SUZUKI’S KEN ROCZEN DELIVERS ARLINGTON SUPERCROSS THRILLER

Brea, CA – (February 23, 2026) – The red Texas dirt inside AT&T Stadium required a fine balance between precision and aggression at Round 7 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season; the event also paid points toward the SMX World Championship. The riders faced deep ruts and a slick whoop section that broke down dramatically throughout the racing. The domed stadium hosted the Military Appreciation Race with military veterans in attendance and bike and gear graphics honoring the service members.

Race Highlights:

Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear ECSTAR Suzuki

450 Class

Ken Roczen earned his fourth heat race win of the season and led the majority of laps in the main event.

Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance

450 Class

Jason Anderson showed season-best speed in qualifying and in his heat race.
Colt Nichols grabbed the win in the Arlington LCQ.

Ken Roczen (94) had the Texas crowd on its feet during a thrilling four-rider battle for the lead throughout the first 17 laps in AT&T Stadium.

Ken Roczen (94) was feeling under the weather coming into Arlington, but his speed didn’t initially seem affected. Roczen carded the second-fastest time in the second qualifying session which held for the second-fastest overall qualifying spot. He carried that track speed into his heat race where Roczen holeshot and led every lap despite challenges from his teammate Jason Anderson. When the gate dropped for the main event, Roczen and his Suzuki RM-Z450 rocketed around the first turn and emerged in second place at the holeshot stripe. After an intense battle through the first few sections, Roczen took sole control of the lead, set the race’s fastest time through the challenging whoops section (Sector 7), and set his sights on a second win in 2026. Roczen defended against several challenges and retained control of the race from the green flag through the 17th of 26 total laps. When the dust settled in Texas, Roczen had demonstrated again that he is a top contender for the 2026 Supercross title.

“We ended up tonight with a fourth place. Nonetheless, I feel like we were riding really good all day,” said Roczen. “The track was super tricky; we had some big jumps and sketchy whoops. This dirt is always extremely unique as it is super slippery; it looks perfect, but it's not. Having said that, I progressively got a little worse [throughout the main event]. I got a little sick at the beginning of the week. I tried to keep it at bay, but as we got closer to the race it had definitely gotten worse. My lungs were absolutely closed, so I'm super pumped with the effort that I put in. We executed the start, so overall I tried to be a roadblock as long as I could, and we ended up with a fourth. So, it could have been a lot worse, and it is what it is. We still have a lot of racing to go, everything can swing around again, so as long as we keep the effort level up I think we're fine.”

Jason Anderson (21) showed his best speed of the year with season-best qualifying and heat race results and a fastest-Sector time in the Arlington Supercross main event.

Jason Anderson (21) wasted no time getting up to speed inside AT&T Stadium. Anderson posted top-five results in each qualifying session and in the overall qualifying standings. In his heat race, Anderson crossed the holeshot stripe in third and immediately put his RM-Z450 into second place with sights set on the race leader, his Suzuki teammate Ken Roczen. The two Suzuki riders kept the racing clean and brought home 1-2 finishes in the heat. When the gate dropped for the main, Anderson emerged from the first corner in sixth place. He quickly moved into the top five until a crash on lap two put him outside of the points. Anderson put in a drive; he gained ten positions in as many laps and set the race’s fastest time through the first rhythm section (Sector 3). Anderson was charging toward a top-ten spot when another crashed ended his night early.

“My weekend was better as far as my riding,” Anderson stated. “[But] it was a little bummer in the main. I got tangled up, and fell by myself, and didn’t end up very well. But my riding was better and hopefully we'll keep [this trajectory].”

Colt Nichols (45) raced into the main event through a steady ride in the LCQ that earned him the victory in that qualifying race.

Colt Nichols (45), in what amounts to a hometown race for the Oklahoma-born racer, was fast in Texas. While running in a qualifying spot in his heat race, Nichols had a crash in the whoops section that forced him into the LCQ. A poor start in the LCQ added stress to the night, but Nichols confidently marched toward the front and took the win at the checkered flag. In the main event Nichols emerged from the first corner with a mid-pack position and battled as the track’s ruts deepened. Nichols set the second-fastest time through the second rhythm section (Sector 5) on a strong ride, but a crash slowed his progress forward.

“It was tough today, to be honest. I crashed the heat and had to go to the LCQ,” said Nichols. “In the main event I started decently from the far outside but got squished going into the first rhythm, so I was pretty far back. Then I started to ride really well. I got up to 11th, and then hit neutral coming into the whoops and had another crash… But we’re making some progress. I just need to stay off the ground and get off the start a little bit better and we'll be okay. I’m excited for Daytona next weekend. We’ll give it another shot.”

“We had a decent night in Arlington. I was very happy with our heat race, going 1-2,” stated Dustin Pipes, Principal for the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team. “The main started well with Ken and Jason both in the top five. Unfortunately, a couple falls for Jason resulted in a DNF, and with a sickness holding him back, Ken fought hard for a fourth-place result. Colt was 14th with a fall while he was charging towards the top 10. The riding was strong, and the results don’t show the full picture. We will regroup for Daytona.”

On Saturday, February 28th, the Daytona Supercross will challenge the racers with its high-speed Supercross track carved into the famous Daytona International Speedway trioval. Ken Roczen is the defending Daytona champ after an inspiring win at the 2025 race. All of the Suzuki riders and team members are ready for the Daytona Supercross, and the events that follow, on their drive toward race wins and championships in 2026.

For the latest team updates, news, and race insights, visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross or pipesmotorsportsgroup.com.

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About Suzuki
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.