Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick earned a third-place finish at last night’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East opening round at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It was a stellar start for the 18-year-old from North Carolina, who made a podium appearance at his first pro race in Supercross. Unfortunately, his teammates Nick Romano and Haiden Deegan got collected in a multi-rider pile-up at the start of the main event, with Romano charging back to 14th and Deegan to 16th despite damage to his bike from the crash.
Daxton Bennick had a strong start to the day, leading the way for the team in qualifying with seventh, and followed that up with a runner-up finish in his heat race. He got a good start in the main event and managed to avoid being collected in the pile-up going into the first turn. After the first lap, he was back in ninth but put his head down and made his way to third with around five laps remaining. Daxton Bennick rode on to secure a career-first podium finish, making for an impressive debut and a great start to the season with third in the point standings.
It was a strong debut for fellow rookie Romano, who was sidelined from racing for over a year. The New Yorker worked on finding his flow during the day and ended up qualifying 17th. The 18-year-old found his stride in the heat race and finished sixth. Unfortunately, it was a tough start to the main event after being collected in the multi-rider pile-up, which had him rejoining at the back of the field. Undeterred, Romano made his way to 14th in the challenging conditions.
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #59
“The day didn’t start very well, but we turned it around in the heat race. We came out with a good start and got second. For the main event, I knew it was going to be long, so I went in at a good pace. I started reeling in (Max) Antsie and thought maybe I was going to get second, but man, I’m happy with that. I can’t believe that in my rookie season, my first race, I got a podium. I’ve checked that box. I’m so pumped!”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“That first supercross race was definitely wild. I struggled to find a flow in practice but was feeling more like myself in the heat race and finished sixth. I was feeling good going into the main, and then there was a brutal first-turn pile-up that I got caught up in. That’s racing. I’m definitely a little bruised up after that one. I’m just thankful that I was able to get up and do the laps. The night could’ve gone a little better, but I’m just happy to get a Supercross race under my belt after missing all of last year. I look forward to racing again in a few weeks in Texas.”
