Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Championship
Birmingham, AL
Protective Stadium
Monster Energy® Kawasaki Team Green Finishes 1-2 in Birmingham
Monster Energy® Kawasaki Team Green™ rider Vincent Wey captured his first career SMX Next victory in dominant fashion during Round 10 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Birmingham, Alabama. Wey launched off the gate to grab the holeshot and quickly distanced himself from the field, controlling the race from the opening lap to secure the win aboard his KX™250. Teammate Kade Johnson charged his way to second place to join Wey on the podium and give Kawasaki Team Green™ a commanding 1-2 finish. Birmingham also marked the first 250SX East/West Showdown of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Seth Hammaker delivered another impressive ride, making a late-race pass to extend his podium streak with a third-place finish. Levi Kitchen grabbed the holeshot in the main event and battled at the front throughout the race before ultimately finishing fifth. Teammate Nick Romano made his debut ride with the team in the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class, finishing 18th in the main event. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Garrett Marchbanks put together a consistent day to secure his second Top 10 finish of the season. After battling through the field to cross the line in ninth, Marchbanks was later assessed a one-position penalty for cutting the split lane section, officially placing him 10th on the night. Although back riding following his injury before Daytona, Chase Sexton continues his recovery process as he focuses on returning to full health for the upcoming rounds.
SX Results
Vincent Wey
“That was the best race of my life. I got a great start and hit my marks every lap. I’ve had a lot of long days logging laps to get to this point. Last year at this venue was tough and I really wanted to redeem myself from that performance. I did what I needed to and I’m stoked to get this win. I just need to keep bringing the intensity to race day. I’m pretty fast on the practice track, so making sure that transfers to race day will be important. I’m already focused on the next race in Philly.”
Seth Hammaker
“The day was really solid. I started off qualifying really well with the fastest qualifier, and I felt pretty comfortable. The track was really challenging all day. There were some pretty big rocks out there that looked like boulders that were catching people off guard. Going into the night show, the heat race was good. I pulled the holeshot and was a little too aggressive on the first lap. I spun the rear around, and Cole [Davies] got around me, and the rest of the race I rode in second. In the main event, I executed a pretty good start. I was third off the line. I stayed there for a bit, and Jo [Shimoda] ended up getting around me and then at the end, I made a charge and was able to get back to a podium spot. I have a couple of things to work on and takeaways from the day, but overall I’m happy with the day.”
Levi Kitchen
“It felt good to be back racing. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been out here with how long the break was. Qualifying went really well for me. The team and I had everything working well to get that fastest qualifying time, and getting the holeshot in the main was a step in the right direction. I put myself in a good position early, but I’m frustrated with how it ended. I’ve been dealing with a back injury for the last couple of weeks, so it was difficult to maintain that intensity throughout the whole main event. I plan on getting an MRI this week to get everything checked out. Overall, there are positives to take, but I know I need to be better.”
Nick Romano
“For my first race back I can’t be too upset with the outcome. I’d like to be higher up in the results, but I know we have some work to do. I’ve only had six days on the bike at the test track. The track was pretty brutal with how it shaped up throughout the day, and all the rocks that came out. We made some changes throughout the day to combat that, and now we have a better idea of where we need to go. I’ve found my weakness, and we’ll work on them to be ready for Detroit.”
Garrett Marchbanks
“It was a solid day here in Birmingham. It was my first time being here. First qualifying was a little slow for me, just trying to get comfortable with the track and the dirt. There were some pretty big rocks out there, so I wasn’t feeling 100% comfortable at first, so we made some little changes with the bike. In the second qualifier, the track was really gnarly, but I was super pumped to go back out there and take almost a second off my time and be in the Top 10 for qualifying. That was really good for me to have a better gate pick going into the heat race. I felt like I rode pretty well in the heat race and had some good laps to finish in the Top 5. I went into the main event feeling good, but I got a little wheel spin off the grate, so I was pretty far back, but I made some pretty good passes at the beginning of the race to get into the Top 10 around seven minutes into the race. Then I made a hard charge for a bit and got into eighth. Towards the end, I let Ken [Roczen] by and made a mistake, then Colt [Nichols] dropped me on the last lap, so that was a bit of a bummer. I was ninth at first, but found out I got docked. I accidentally cut a marker, it must’ve been halfway through. I didn’t think I cut it at all, but my bad on that. I’ll take the 10th on the night, I feel pretty good about that. I was happy with that ride. We made some really good progress during the break and are ready to carry the momentum going forward.”
