Cooper Webb Finishes Fourth In Daytona
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb fourth as the 450SX title fight reaches its midpoint at Daytona Supercross / Mar 2, 2026 /
Daytona is just one round of a 17-race championship, but it carries weight. Under the lights at Daytona International Speedway, legends across two and four wheels have cemented their names in racing history. It also marked the midpoint of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship — a tightly contested four-rider battle with defending champion Cooper Webb firmly in the mix.
Daytona Supercross started with a frustrating qualifying that saw Webb 10th, but the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team made adjustments. In the night show, Webb got a strong start in his heat race, slotting into second and holding steady under pressure to secure a runner-up finish. He got another good start to the main event, running third early before being passed by eventual race winner Eli Tomac on Lap 2. Webb maintained his pace to finish fourth, leaving Daytona fourth in the championship standings and 20 points from the lead.
“Daytona was a bit of a tough day for me,” Webb said. “We kind of chased the bike setup the majority of the day, and never got super comfortable on the track. Unfortunately, it showed in the main event. I had a great start but wasn’t able to run the pace of the leaders and ended up fourth. I’m a bit bummed as I was starting to catch Kenny (Roczen), but I couldn’t make the late race charge I was hoping for.”
Justin Cooper showed strong speed throughout the day but faced adversity in the main event. The New Yorker made an impressive charge through from 10th to third in his heat race, setting the fastest time in the final laps. Then, in the main event, he was back in 13th after the start and fought his way through to ninth. Battling for eighth, he had a crash on Lap 3 and rejoined in 21st. Undeterred, he kept fighting despite feeling beat up and made his way back to 12th.
“It was a good day, just crashing in the main turned it into a bad day,” Cooper said. “We’re beat up, so I'm gonna take it easy this week, and hopefully be ready for next weekend.”
“I thought Justin Cooper rode well throughout the day,” said Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager. “With Webb, we made a few adjustments to try to get him more comfortable. It’s hard to get a start down here at Daytona, but he had good starts. He just didn't really have the pace of the guys tonight. Justin had a bad start in his heat race, but really good times. Then in the main event, he had another bad start and then a crash, which unfortunately cost him again here. We'll just keep working and move on to Indy.”
The championship battle resumes next weekend in Indianapolis for Round 9 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the Monster Energy SMX World Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 7.