Thrasher Scores 250SMX Podium Finish in St. Louis
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher finishes third overall, with Haiden Deegan overcoming adversity to finish sixth, and wildcards Daxton Bennick and Max Anstie joining them in the top 10 / Sep 15, 2025 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher returned to the podium with a third-place overall finish (6-4) at the SMX Playoff 2 inside The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Haiden Deegan delivered a dominant Moto 1 victory before an on-track incident in Moto 2 had the reigning 250SMX Champion salvaging points with a 14th-place finish for sixth overall. Wildcard riders Daxton Bennick and Max Anstie once again showed speed, finishing eighth (9-7) and ninth (8-8), respectively, while SMX Playoffs rookie Cole Davies overcame a crash in the second moto to end the day 11th overall (7-11).
Thrasher had a solid qualifying effort in eighth, and although he was 17th after the start to Moto 1, he quickly worked his way through to 10th in the opening laps. The Tennessee rider kept pushing and made his way through to sixth in the latter half of the moto, where he would finish. In Moto 2, he got a better start inside the top five and avoided a crash in front of him on the opening lap, settling into fourth. He maintained a solid pace to maintain the position and earn third overall. Trasher's efforts also improved his position to fifth in the 250SMX standings, 28 points from the leader.
Deegan showed championship-winning form from the start, topping qualifying and grabbing the Moto 1 holeshot. The defending back-to-back 250SMX Champion set a blistering pace up front and, despite a tip-over, still claimed a convincing 6.692-second victory. In Moto 2, he started near the front and quickly moved to third before contact with another rider forced him off track and to the ground. Despite damage to the bike after the crash, Deegan made an impressive charge from 22nd to 14th by Lap 12. He did what he could to advance further, but lost too much time and crossed the line 14th, finishing sixth overall. His efforts helped keep his title hopes alive as he heads to the triple-points-paying final round trailing the new points leader by 10.
Bennick continued to show improvements at the second round of the playoffs. He was sixth in the combined times and went on to win the 250SMX Wildcard LCQ race to transfer to the night show with the 14th gate pick. Bennick was ninth after the start of Moto 1, and although he dropped back to 12th on Lap 4, he kept pushing and made his way back to ninth with two laps to go. In Moto 2, he was once again ninth after the opening lap. The young North Carolina rider dropped back to 10th four laps in, but continued to push and made his way to seventh in the final laps, ending the day eighth overall.
Anstie also showed speed from the outset and was ninth in the combined times. The British rider transferred to the night show with a runner-up finish in the 250SMX Wildcard LCQ race and was 13th after the start of Moto 1. He ran a strong pace and steadily made his way through to eighth on a track that was difficult to make passes on. In 11th after the opening lap of Moto 2, Anstie once again worked his way through to eighth to finish ninth overall.
In his second pro SMX outing, Davies had a strong qualifying in seventh. He had a good start to Moto 1 around the top five and continued to battle, but ultimately finished seventh for a career-best result thus far in the postseason. In Moto 2, Davies started inside the top five and set the fastest lap on Lap 4. Unfortunately, a couple laps later, he had a tip-over in the sand that dropped him back to 11th, where he finished to score 11th overall.
The team heads to Las Vegas, Nevada, next weekend for the SuperMotocross World Championship Final at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 20.
Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team General Manager
“It was an up-and-down day in St. Louis. It was great to see Nate return to the podium and have four of our guys in the top 10 overall, but it was a bummer for Haiden with that second-moto pass putting him out of contention for the race. We’ll keep working and come back stronger in Vegas.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #41
“I felt good all day. Last weekend, I felt pretty good too and felt like the pace was there, but I just wasn’t quite aggressive enough and didn’t ride to my full potential. So tonight, that was my goal – to come out and be aggressive and just control what I could. The first moto, I didn’t get off to a good start, but I made a lot of passes. In the second one, I was a little tired, but overall it was a good day and good to get on the podium. We’ll go work on some things this week and hopefully get a win and see where we end up in the points.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #1
“It was an alright day. I won the first moto and got into a little altercation in the second one. It is what it is. It’s racing. We’ve got one round to go. Let’s see what we can do.”
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #34
“It was a lot better weekend for me. I’m excited for the last round!”
Max Anstie – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was a solid day. We’re making steps in the right direction and getting back in the swing of things. I’m looking forward to the last one in Vegas.”
Cole Davies – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #100
“St. Louis had some good moments, but the tip-over in the sand in Moto 2 really cost me. We had a good qualifying in seventh, which showed the speed is there. Finishing 11th overall wasn’t what I wanted, but I know what I need to work on. We’ll regroup and come out swinging in Vegas at the final round.”
2025 SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff 1 250SMX Results
2025 SuperMotocross World Championship 250SMX Standings
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