CHASE SEXTON | GRIT-210 | 450SX

CHASE SEXTON | GRIT-210 | SX 450

Honda's Chase Sexton continued his quest for the title on Saturday, knowing that the Triple Crown format would categorize Arlington as one of the toughest races on the circuit for 2023. Never one to waver, Sexton would vow to give it his all as he sped onto the circuit for qualification, pushing his number twenty-three into contention for the pole position after various stages of practice would transpire. His self-belief was at its highest level for the first main event, though figurative (and literal) road-blocks were placed in his path from the moment the gate fell. Traveling just behind Jason Anderson, the Honda rider would clip the downed Kawasaki rider in turn number one! Almost coming to a complete stop as the pack moved forward, Sexton would have to work forward from the back of the field the entirety of the roster sped away. He was swift with his moves though while slicing through the leaderboard, cutting down as necessary and making bold moves (via charging speed) that others couldn't refute. Into the top-ten shortly thereafter, he would be behind Cooper Webb (while in eighth) with just under ten-minutes to go on the clock. The two would form a tandem that continued to ascend, though Sexton would make his way past the number two while traveling upward (and into the top-five). Now with Aaron Plessinger next to overtake, the two opponents would nearly come together over the wall jump before the step-up/tunnel obstacle! However staying upright, they were clear of any mishaps as they sped toward the checkered flag. One opponent was left for him to move around though (i.e. Justin Barcia) and with four laps remaining, Sexton would secure third, which was tremendous given his initial circumstances. For round two, his opening registry of fourth would be maintained for quite sometime. With a myriad of contenders in front of him (Anderson, Webb, and Tomac) it was a battle for championship legacy, to see whom who would be the fastest of them all. Though the Kawasaki and KTM rider seemed to be on their on trajectory out front, it was Sexton who moved to the inside (and ahead) of the red-plate holder as they passed the five minutes (to go) mark just before the whoop section! Solidified in third, he remained here until the final lap was completed. In contention for an overall win, the Honda rider began the third quest just behind "ET3" and seemed poised while doing so. This remained the case, until roughly eight-minutes remained (on the clock) when Sexton's wash-out in the right-handed corner before the tunnel-jump would have him on the ground! What seemed to be disastrous, would actually be returned in his favor with Eli Tomac crashing not long thereafter! Now in the lead, the race win was tangible and intact...until Cooper Webb came to disrupt his victorious standing as Sexton was caught behind a lapped rider! Webb's infiltration of the inside (before the wall jump) forced Chase to the outer portion of the desired groove, and left him with nowhere to go. Now in the runner-up designation, he would stay here from that point, onward, to the checkered flag that was eventually thrown; claiming runner-up in both the moto, and on the overall statistics sheet.

More from GRIT