Eli Tomac, Hunter Lawrence Win 450 Heats at 2026 Daytona Supercross

eli tomac stormed to a commanding Heat 1 victory at the 2026 Daytona Supercross, opening a clear path toward what would be his eighth Daytona win, while Hunter Lawrence set the pace in qualifying and claimed the other 450 heat.

Eli Tomac dominates Heat 1 and builds a five-second gap

Heat 1 ran with a stacked front group that included Tomac, Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb. Tomac grabbed the best start and led Webb on the opening lap, then stretched the gap as the race unfolded. By the closing stages Tomac held more than a six-second advantage at one point and ultimately prevailed by five seconds, a margin that advanced him directly into the feature. Cooper Webb finished second in the heat with Roczen third; Aaron Plessinger recovered from a Lap 2 high-side to place fourth, and Shane McElrath rounded out the top five.

Hunter Lawrence tops qualifying, holds lead in his heat

Hunter Lawrence set the fastest time in the 450 qualifying session and converted that speed into a heat win. Off the practice start in qualifying, Lawrence was out front early, then continued to drop fast laps to remain atop the timesheet while Justin Cooper and Ken Roczen also posted strong laps. In Heat 2, Lawrence battled Malcolm Stewart for the early lead—Stewart rode beside Lawrence on the first lap before Lawrence pulled clear—and Lawrence kept the advantage through the clock to take the heat. Christian Craig, Garrett Marchbanks and Austin Forkner were among riders noted in the top five during the heat action.

Qualifying snapshots and riders moving into the feature

During overall qualifying, Justin Cooper threw down a quick lap that briefly led the board before Lawrence reset the pace. Ken Roczen improved with each fast lap, and eli tomac found lines to move up into second in the session, barely off Lawrence's fastest time. The heat results advanced multiple riders straight into the feature: Tomac, Webb, Roczen, Plessinger and McElrath all secured direct transfers from Heat 1, while Lawrence, Stewart and other top finishers from Heat 2 punched their tickets as well.

The two heat wins set the stage for the 450SX feature later this evening at Daytona. With eli tomac coming off a dominant Heat 1 performance and Hunter Lawrence carrying top qualifying speed and a heat victory, both riders will line up among the favorites when the feature goes green.