Jett Lawrence Is Out, Eli Tomac Is Riding Off — the 2026 SMX Playoffs Just Got Rewritten

Two of the biggest names in the sport just changed the story going into the 2026 SMX Playoffs, and neither change is the kind you plan for.

Jett Lawrence is out. The three-time defending SMX 450 champion aggravated his surgically-repaired right ankle in moto 1 at the Ironman National on August 29 — the season finale of AMA Pro Motocross — and pushed through it to still make the podium in moto 2. It wasn't enough to save the day: Hunter Lawrence's 8-4 beat Jett's 11-3 by two points, handing Hunter the 450MX title outright. But the bigger fallout came three days later, when Jett and American Honda announced he'd sit out all three SMX Playoff rounds and undergo another ankle surgery on September 9 at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado (Racer X). That ends his bid for a fourth straight SMX crown before the gate even drops — Jett has won every SMX Playoffs since the format started in 2023, and he'd have carried the No. 4 seed into Columbus behind Hunter Lawrence, Jorge Prado, and Cooper Webb. Instead, for the first time in the format's history, there's guaranteed to be a new champion.

Eli Tomac's last laps

Then came the second gut-punch: Eli Tomac announced he's retiring at the end of this SMX postseason. The 33-year-old Red Bull KTM rider will call it a career after the SMX Final on September 26 in Ridgedale, Missouri, closing out 17 professional seasons that started in 2010 (KTM). The résumé speaks for itself: two 450SX titles (2020, 2022), four 450MX titles (2017-2019, 2022), the 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship, and a career total that ranks him second all-time in 450SX main event wins and fourth all-time in 450MX wins. Tomac had reportedly been lining up a Supercross-only run in 2027 before deciding otherwise. "I know in my heart that the time is now and that the time is right," he said in the announcement — which means the next three rounds are officially his farewell tour, and every gate drop from Columbus to Ridgedale now carries extra weight.

What the playoffs actually look like now

The format hasn't changed, just who's racing it. The top 20 in combined season points per class automatically qualify and get seeded into the field, with two more spots up for grabs in a Wild Card race for riders ranked 21st through 30th. Three rounds decide it all: Playoff 1 hits Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on September 12, Playoff 2 moves to Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on September 19, and the Final lands at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri on September 26 (BTO Sports). With Jett scratched, Hunter Lawrence goes in as the man to beat off his motocross title momentum, but Prado, Webb, Chase Sexton, Ken Roczen, and Tomac himself all have a real shot to spoil the script — Webb in particular has said the tighter, supercross-style tracks should play to his strengths.

Whatever happens at Columbus, it's a reminder that a season is never really decided until it's actually over — an ankle can end a title defense in one bad moto, and a career you've followed for 17 years can wrap up on three Saturdays you didn't see coming. Keep logging your own rides while you still can: BraapTrax tracks your distance, elevation, and season stats automatically, so your riding history doesn't depend on remembering it right.

Sources: Racer X — Jett Lawrence to sit out SuperMotocross Playoffs, KTM — Eli Tomac to retire at the conclusion of 2026 SMX post-season, BTO Sports — 2026 SMX Playoffs schedule, dates, venues, how points work, Ultimate Motorcycling — 2026 Ironman National Motocross results.