What happens in Vegas … well, in this case, $2 million didn’t stay in Vegas.
In Saturday’s Monster Energy Cup season finale at Sam Boyd Stadium, Eli Tomac went back to his Cortez, Colorado home with $1 million in his back pocket – the largest purse in Supercross motorcycle racing.
🙌💰 @EliTomac takes home $1,000,000 at the #MonsterEnergyCup & so does this lucky fan that was winner of the #MonsterMillions Sweepstakes! pic.twitter.com/YnW227VK8l
— Monster Energy (@MonsterEnergy) October 14, 2018
But that was only half of what happened. For the first time in the event’s eight-year history, one lucky fan, Jesse Hebert, of Greenbelt, Maryland, also took home $1 million after Tomac became the $1 million winner and the third athlete in history to claim the Monster Million.
The invitation-only, all-star event brought out the best of the best in motorcycle racing, all fighting for the coveted Cup. But it was Tomac, of the Monster Energy Kawasaki team, who became the first two-time champion in the history of the Cup series.
“I was just full on, that’s all there was to it,” Tomac said on the podium. “It was just wide open; I was making the passes, and then it was just all the way ‘til the end. This is just insane. Unbelievable.”
Tomac was definitely in a zone: he won all three, 10-lap main event sessions on a hybrid-styled Supercross track designed by five-time champion Ricky Carmichael.
Jason Anderson and Joey Savatgy rounded out the overall Cup Class podium with a (finished 3-5-4 in the three rounds) and (5-6-2), respectively.
In the Supermini class, KTM’s Max Vohland dominated both Main Events going (1-1) ahead of KTM’s Kaeden Amerine who finished second with a (3-2) and Kawasaki’s Chance Hymas rounded out the podium with a 5-4.
In the Amateur All-Star class, Honda’s Jo Shimoda took the overall win (1-3), Husqvarna’s Jalek Swol was second (3-2) and KTM’s Derek Drake finished third (6-1).
Fans in attendance also witnessed the first-ever backflip on a Monster Energy Cup track from two-time Monster Jam World Finals champion Todd LeDuc.
Here are the final results of the Monster Energy Cup Class championship battle:
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Co., Kawasaki (1-1-1)
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna (3-5-4)
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (5-6-2)
- Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Yamaha (4-2-7)
- Malcolm Stewart , Haines City, Fla., Honda (7-4-6)
- Joshua Grant, Wilomar, Calif., Kawasaki (8-3-8)
- Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Honda (10-7-5)
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Suzuki (9-16-3)
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM (13-8-10)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrance, Calif., KTM (11-10-11)