Chase Sexton will miss the first two rounds of the Indianapolis Supercross residency, according to Honda Racing.
Sexton crashed while leading the second round at Houston on Jan. 19 and injured his right shoulder, forcing him to miss Round 3. Having missed one round already, Sexton’s hopes of winning the Supercross title in his rookie season were greatly diminished in the 17-round season.
Sexton’s right shoulder lacks the strength needed to compete for the next two rounds, but X-rays and MRI scans have been negative for fractures or tears. Sexton has been diagnosed with a contusion and strain of the right rotator cuff and scapula.
While the current plans are for Sexton to return for Round 6 (the final round of the three-race Indy residency), the team acknowledged the decision could change. Indianapolis is the track closest to Sexton’s birthplace of La Moille, Ill. - 250 miles northwest of the city.
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Should Sexton miss the entire Indianapolis schedule, the next race will be Feb. 13 in Orlando, the first of two races at Camping World Stadium.
“After my shoulder injury from Houston 2, I feel a little bit better,” said Sexton in a release. “I have range of motion back, but I’m still pretty weak in the shoulder. The MRI results came back good; it’s just a really bad strain and contusion in my right shoulder and shoulder blade.
“I wish I was racing this weekend in Indy, especially it being my home race, but my goal is to be back for Indy 3; that’s what we’re shooting for.
“I’m trying to gain strength in my shoulder because I don’t really want to come back unless I’m ready to go win—I want to be 100%. It’s going to be a tough one, but hopefully we can get back and start competing where we left off—in the lead. I’m looking forward to seeing everybody at the races. It’s a bummer I’m missing my home race, but I’m excited to be there next Saturday and finish off the season strong.”
Sexton’s teammate Ken Roczen currently holds the Supercross championship points lead by one over Justin Barcia.
BREAKING: @_ChaseSexton to miss the next two rounds of @MonsterEnergy Supercross with hopes to be back for round 6️⃣ per Team Honda HRC 🔴#SupercrossLIVE #DropTheGate pic.twitter.com/uK2QG0g0vY
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) January 28, 2021