Image: Octopi Media.

2018 Daytona Supercross winner Justin Brayton will miss round nine of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross season today at Daytona International Speedway as he continues to deal with a lingering injury.

After being forced to sit out round eight at Orlando following a practice crash that resulted in injuries to his chest, Muc-Off Honda’s premier class rider had planned to return for Daytona. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case for Brayton as the bikes take to the track in Daytona today.

“I was really hoping to be back for Daytona,” Brayton explained. “So I am pretty bummed to not be racing this weekend, it wasn’t an easy decision.”

Many assumed Brayton was fit and ready for Daytona after he was seen competing in a stock car race last weekend with some of the legends of Supercross. He explained in a press release that parallels between the two forms of racing, from a physical standpoint, can’t be drawn.

“I know people watched me compete last week in a car race,” he continued. “But racing supercross is a whole other thing, our bodies really take a beating over the course of the night. Turning a steering wheel is so different to hitting whoops and my chest hasn’t fully recovered so I need to make sure it does so I can get the results my team deserves.”

While it’s unclear when Brayton will return to Supercross, the Muc-Off Honda team’s 250 East rider Mitchell Oldenburg will get another chance to line up in the 450SX class tonight as the gate drops at Daytona International Speedway for round nine.