Tough news coming from the Kawasaki pits on Friday before the 2026 High Point National. Chase Sexton suffered a torn ACL from his press day crash at Thunder Valley, and will miss the rest of the 2026 SMX season.

It was well documented that Chase wasn’t comfortable with his bike this year, and when he returns for next year, (if he sticks with his three-year Kawasaki contract) he’ll have a new 2027 Kawasaki KX450 to lineup on.

Kawasaki’s PR team: “Following last week’s crash at Thunder Valley, Chase Sexton has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will be sidelined for the remainder of the year”

Chase Sexton: “2026 racing season has unfortunately come to an end. Got the news last night that’s I have a torn ACL from my crash last week that will need surgery.
After all the struggles of this year this one felt like I got punched straight in the stomach I’m not going to lie, it hurts me to even type this out. With that being said, I’m going to take this an opportunity to do things I normally don’t get to do this summer and enjoy it with my friends and family. As far as racing goes I’m also looking forward to this comeback story and this one is going to be personal. For me as a rider I have a lot left to prove and I’m going to take full advantage of it. ’27 will be fun
For now I’m going to enjoy life and maybe see y’all at some races in the future as a fan. Thank you. – CS4”

2026 HIGH POINT NATIONAL // FULL COVERAGE