Foothill Ranch, Calif. (March 22, 2026) – 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. 

In SMX Next Qualifying, Wey and Johnson put in strong times in the first session. Despite placing higher on the leaderboard in the second session, they maintained their times from the first session due to the rough, deteriorating track. Wey would sit fourth overall, while Johnson secured sixth, setting up both riders with strong gate picks for the main event.

In the SMX Next Main Event, Wey rocketed out of the gate and grabbed a commanding holeshot aboard his KX™250, instantly gapping the field through the first rhythm section. Johnson was on the rear fender of his teammate through the first turn as he pushed to the front through a group of Kawasaki riders. A slight mistake through the rhythm section caused Johnson to slip a couple of positions, but he regrouped and quickly went to work on the field. Wey already put an almost two-second gap on the field through the first lap and continued to stretch his lead. Johnson quickly started moving through the field, making assertive passes on his way to the front. Within only four laps, Johnson moved his way from sixth to second and set the fastest lap of the race at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, Wey settled in up front, taking command of the race with an over seven-second lead. Both Kawasaki Team Green riders would claim the fastest times in every sector, except one. Johnson held off mounting pressure from third place but was unable to make up the large gap to his teammate, and would take second on the night and secure his first podium finish of the season. Wey cruised to the finish line to take home his first career SMX Next win in commanding style. Fellow Team Green riders Gavin Betts and Aden Keefer also had standout rides to round out the Top 10 in eighth and ninth, respectively.

In 250SX Qualifying, Kitchen and Hammaker started the day topping both sessions in their respective class. Hammaker took the overall fastest qualifier with the fast lap he recorded in the first session, which was over half a second faster than second place. Romano used the sessions to continue adapting to the bike and track conditions, posting consistent laps to qualify 24th overall.

In the 250 West Heat Race, Kitchen fought through the pack after a challenging start. The No. 47 Kawasaki put his head down and went to work to ensure a strong gate pick for the stacked main event. He passed riders one by one, clocking his fastest lap at the midway point of the race. He quickly passed 10 riders in the short six-minute heat race window to secure fifth place. 

In the 250 East Heat Race, Hammaker charged down the start straight and grabbed the holeshot. While exiting the left-hand turn out of the first rhythm section, Hammaker’s rear end slid out on the slick track, causing him to slip to second place. He quickly regrouped and maintained pressure on the leader, but was unable to catch back up, finishing the race in a solid second-place. Teammate Romano would get off to a midpack start and maintain his pace while pushing for a qualifying position inside the Top 9. On the final lap of the race, two riders would collide in front of him, allowing him to move by but unable to make up time to ninth place, he finished in 10th and headed to the last chance qualifier.

In the 250 LCQ, Romano had a strong start in fourth place, instantly placing himself into a qualifying position. After briefly slipping back to sixth, he charged to finish in third place and make his first main event with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki.

When the gate dropped for the highly anticipated East/West Showdown Main Event, Kitchen redeemed his poor start in the heat race by rocketing out of the gate to grab the holeshot. Hammaker would follow close behind his teammate, starting in fifth place, while Romano would come through in 16th after receiving a poor gate pick. Kitchen ran side by side through the first rhythm section with his competitor, but was pushed high in the left-hand turn and slipped back to second. Behind Kitchen’s battle, Hammaker made quick work of his competition to move up into third place. Kitchen was determined to be back up front as he made a tight pass for the lead coming out of the split lane section on the second lap. Kitchen was not ready to give away the lead without a fight as he showed aggression to maintain his position. Hammaker and his Eastern Division competitor, Jo Shimoda, maintained a tight battle for much of the race, holding onto his position until being passed at the halfway point. Hammaker would fall slightly off the pace, but an impressive late-race push would see him close a two-second gap in two laps. He came back to make the pass for third place in dramatic fashion on the final turn before the finish line, maintaining his podium streak with a third-place finish. Kitchen would end up slipping back to second again and try to maintain pressure on the lead, but while dealing with an ongoing back issue, he would slip back to fifth place to finish the race. Romano would hover around 16th place for the majority of the race and attempt to battle up towards the front, but still adjusting to the pace after a year away from competition, the No. 141 Kawasaki finished the night in 18th.

In 450SX Qualifying, Marchbanks delivered two consistent sessions. After making adjustments to his bike to better handle the rough track conditions following the first session, he improved his time by more than half a second to qualify 10th overall.

In 450 Heat 1, Marchbanks got a strong jump off the gate and emerged in fifth place. The No. 36 Kawasaki held his position despite pressure from riders behind him, finishing fifth and matching his best heat race result of the season.

In the 450 Main Event, Marchbanks got a less-than-ideal start after experiencing some slight wheel spin off the grate. He started the race in 15th and steadily worked his way forward each lap, breaking into the Top 10 and climbing as high as eighth in the closing laps. As the leaders began lapping traffic, Marchbanks adjusted his rhythm while allowing them to pass, which caused him to slip back to ninth at the finish. Marchbanks would later be docked one position for cutting the track in the split lane section, putting him 10th on the night. 

“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.

 – Vincent Wey

“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.”

 – Seth Hammaker

“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.”

 – Levi Kitchen

“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.”

 – Nick Romano

“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 bikes. 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.”

– Garrett Marchbanks