Riders compete in Amateur All-Star Race 1 during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac competes in the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Riders compete in Amateur All-Star Race 1 during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Riders compete in Amateur All-Star Race 1 during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Riders compete in Super Mini Race during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac competes in the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac competes in the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac makes his final jump to win the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Fans watch as Eli Tomac celebrates his win in the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac reacts after winning the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac shows off his one million dollars after winning the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac celebrates his win in the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Vince Friese (42) and Cooper Webb (2) compete during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Joshua Grant (33) and Cooper Webb (2) compete during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Jordon Smith (28) Joshua Grant (33) and Cooper Webb (2) compete during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Colton Aeck competes during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Justin Garcia (51) avoids a collision with Chris Howell (122) as they compete during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Riders compete during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Fans react as they watch the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Ryder DiFrancesco (199) Kaeden Amerine (32) and Jack Chambers (12) compete in Super Mini Main 2 Race during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Ryder DiFrancesco tries to take his helmet off after falling off his motorcycle as he competes in Super Mini Main 2 Race during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Ryder DiFrancesco was carried away from the racetrack after an accident as he competes in Super Mini Main 2 Race during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Ryder DiFrancesco was carried away from the racetrack after an accident as he competes in Super Mini Main 2 Race during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac (3) and Joshua Grant (33) compete during the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Fans watch the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac (3) chases Joey Savatgy (17) during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Tomac received a million dollars for winning the race. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Derek Drake jumps as he competes in Amateur All-Stars Race during the 2018 Energy Cup Race at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13 , 2018, in Las Vegas. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
Eli Tomac became the second rider in as many years to ride away with a $1 million bonus for sweeping the three main events of the Monster Energy Cup Supercross all-star race at Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday night.
After cruising to easy wins in the first two motos, Tomac rallied from seventh place in the third to overtake fellow Kawasaki rider Joey Savatgy on the last lap of 10 as a capacity crowd roared in approval.
“I was just full on — that’s all there was to it,” said Tomac, 25, of Cortez, Colorado, who became the first repeat winner in the event’s eight-year history. Tomac also was victorious in 2016 when he won just one of the three 10-lap races over jumps and high-banked turns.
“It was just wide open,” Tomac said after being handed the big check. “I was making the passes, and then it was just all the way to the end. This is just insane. Unbelievable.”
Reigning Supercross champion Jason Anderson finished second overall. Savatgy, who was quick all night, settled for third in cumulative points after finishing second to Tomac in the million-dollar race.
Savatgy grabbed the holeshot in the first main before Tomac pulled around him on the second lap and never looked back, taking the checkered flag 3.3 seconds ahead of 2017 Monster Energy Cup winner and million-dollar man Marvin Musquin on a KTM. Anderson was third on a Husqvarna, with Justin Barcia (Yamaha) and Savatgy rounding out the top five.
“We’re off to a flying start —we’re the only one who can do it now,” Tomac said before winning the second moto in more dominating fashion than he had the first. His margin of victory over second-place Barcia was a tidy 4.1 seconds. Joshua Grant (Kawasaki), Malcom Stewart (Honda) and Anderson finished third through fifth.
A crash under the Monster Energy bridge in the middle of the course eliminated Chad Reed’s Suzuki and Musquin from podium contention in the second main. Musquin was trying to grab second place from Reed when the two collided on Lap 3. Both were able to restart with Musquin finishing a distant ninth and Reed 16th among the 22 starters.
