Image: Octopi Media.

Rookie Chase Sexton will make his return to action this weekend in Daytona after missing six rounds due to a shoulder injury sustained while leading the main event at Houston 2.

The limited-time we’ve seen the Team Honda HRC rider on track during the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross season has been both entertaining and promising.

He kicked off the year by qualifying at the top of the timesheets at the opening round in Houston, then went on to win his first 450SX heat race at Houston 2.

When the gate dropped on the main event, he jumped out to the lead in and set a blistering pace until he hit the ground, ending his night and sustaining a shoulder injury that put his season on pause. While it’s unclear if the pace had anything to do with the crash or if it was just a simple mistake, had Sexton continued at the same rate he looked to be headed towards his first premier class win.

He returns to action this weekend at Daytona for round nine of the series, a venue where he’s finished runner-up the last two years in a row in the 250SX East class. With ample time back on the bike to recover, he’ll be one to watch when the gate drops on Saturday night under the lights of Daytona Motor Speedway.