Most Impressive: Daytona
March 03, 2026
Who was Most Impressive in Daytona?
450 Class: Eli Tomac
DAYTOMAC! This really is his venue. Something about the soft soil, faster speed, and sand here just clicks with Eli. He started behind his main competitors but was able to work past them relatively quickly. It was an impressive ride for sure, but we expect this out of Eli here right?
Eli last won Daytona 3 years ago back in 2023 (he didn’t race last year, and then in 2024 lost to Jett), so this is a nice rebound to get that 8th win.
Eli talked about his dominance at Daytona:
“I'm just counting my blessings. To get eight here, it's hard to believe. So count my blessings on that. It just fits me. It fits my riding style. It must be something with the soil and maybe what I grew up on with the sand and whatnot and being able to just open the throttle up and spray those sandy berms. Eight is great. It's good.”
250 Class: Seth Hammaker
Hammaker wins Daytona! It’s an epic venue and a special win for anyone, but feels extra special for Seth after a big qualifying crash and a so-so race last weekend. That qualifying crash was nasty… he’s lucky just to be able to line up after that let alone getting the win; super impressive.
Hammaker is one of the title favorites after narrowly missing out last year (we picked his as our title fave), so this win is a step in the right direction. We’re just 2 rounds into 250 East Division, but every round matters! And Hammaker was able to claw back some points he lost last weekend.
Haley Shanley asked if the qualifying crash set him back at all:
“Maybe for the heat race a little bit. Because actually when I crashed in qualifying, I wanted to get back up and do a few laps just to shake that one off, but my bike was just too bent up to do so. Then that wait in between qualifying and the night show, it felt extra long tonight. I just wanted to get out there and put that behind me, but it's always tough to bounce back from that. I think that's what makes this win so much more special to overcome that, put it behind you, and just focus on what you need to and execute when it matters the most, and I was able to do that tonight in the main event. So, yeah, this one feels just really good.“
