
Daytona. Legendary Daytona International Speedway is arguably the most hallowed grounds in all of American motorsports, and the Daytona Supercross has been one of the core events of the sport for well over 40 years. The historic race sits at the heart of every Monster Energy Supercross season, and often provides an opportunity for shakeup in the championship.
To win at Daytona is huge for any rider, but for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac it’s become a bit of a habit. The Colorado native thrives on the one-of-a-kind infield circuit, where its motocross tendencies lend well to Tomac’s aggressive nature on the bike. It’s rough, it’s grueling, and more often than not those conditions play right into Tomac’s hands.
On Saturday night, under the bright lights of the world’s most famous tri-oval, Tomac captured his third Daytona Supercross victory. The Kawasaki rider has won half of his six career starts at the speedway, and has never failed to finish outside the top five. That worst finish, a fourth, came when Tomac was still competing full time in the 250SX Class in 2013, but ever since, he’s finished first or second.
As has been the case throughout the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross season, Tomac’s path to victory came as a direct result of a strong start. The ability to get out of the gate has been the deciding factor of Tomac’s success this season, more often than not. After starting second, Tomac moved into the top spot on Lap 3 and proceeded to leave the field in his wake.
"The last half [of the race] was effortless. I just got the flow and that's so important at this track. It just started coming to me. Win number three here…this is so cool at Daytona."
While he does have three wins to his credit this season, the second most in the 450SX Class, Tomac also has one finish outside the top 10 and three outside the top five. The competition in the premier division has been exceptionally tight this season, and consistency is proving to be a crucial part of how this championship unfolds.
Daytona proved to be the latest instance of the dominance Tomac has enjoyed in supercross the past three seasons, but he’ll need to use this victory as a momentum starter if he’s to close the deficit he faces in the championship standings.