Content Hub | SMX Playoff 1 - Charlotte Motor Speedway

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side-pipe 9/7/2025 6:03am
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It was a good run Charlotte, Fingers crossed they come back next year. Of course im biased and like having a round local to me but the venue is actually pretty good for this race. better than a speedway where it takes up a fraction of the venue, this uses the whole drag strip and then some. Save the "but the concrete walls" cries for another thread.  This year they did have pads on a lot of the sections. The way the stands are set up and the fact you can stand against the fence is awesome. The pits to track arrangement is perfect. more than enough facilities there for everybody.  The track layout this year meh not my favorite but watching everyone struggle on Friday brought back memories of the first year when everyone was caught off guard and had to scramble to adjust suspension set ups.  I would love to see the split section be brought back for the MX part of the track. Rain cancelation is a huge bummer but could happen anywhere. 

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lumpy790 9/7/2025 9:36am
9/7/2025 9:36am
side-pipe wrote:
It was a good run Charlotte, Fingers crossed they come back next year. Of course im biased and like having a round local to me but...

It was a good run Charlotte, Fingers crossed they come back next year. Of course im biased and like having a round local to me but the venue is actually pretty good for this race. better than a speedway where it takes up a fraction of the venue, this uses the whole drag strip and then some. Save the "but the concrete walls" cries for another thread.  This year they did have pads on a lot of the sections. The way the stands are set up and the fact you can stand against the fence is awesome. The pits to track arrangement is perfect. more than enough facilities there for everybody.  The track layout this year meh not my favorite but watching everyone struggle on Friday brought back memories of the first year when everyone was caught off guard and had to scramble to adjust suspension set ups.  I would love to see the split section be brought back for the MX part of the track. Rain cancelation is a huge bummer but could happen anywhere. 

I think they announced over the PA that they just signed a contract for 2 more years at Charlotte.

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side-pipe
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side-pipe 9/7/2025 12:09pm
9/7/2025 12:09pm
side-pipe wrote:
It was a good run Charlotte, Fingers crossed they come back next year. Of course im biased and like having a round local to me but...

It was a good run Charlotte, Fingers crossed they come back next year. Of course im biased and like having a round local to me but the venue is actually pretty good for this race. better than a speedway where it takes up a fraction of the venue, this uses the whole drag strip and then some. Save the "but the concrete walls" cries for another thread.  This year they did have pads on a lot of the sections. The way the stands are set up and the fact you can stand against the fence is awesome. The pits to track arrangement is perfect. more than enough facilities there for everybody.  The track layout this year meh not my favorite but watching everyone struggle on Friday brought back memories of the first year when everyone was caught off guard and had to scramble to adjust suspension set ups.  I would love to see the split section be brought back for the MX part of the track. Rain cancelation is a huge bummer but could happen anywhere. 

lumpy790 wrote:

I think they announced over the PA that they just signed a contract for 2 more years at Charlotte.

I must have missed that.  hope its True!

 

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-MAVERICK- 9/8/2025 6:18pm
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Key Highlights

-Jett in Control: Jett Lawrence took the 450 moto win with a class-best 94.4 LITPro consistency score, the highest of the day. He also held the fastest median lap time, showing he was only pushing as much as needed.

-The Top Four: Jett, Tomac, Sexton, and Hunter all ran their fastest laps within three-tenths of a second and their median lap times within a single second. The rest of the 450 field was nowhere close. A great start for the three-round playoffs for our top contenders. 

450 Analysis

The first round of the SMX Playoffs was nothing short of controversial. You’ll notice this Moto Metrics is shorter than normal since the weather cut the event short, allowing just one moto for each class. Still, that gives us plenty to break down.

In the 450s, there are really only four contenders: Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Eli Tomac, and Chase Sexton. We’ll dive deeper in a moment, but those four are clearly ahead of the rest of the pack on lap times. What’s respectable is that Tomac and Sexton continue to test and push themselves, even knowing they're switching teams in a month. But one thing was clear in Concord: it’s going to be tough to beat two-time SMX Playoff Champion, Jett Lawrence. Honestly, it was hard to tell how hard Jett was actually riding. To most, it looked like he was just going fast enough to win.

Track Breakdown:

The track map above shows who clocked the fastest average sector times in each moto. 

You’ll notice Hunter Lawrence missing from the map. He had an uncharacteristically bad start in Moto 1 at Budds Creek, and followed it up again here in Concord. He was only 6th on the first lap, and that cost him precious time early to Jett, Tomac, and Sexton.

On paper, this came down to Jett and Tomac, and in many ways it did. But just as odd as it was to see Hunter with a bad start, we also saw Tomac make an unforced error in S1. One theme that continues to stand out in this playoff format: it pushes riders right to their limits.

450 Moto 1:

Screenshot %28100%29

Lap Time Breakdown:

By the time the 450s hit the track, it was hammered. One can only imagine how bad it would’ve been if the lightning had cleared and they had raced in the slop. Even in the two good motos we did get, the track was falling apart quickly. The soft dirt meant gnarly ruts outdoors and sketchy rhythm lanes in the supercross sections.

The histogram makes this clear (the 250s were even crazier). Usually, we see a bell curve with the fastest up front, most in the middle, mistake/crash laps at the rear. Not here. It was chaos, just like the track. If you weren’t Jett, Tomac, Sexton, or Hunter, fast laps were rare, and consistent laps were even rarer.

Moto 1 Fast Laps (11 Timed Laps)

J. Lawrence, H. Lawrence: 4
Sexton: 3

Class Average Consistency: 79.5
Class Median Consistency: 83.0

450 Moto 1 Analysis

Screenshot %28101%29

Riders sorted by median lap time.

Top Performances:

First, check the lap-time gap between the top four and Hampshire. Not to bag on RJ, but he and the rest of the field were clearly off pace. That’s not to say nobody outside the top four had moments, but those four were on another level. Their fastest laps were within three-tenths, their medians within a second, and they absolutely gapped everyone else in just 11 timed laps.

Let’s also give Hunter Lawrence some credit. With a second moto (in dry conditions), I think we would’ve seen a much stronger Hunter. He set the fastest lap of the race on lap 5.

LITPro 10-Lap Consistency:

Want a good indicator of when Jett’s in control and not pushing all-out? Look at his consistency score. 94.4 is insanely good. Not only was he the fastest guy on track by median lap time (0.2 quicker per lap), but he was also 10 points higher than the class median in consistency. He rode in control, yet smooth and fast. Jett and Tomac were the only two to crack 90.

Lap 99 Analysis:

Hunter may have had the outright fastest lap, but Jett showed the most potential. His Lap 99 time was nearly a quarter second quicker than Sexton’s, and those two were the only ones in the 1:56s. Yet another sign Jett was just doing enough to win, classic Jett.

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