2026 Budds Creek National Recap: Hunter Lawrence Sweeps as Championship Battles Tighten
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Hunter Lawrence delivered a perfect 1-1 performance at Budds Creek to reclaim the 450 championship lead by just one point over Jett Lawrence, while Chance Hymas broke through for the 250 overall victory and Cole Davies retook the red plate with one round remaining.
The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship rolled into Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, for the penultimate round of the season, and the championship picture changed dramatically before the series heads to its finale at Ironman.
Heavy rain during the morning created difficult conditions and essentially wiped out the second qualifying sessions, but the track improved throughout the afternoon. When the motos began, Hunter Lawrence was the rider to beat.
Hunter Lawrence Goes 1-1 and Takes Back the Red Plate
Hunter Lawrence entered Budds Creek trailing younger brother Jett Lawrence by 10 points in the 450 championship.
He left Maryland with the red plate.
Haiden Deegan grabbed the Moto 1 holeshot, while Hunter quickly positioned himself near the front. Jett Lawrence had a rough opening lap, starting deep in the field and dropping as far as the 20s before beginning a charge back toward the leaders.
Hunter moved past Deegan early and controlled the remainder of the moto. Deegan kept him honest through portions of the race, but Hunter eventually pulled away to take the win.
Behind him, Jett produced one of the rides of the afternoon, working his way through the pack to salvage fifth.
450 Moto 1
- Hunter Lawrence
- Haiden Deegan
- Jorge Prado
- Eli Tomac
- Jett Lawrence
Moto 2 provided another opportunity for Hunter, and this time he never gave anyone else much of a chance.
The Honda rider grabbed the early lead and immediately opened a gap over Jorge Prado. Jett again started deeper in the field but quickly began moving forward.
Late in the moto, Jett tracked down Prado and made the pass for second, but Hunter was already gone.
Hunter crossed the line first to complete the 1-1 sweep, while Jett finished second ahead of Prado and Deegan.
450 Moto 2
- Hunter Lawrence
- Jett Lawrence
- Jorge Prado
- Haiden Deegan
- Mikkel Haarup
450 Overall Results
- Hunter Lawrence — 1-1
- Jorge Prado — 3-3
- Haiden Deegan — 2-4
- Jett Lawrence — 5-2
- Mikkel Haarup — 8-5
- Cooper Webb — 6-9
- Aaron Plessinger — 10-7
- Justin Barcia — 7-10
- Eli Tomac — 4-13
- RJ Hampshire — 12-6
The performance marked Hunter Lawrence's sixth overall victory of the season and created an 11-point championship swing.
That means the 450 title fight could hardly be closer.
450 Championship Standings After Budds Creek
- Hunter Lawrence — 442
- Jett Lawrence — 441
- Haiden Deegan — 376
- Jorge Prado — 351
- RJ Hampshire — 308
- Garrett Marchbanks — 265
- Dylan Ferrandis — 265
- Cooper Webb — 230
- Mikkel Haarup — 220
- Justin Barcia — 201
One point separates the Lawrence brothers with two motos remaining.
Ironman is essentially winner-take-all.
Haiden Deegan Continues Impressive 450 Rookie Season
Haiden Deegan continued to show that his move into the premier class has been anything but a learning year.
Deegan qualified fastest and grabbed the Moto 1 holeshot before battling Hunter Lawrence at the front of the field. His 2-4 moto scores gave him third overall and extended his streak to five consecutive overall podiums.
Through the opening 10 rounds of his rookie 450 outdoor season, Deegan has now finished on the overall podium eight times.
He sits comfortably third in the championship heading into the finale.
Chance Hymas Breaks Through in the 250 Class
The 250 championship battle experienced an even bigger shakeup.
Levi Kitchen arrived at Budds Creek carrying a one-point championship lead over Cole Davies.
That advantage disappeared quickly.
Kitchen grabbed the Moto 1 holeshot but went down while battling at the front of the field. He eventually worked his way back toward the top 10, but a four-position penalty for going outside the track limits on the start dropped him to 14th in the official results.
Davies capitalized.
The Yamaha rider took control of the moto and rode to his eighth moto victory of the season, ahead of Chance Hymas and rookie Landen Gordon.
250 Moto 1
- Cole Davies
- Chance Hymas
- Landen Gordon
- Carson Mumford
- Kayden Minear
Moto 2 belonged to Hymas.
The Honda rider grabbed the holeshot and led from start to finish while Kitchen charged through the field behind him.
Kitchen eventually passed Davies for second and closed on Hymas in the final stages, but Hymas held him off to secure the moto victory and the overall.
His 2-1 scores gave Hymas his first overall victory of the 2026 season and the third Pro Motocross overall win of his career.
The victory also made Hymas the seventh different 250 winner this season, highlighting just how competitive the class has been.
250 Overall Results
- Chance Hymas — 2-1
- Cole Davies — 1-3
- Landen Gordon — 3-7
- Julien Beaumer — 8-4
- Levi Kitchen — 14-2
- Kayden Minear — 5-10
- Lux Turner — 7-9
- Caden Dudney — 10-8
- Daxton Bennick — 9-11
- Drew Adams — 17-5
For Landen Gordon, the result marked the rookie's first career Pro Motocross overall podium.
Cole Davies Reclaims the 250 Red Plate
Kitchen's difficult opening moto created a massive swing in the championship.
Davies entered Budds Creek one point behind Kitchen but leaves with a 14-point advantage.
250 Championship Standings After Budds Creek
- Cole Davies — 378
- Levi Kitchen — 364
- Julien Beaumer — 322
- Chance Hymas — 317
- Ryder DiFrancesco — 291
- Kayden Minear — 269
- Carson Mumford — 244
- Jo Shimoda — 194
- Michael Mosiman — 167
- Caden Dudney — 166
Davies is now in control of his own championship destiny, but with 50 points still available at Ironman, Kitchen remains very much alive.
Everything Comes Down to Ironman
After a season filled with momentum swings, the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will come down to one final Saturday.
In the 450 class, Hunter Lawrence leads Jett Lawrence by one point.
In the 250 class, Cole Davies leads Levi Kitchen by 14.
Two motos remain in each championship.
The 2026 Pro Motocross season concludes Saturday, August 29, at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, setting the stage for two championship showdowns that could go all the way to the final checkered flag.
Budds Creek Takeaways
- Hunter Lawrence dominated with a perfect 1-1 sweep.
- Hunter reclaimed the 450 red plate by one point over Jett.
- Jorge Prado finished second overall with consistent 3-3 scores.
- Haiden Deegan earned his fifth straight overall podium.
- Chance Hymas earned his first 250 overall victory of 2026.
- Cole Davies reclaimed the 250 championship lead.
- Levi Kitchen trails Davies by 14 points.
- Both Pro Motocross championships will be decided at Ironman.
Next Race: Ironman National — August 29, 2026
(Photo: HRC Honda / Align Media)
