Chase Sexton inherits Detroit Supercross win, loses points with penalty

Chase Sexton was set to make up significant points on Eli Tomac in the Detroit Monster Energy Supercross race, but he was prepared to settle for second-place until a bizarre accident erased a four-second lead by Aaron Plessinger on the final lap. After the race, Sexton was penalized for jumping on a red cross flag. He will keep the win, but he has been docked seven championship points.

Plessinger took the lead from Adam Cianciarulo early in the night and was cruising toward victory when his toe dug into the dirt and pulled him off his bike. Plessinger tried to hang onto the handlebars, but a hard fall dropped him and his damaged bike from first to 13th in the final rundown.

“That one hurts,” Plessinger told NBC Sports’ Jason Thomas. “That one hurts a lot. I was riding so good. I didn’t stand up in that rut the whole moto. I sat down and put my foot out and the one time I though it was alright to stand up and it catches my foot and rips me right off of the bike.

“I couldn’t believe it, flying through the air like that. … It was a hard hit. I tried to get back up and the bike was smoking. I probably could have finished, but man that hurts. We’ll get back up on the saddle and get back up there in Seattle.”

Plessinger was on his way to a first career win and his second podium of the season.

RESULTS: How they finished for the 450 Main in Detroit

Chase inherited the top spot after seeing the leader crash, but that was a circumstance Sexton knows all too well after crashing during lead battles in multiple races this season.

“Honestly, I’ve been in that position too many times,” Sexton told Will Christien. “I was bummed to see Aaron fall. I was pretty far back in lapped traffic, but I rode solid the whole Main event. I came