Caden Dudney Scores First SMX Next Win in Houston
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Caden Dudney tops the SMX Next podium at Houston Supercross, with teammate Landen Gordon finishing third / Feb 2, 2026 /
It was another standout night for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad as Monster Energy AMA Supercross returned to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Kicking off one of three victory celebrations for the team that evening was Caden Dudney, who earned his first-career SMX Next victory.
Last weekend at the opening round, Dudney showed grit and determination with a hard-earned runner-up finish. Coming shy of the win only added fuel to the fire, and Dudney came out strong from the start in Houston, topping both qualifying sessions. Although he did not get off the gate as he had hoped in the main event, it was a strong start around sixth. He then quickly went to work, making passes in the opening laps and claiming the lead on Lap 4. From there, he rode a strong pace to earn his first victory in the class.
"Yeah, it was a pretty good day,” Dudney said. “I was P1 in both qualifying sessions, then got off to an alright start. It was kind of scary being back there with everyone, but I made a few passes early on and tried to ride my own race – keeping nice, clean laps throughout the race, and trying not to make any mistakes. I was close last weekend, so I had to get some redemption and put in the work, and here we are.”
Also returning to the podium for the second weekend running was Landen Gordon. The team’s newest addition to their program once again showed fight, steadily charging forward from eighth. Gordon worked his way into podium contention in the closing laps, briefly reaching second before a late mistake dropped him back to third, still delivering Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing a double-podium.
“I had a decent day in Houston,” said Gordon. “I felt pretty good all day and qualified third. I started around 10th in the main and worked my way up to second, then made a few mistakes and fell back to third. It’s good to get another podium, and we’ll keep on building for the next one.”
Coming off a win at Anaheim 2, their teammate Kayden Minear was looking to add another to his tally, but unfortunately his day ended early with a crash in the second session of qualifying.
“I had a good start to the day and was feeling really good on the bike, but had an unfortunate incident and couldn’t line up in the main event,” Minear said. “I’m looking forward to Daytona.”
“It was another great night for our team in SMX Next,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “Caden rode great all day, and Landon worked his way through the pack well. It was awesome to come away with a double podium. I’m proud of the entire team and the work they continue to put in.”