Mud, Mayhem, and Music City Madness

The 2026 USA BMX Music City Nationals in Nashville, TN delivered what we’ll call a memorable Music City Nats. Unpredictable weather, unforgettable racing, and a weekend that tested every rider’s grit. Overnight rain and scattered storms turned the track into a slick, muddy battlefield, forcing riders to adapt lap after lap as conditions changed throughout the weekend.

First up, a HUGE shoutout to the local and traveling volunteers. Not only to prepare the track for the weekend, but for the constantly shifting tasks that come with a rain race.

With ruts forming through the straights, streams flowing through the infield, and mud attaching to every surface possible, smooth laps were hard to come by. Riders who could stay composed, manage frustration, and survive the chaos rose to the top in one of the most physically demanding weekends of the season.

In Vet Pro, Jeff “Big Jeff” Upshaw powered through the chaos on Saturday to score the win aboard his Driven Cycling Academy/Crupi ride, while Tyler Smith backed it up with a consistent second-place finish. On Sunday, Tyler Smith flipped the script and captured the victory himself, his first-ever Vet Pro winner, after another demanding day of racing, with Cory Franzwa and Christopher Mireles joining him on the podium.

Addison “Alligator” Thompson emerged as one of the breakout stars of the weekend in ABA Futures Women, sweeping both Friday’s UCI racing and Saturday’s ABA Futures Main with smooth, aggressive laps in the muddy conditions. Preslie “The Piston” Gould and Landon Burian rounded out Saturday’s podium, while Burian returned Sunday alongside Danica Appenzeller after another hectic speed-driven main event.

The ABA Futures Men class delivered bar-to-bar action all weekend long. Marshall “Major” Gehrke led the charge on Saturday down the drag strip ahead of Ronan Weber and Lucas Zhou, while Sunday saw Evan “Easy E” Esposito rise to the top after a clean and controlled main event over Kaiden Ireland and Gaige Gomolicke.

In Women Pro, Molly Simpson proved unstoppable in the mud, sweeping the weekend against stacked competition. Avoiding Payton Ridenour's slip and slip in turn two, Simpson was joined on the podium with the returning “Mama Beast” Alise Willoughby and McKenzie Gayheart on Saturday before returning Sunday to tow in Alexis “AA” Alden and Derin Merten for another impressive victory and AA's first Pro Podium.

The Men Pro class capped off both days with intense international battles as Kamren Larsen dominated the weekend with back-to-back wins. With slick turns testing the field, Larsen survived the added competitor and battled the brutal conditions better than anyone, taking Saturday’s victory over Simon Marquart and Jordan “Wolf” Callum before repeating the feat Sunday, with Callum and Drew Polk once again rounding out the podium.

The Music City Nationals proved that BMX racing is not just a sunny-day sport. The perseverance and GRIT it takes to battle mind and body to the finishline. From soaked jerseys and mud-covered number plates to dramatic mains and survival-style racing, Nashville delivered a weekend riders won’t forget anytime soon.

It wasn’t always pretty, but that’s exactly what made it memorable.