CHASE SEXTON

Presenting a veteran-like, management-esque mentality to the current Supercross Championship, KTM’s Chase Sexton had been as consistent as anyone throughout the current racing tenure thus far — even racing with an injured hand in Glendale, and nullifying the damage of what his rivals could generate within the overall points chase. The demeanor of the Illinois native carried onto the premises of AT&T Stadium, where a superb effort was put forth in practice...before embarking on the opening heat race of the evening. His opening position (i.e. ninth) wasn’t necessarily what was desired, however, rather than override and be forced into a subsequent mistake, he conserved his energy and avoided problematic lines. Inching into the top-five by the fifth lap, he then overtook Hunter Lawrence while monitoring the distance between he and Ken Roczen (who was third). Though the gap was significant, Sexton did everything possible to try and lessen the length between his machine and the Suzuki ahead...but, it didn’t prevail — and as Sexton exited the raceway within the fourth place position, many could sense he sought redemption in the main event thereafter. Beginning the final moto in ninth, it was evident that Sexton’s injury was still relevant and a deterring factor in his quest for the podium. But he wouldn’t wither, and kept as much emphasis on twisting the throttle as possible while he traveled as far forward as fifth after around ten laps of action. But the pressure applied by athletes like Eli Tomac was a lot for Sexton to withstand...yet the KTM athlete, with resilience, continued to triple through the converging start-straightaway/rhythm lane with confidence! The Illinois native had established a gap over Justin Cooper who trailed, but the rookie 450cc SX competitor couldn’t be disregarded with lap-traffic now in front of them, and a deteriorating track creating costly mistakes at a multitude of moments. When the pressure continued to rise, Sexton fought with a sense of grittiness that only champions embodied...rolling on the throttle as he blasted amongst the (now) whooped-out sand corner, using every bit of momentum possible to try and clinch a fifth-place position. Though unable to do so as the final flag was thrown, the sixth-place registry was enough for Sexton to exit the raceway with a valuable sum of points...fighting for another round in the championship, while keeping the concluding number one plate as the end goal.