Deegan vs. Davies Set to Headline 2026 AMA Supercross Finale in Salt Lake City

Monster Energy’s Star Racing/Yamaha teammates Haiden Deegan and Cole Davies, this year’s champions in the 250 Western Region (WSX) and Eastern Region (ESX), will go head-to-head this weekend at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium as the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series comes to a thrilling conclusion with the much-anticipated Dave Coombs Sr. Memorial 250 Shootout race.

And sharing the marquee matchup when the gate drops on the final 250 race of the season will be additional Monster Energy overall season podium finishers, including WSX runner-up Levi Kitchen (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) and ESX runner-up Seth Hammaker (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki), along with WSX podium placer (3^rd) Max Anstie (Star Racing/Yamaha).

“It’s pretty wild, to think I’m only 20 and it’s over… I’m bumped out of the 250 class,” said Deegan, who’ll move up to 450 class racing at the start of the MX Nationals on May 30^th at Fox Raceway in Pala, Calif. “I completed everything I ever wanted to and a whole lot more. It’ll (Saturday in Utah) be a sad day. It went quick.”

For Kitchen, who placed second behind Deegan at last weekend’s final regular season 250 WSX round in Denver, a number of weeks off the bike due to an injury had people wondering if he’d come back and run as fast as he did to make 2^nd place overall in the standings.

“Not really,” when asked recently if he was concerned about his fitness level following a back injury and time off his Kawasaki KX250F. “I tried to manage it as best I could, but you definitely lose some of that late-moto fitness I would say when you don’t ride. I felt pretty good, actually. Which was kind of unexpected.”

On the east side of the US’s 250 duels, Davies, similar to Deegan, would haul the mail all season long in a decisive 26-point (206-180) championship win over Hammaker, which he clinched with one race to spare.

“Almost four years ago we sat in Ben Townley’s living room and planned out how we were going to get here – and followed that process step by step, almost exactly,” said Davies of fellow New Zealander, mentor and former 250 ESX champ (125 class, actually, 19 years ago) on clinching the ’26 250 ESX championship.”

And on his matchup with Deegan at Salt Lake City, Davies said following the Philadelphia round where he clinched the ESX title: “I don’t really care. Might be a battle, it might not.” For the record, Deegan won both 250 East/West Shootout events versus his Star Racing/Yamaha teammate this year in Birmingham (Ala.) and St. Louis, though the Birmingham round win was later (controversially) awarded to Davies as it was deemed by AMA officials that Deegan illegally cut the track.

Added Hammaker on racing with Davies all season: “I feel it’s been good, but racing Cole has been really tough. He’s hasn’t made many mistakes all season, a lot of race wins. I’ve been consistent, but just more consistent in 2^nd and 3^rd.”

On the 450s, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s defending 450 class overall champion, Cooper Webb, has 22 points on KTM’s Eli Tomac (297-275) for the third and final season podium spot. The former Monster Energy racer (Tomac) suffered a tough crash at the Cleveland round, came away with zero points, then missed the next round (Philadelphia) before making the podium (3^rd) at the penultimate Denver round.

And clinching the final top five position on the 450s, with a respectable 251 points, was Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Justin Cooper. ‘Coop was one spot ahead of Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton, who battled injuries in order to lock down 6^th overall, having won the Anaheim (Calif.) II round.”

Overall Standings (17 of 18 rounds)

Up next: The 18-round 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season concludes on May 9^th with the Salt Lake City Finals at Rice-Eccles Stadium.