 2025 AMA Supercross season returned with a tightly-contest Triple Crown race in Birmingham, Ala.
In the 450SX class, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton dominated the Triple Crown format with a 1-1-2 showing at Protective Stadium. Battling an injury sustained in qualifying, Malcolm Stewart (3-2-3) of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing produced a second-place injury while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger (2-3-5) finished third.
“It was a good race, Coop rode good, and I’m stoked to get that monkey off my back and get another win and get this season going in the right direction finally,” Sexton said. “This is my favorite part of the season, these last seven or eight rounds. It seems like it’s where I really shine… Coop is riding really good, he’s a fighter, so it should be a good fight to the end.”
Class frontrunner Cooper Webb of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing finished in fourth place with a 7-4-1 performance in the motos, maintaining his hold on the overall standings with 211 points. Sexton closed the gap with the win, jumping to 203 points on the season.
Despite not winning a single moto, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher (3-3-2) surged to the win in the 250SX East class with 8 points. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s R.J. Hampshire (1-2-5) also registered 8 points, but his fifth-place finish in the final moto doomed him into a second-place finish.
“I really felt coming into this season that this was going to be my year,” Thrasher said. “I just knew that I’m tough enough to be out there. This week I was finally able to do two days [of practice] before coming to this race and those two days were great. I’m super excited and I’m just ready to get the ball rolling. We’re not out of [the championship] yet!”
With a third-place finish in Birmingham, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle held onto his lead in the 250SX East standings with 99 points. Hampshire follows the Frenchman with 89 points, while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker sits in third place with 86 points.
The 2025 AMA Supercross season heads back to the West Coast for the 11th round of the campaign, with Lumen Field in Seattle hosting the next round. Gate drop is set for 7:30 EST and all of the racing action will be streamed live on Peacock.