Cole Davies and Haiden Deegan Top the Podium in Birmingham
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies and Haiden Deegan make championship gains at the first 250SX East-West Showdown of the season in Alabama / Mar 24, 2026 /
The stage was set for an epic showdown in Birmingham, Alabama, as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East and West divisions went head-to-head for the first time this season. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan arrived riding a five-race win streak and holding a commanding 35-point lead in the West, while teammate Cole Davies carried the red plate in a tightly contested East Championship, with four riders separated by just two points.
The first Showdown of the season offered not only valuable championship points but also bragging rights among the best 250 riders in the sport. On Saturday night at Protective Stadium, Deegan was first to the checkered flag, but a penalty credited the victory to Davies. In the end, the team secured a 1-2 finish, with both riders extending their respective championship leads.
“It was a great night for the team, going 1-2 at the shootout with Haiden and Cole,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “We’ve got to keep the fight for these titles, so we’ll go back to work and be ready for the next one.”
In the East, Davies won his heat race and headed into the main event with the first gate pick. From there, he got a great start in second and quickly claimed the lead. It was a hard-fought battle all race long. After being passed by Levi Kitchen on Lap 2, Davies continued to push and reclaimed the lead on Lap 8. The fight intensified in the closing laps, with Deegan moving past and one of his title rivals – Jo Shimoda – applying pressure. On the final lap, Shimoda made a pass, but Davies responded to reclaim second. Following a one-position penalty assessed to Deegan, Davies took home the win, extending his 250SX East Championship lead to six points.
“It's not the way I wanted to win the shootout, that’s for sure,” said Davies. “I crossed the line in second, and Haiden got penalized for a track infringement. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing YZ250F was working really well all night, but unfortunately, I was overriding. I’m not entirely happy with my performance, but we banked maximum points and extended our championship lead after a wild night of racing. We'll take the red plate to Detroit and keep pushing.”
With over a month break, Deegan was fired up to go racing and was looking to keep his win streak rolling. Despite not having the qualifying result he was looking for, he rebounded in the 250SX West Heat Race, charging from sixth to claim the lead before the halfway mark, earning his sixth heat race win of the season.
In the main event, he got buried after the start and was 10th on the opening lap. Undeterred, the reigning champion put his head down and charged through the field, taking over the lead with four laps to go. He set a blistering pace up front and crossed the line with a comfortable margin of victory. A post-race penalty for track cutting dropped him to second, but he still extended his points lead and leaves Alabama with a commanding 42-point advantage.
“It was good,” Deegan said. “Qualifying was a little rough, but then we were able to bring it around for the heat race. I kind of got my aggression back in my system come race time, so that was good. I was able to get the win in the heat race, but then had an unfortunate start in the main event. It put me mid-pack around 10th, so I had to work my way through the pack and ended up getting to the lead. It was probably one of the best races in my career. I was able to work through the pack well.”
Max Anstie, who maintains the runner-up spot in the 250SX West Championship, delivered a strong ride in his return to racing after undergoing surgery for a ruptured appendix following Seattle. Despite limited time on the bike, he showed speed with a runner-up finish in his heat race. In the main event, he got a solid start and ran fourth on the opening lap before ultimately finishing seventh.
“Well, we made it,” exclaimed Anstie. “I’m just glad to be here. It was definitely an eventful five-week break. I had my appendix taken out, so I literally sat on the couch for three weeks, not being able to do a lot. I came into today not really knowing how I was going to be. So honestly, I was really pleased with the seventh. The East-West shootout – it was gnarly. I honestly just felt pretty flat in the main event. I haven't been able to push, so I lacked intensity, but that is to be expected with the lack of bike time and the lack of motos. All in all, I’m pleased to get out of here in one piece and move on to these couple of weeks when I can step it up again and be ready for St. Louis.”
Joining them in the top 10 was Nate Thrasher, who scored valuable points in the 250SX East Championship. After qualifying 11th, he delivered a solid heat race with a third-place finish. In the main event, he got a decent start in seventh and did what he could, but ultimately crossed the line 10th.
“The first East-West Shootout is done and dusted,” said Thrasher. “I didn’t have my best ride, but we are working to get better and are somewhat healthy.”
Rookie Caden Dudney showed grit and determination throughout the night and transferred through the LCQ with a win. With the less-than-ideal gate pick for the main event, it was a difficult start for the young Texan who found himself 18th on the opening lap. He put his head down and made his way to 13th by Lap 4 and, despite a brief drop back in position, he kept pushing to finish 13th.
“Overall, I’m happy with the progress we made with the bike,” said Dudney. “The track was pretty challenging all day, but we still made it a good night, and I gave it my best efforts with the gate pick I had in the main. I also had my first LCQ, and let’s just say it was a bit nerve-wracking.”
It was a tough night for Pierce Brown, who entered the round third in the 250SX East standings. After being collected by another rider towards the end of the heat race, the Utah rider had to race the LCQ, where he finished second. Despite having the 20th gate pick, Brown got a strong start inside the top 10 in the main event. Then on the third lap, he had a big crash and withdrew from the race, dropping him to fifth in the point standings.
In SMX Next, Landen Gordon was the fastest qualifier with Kayden Minear third. Unfortunately, the pair got caught up in a first-turn crash after the start of the main event, ending Gordon’s night early. Minear rejoined at the back of the field, a lap down, but showed determination to finish 19th.
“The track was tricky today,” said Minear. “We played with the bike setup and really got it comfy in that last one, so I was going into the main event feeling confident. Unfortunately, I got tangled in a first-turn crash and was a lap down before I even got going. I’m just proud to finish the moto after that big crash.”