Brea, CA – (March 2, 2026) – Following Friday night rains, the skies remained clear for the 56th running of the Daytona Supercross. The event marked Round 8 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series and also paid points toward the SMX World Championship. The dirt composition provided the greatest challenge on a technically simple, high-speed Supercross track built into the Daytona international Speedway trioval.
Race Highlights:
- Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear ECSTAR Suzuki
- 450 Class
- Ken Roczen led five laps en route to a podium result and moved up into a tie for third place in the championship standings.
- Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Colt Nichols delivered his season-best performance on what is considered the most-challenging track of the series.
Ken Roczen (94) posted the fastest time through the whoops in the Daytona Supercross main event and earned his fifth podium of the 2026 season.
Ken Roczen (94) returned to Daytona ready to repeat his 2025 win aboard his Suzuki RM-Z450 race bike. Roczen was on the charge early in his heat race, flying past other riders and setting race-best times through two track Sectors; he captured a heat race podium. When the gate dropped for the main event, Roczen emerged from the first turn in second place and within three corners had secured the lead. Roczen put down several fast sprint laps to pull a gap on the rest of the field. After leading for over seven minutes and setting the fastest time through the whoops (Sector 2), Roczen relinquished the lead but kept up pressure for the win. With less than six minutes left on the race clock of the 20-minute plus one lap event, Roczen was held up by a lapper and his second-place position was nabbed away from him. From there, Roczen put in consistent laps when the track was at its most difficult. Roczen crossed the checkered flag in third place and earned the points needed to move up into a tie for third place in the title chase.
“I feel like more than half of the race I [rode poorly in the sand section] and left too much time on [the table] there,” said Roczen. “[The track design] was pretty basic but I did enjoy it… It’s nice to have a change of pace; having said that, the only area I didn't like was after the mechanics’ area… It was way too fast. Those little [jumps] have really deep ruts in them and they can have big kickers; you can't see them with 21 tear offs on so you just kind of go, you know?... I'm happy with my riding… I would have killed a couple of years ago for these podiums, and I got a podium, so I'm trying to look at it that way.”
Colt Nichols (45) delivered his season-best finish on the high-speed Daytona Supercross track.“It was a better day overall,” stated Nichols. “I ended up P-11 in the main, but felt like I didn't ride very well, so I'm a little frustrated to be honest. But I'll take the result, work on some stuff, try to be a little bit better this week, then come into Indy feeling stronger and hopefully log a better result.”
“It was a great night in Daytona. It’s always a good time getting on the podium at an iconic venue like Daytona,” said Dustin Pipes, Principal for the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team. “As defending Daytona Champion, Ken was great dealing with the pressure all day. He led a good portion of the main and settled into a solid third place. We are still hungry for another win and will chase it again with him in Indianapolis. Colt finished less than a second out of his first top 10 of the season, which was a big step in the right direction. He’s trending more towards where he knows he belongs. It’s a tough situation with Jason missing the event, but we hope to get him back on the racetrack.”
The Supercross schedule returns to a more traditional track design and venue when the Indianapolis Supercross kicks off this Saturday March 7th. The Suzuki team members are excited to hold third place in the standings with the season midpoint event ahead inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
About Progressive
Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however it's most convenient for them — online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent.
Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.
Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®.
The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR
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.
