Haiden Deegan earns first Supercross victory

AT&T Stadium upheld the Dallas-area tradition of hosting great Supercross racing that started in 1975. The 2024 Arlington Supercross marked the 46thevent in the area. Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc. 

Arlington, Texas (February 24, 2024) Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Cooper Webb took a thrilling win at Round 7 of the 17-round 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The victory marks Webb’s sixth win in the Dallas region, extending his record as most wins in the area. For the third round in a row, record attendance was welcomed as 67,319 fans brought AT&T Stadium to life.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Eli Tomac recovered from an early fall to reach second place in Arlington, the Military Appreciation Race in the sport’s 50thAnniversary Season. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger landed the final spot on the podium on the rapidly deteriorating Texas track. In the second round of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan took his first Supercross win in his 12th start.

First place 450SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“Obviously I got a little bit of a handout [when Jett crashed] but man, I just kept pushing my laps [and] was trying to stay as close as I could to Jett. The track got really tough, especially over where he fell; it was really hard to get that rhythm. And I just saw him down, I’m like, ‘Oh, man.’ What a ride! I’m pumped. I gotta give it up to my team. I had a terrible day, lost a lot of confidence and they came to me and told me, excuse my French, but I’m a bad MoFo and to pull my head out of my [rear], and that’s exactly what I needed… Jett was riding incredible and, man, I just can’t believe it still. I’m in shock. Gotta give it up to this place, it’s always good to me… I might as well just buy a suite here because I love this place.” – Cooper Webb  

Second place 450SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“I was trying my heart out out there. I made such a frustrating mistake over-jumping the triple there [early in the race]. I just tucked my front end and lost my hand off the grip. I’m sick of people calling me the old guy, so I’m just warming up, I’m getting better, I’m coming, so I’m ready to get going. Yeah, second will do for tonight.” – Eli Tomac  

Third place 450SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“I thought I got off to a good start, and I was like, ‘I’m going to push to the front.’ I knew Jett was up there, I knew Coop was up there, and I knew they were going to take off. Hunter was riding an awesome race and then out of nowhere I see the number 3 come through and I’m like ‘Dang, I gotta latch on or something, because this dude’s going fast.’ And I knew Hunter was right behind me… I just kept on two [wheels] and it was just a really, really good race. My heart rate was through the roof, and I was trying with everything I had to get back by Eli, but he was in ‘beast mode’ as they call it. [laughs] It was a good race, gained some points, and lucky to be back up here on the podium.” – Aaron Plessinger 

Fourth place 450SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“The bike was feeling great, I was feeling good, and yeah, just got caught off guard. Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail, and I ended up nailing that Tuff Blox… Just a little mistake, almost saved it; but got back up, bars were bent but we still had some fuel in the tank and I tried going after Cooper. And just, silly mistake [for the second crash], I should have seen the lapper was going to stop. I just didn’t think enough far ahead. But the boys were riding great tonight. Congrats to Eli, AP and Cooper, they were riding awesome. Another learning curve for me, and on to Daytona, [I’m] excited to race there.” – Team Honda HRC's Jett Lawrence, who led much of the race before two crashes in the closing minutes.

The Eastern Regional 250SX Class held its second round of 2024 and Haiden Deegan earned the win after Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Austin Forkner crashed dramatically out of the race in the final minutes. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Cameron McAdoo earned second after a seventh-place start. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle battled forward and landed the third-place spot when the checkered flag flew.

First place 250SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“I am so amped right now. My first career win in Supercross, this is unreal…. Obviously, man, that’s terrible to see Austin, [he was] ripping, and to see that happen is sad, man. I wanted to fight for this with him, man. I wanted to go back and forth and bang bars this season. But it’s racing, and the pressure, you know, it gets to you… This is a very, very technical track. And I watched the heat race back and I saw Austin making several mistakes, and I was like, I mean, I made mistakes myself, but I was like, ‘If I clean up my riding and [can put on the] pressure, it’s any man’s race…’ I just had good flow around the whole track, and yeah, all I can say is: Welcome to the danger zone, baby!” – Haiden Deegan  

Second place 250SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“First of all I want to shout out my sister Mackenzie, this one’s for you, I’ve been telling you all day. She’s in the military and I tried getting her off the Navy base but she didn’t think that would go over very well. So shout out to her, all the military members out here and in our country. You guys are why we can do this, so I want to start with that. But yeah, I felt I needed to be patient with this track. With my condition currently – I came into Detroit a little banged up, banged up myself a little bit again in Detroit with my knee, so it was nice to just get out front and just do my laps. I think I had something to prove after last weekend, and I’m hoping this one gives me a little bit better press than last weekend did. But yeah, I’m happy to get the heat win, second place [in the main and] recoup some points. I’m thinking about Austin, too, I’m not sure how he is right now but I know he was on the side of the track for a while, so hopefully the best for him, he’s had a tough road.” – Cameron McAdoo  

Third place 250SX Class - Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

“I had a huge crash in the practice, I’m glad to be okay; I’m so happy to be here. It’s my second year in Supercross, I’ve had a lot of crashes and I’ve been through tough times… I mean, racing here in front of so many people in the stadium is amazing and I’m glad to be here… and can’t wait to be at the next race.” – Tom Vialle  

Each Monster Energy AMA Supercross race also pays points toward the 31-round SuperMotocross World Championship. The next round takes place inside Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Like every Supercross and SuperMotocross round, live coverage is available on PeacockTV, with select rounds available on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Next-day encore presentations of all 31 rounds of 2024 racing can be seen on CNBC. Race coverage is available internationally through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv), with live presentations broadcast in both English and Spanish.

 The 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will deliver ten more rounds in ten different states. Catching the race action live, as well as taking in the daytime sights and activities at FanFest, is family entertainment that should not be missed. For the full race schedule, broadcast information, highlight videos, race results, and ticket sales please go to SupercrossLIVE.com.

Words and Images by Feld Motor Sports Inc.