Hymas, Sexton take home 51st RedBud National titles

Published 11:26 am Sunday, July 7, 2024

By Scott Novak

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BUCHANAN — On a picture-perfect day for racing, Chance Hymas and Chase Sexton were the 250cc and 450cc 2024 RedBud Nationals champions in Buchanan Saturday.

Hymas finished fourth in the first moto and first in the second moto to pick up the victory.

Ty Masterpool won the opening moto, but dropped to fifth in the second, which left him in second place.

The third and final spot on the podium went to Jo Smoda, who was fifth in the first moto and runner-up in the second moto.

Pro Championship Motocross 250cc overall leader Haiden Deegan placed fifth overall as he went second and sixth in the two motos before a huge crowd at RedBud MX in Buchanan.

Sexton, who is from La Moille, Illinois, and calls RedBud his home track, took first place in both motos Saturday.

Aaron Plessinger was the runner-up as he finished fourth in the opening moto and second in the final moto.

Hunter Lawrence was third overall with a second- and fourth-place finish in the two motos, which were run under sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s.

Despite the disappointing finish, Deegan still has a sizable lead over Hymas. Deegan heads to the next round with 276 points, while Hymas has 239 points. Tom Vialle is currently in third with 233 points.

In the 450cc race to a championship, Sexton now leads Lawrence by seven points, 260-253.

Jett Lawrence, brother of Hunter, injured his thumb earlier in the week that required surgery on Thursday. He was heading to RedBud in the thick of the title chase, but is now fifth with 210 points. A timetable for his return has not been released. He flew from Colorado to Buchanan to be at the track Saturday, where he signed autographs for the fans and cheered on his brother.

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