USA Motocross Team Icon Jeff Ward Named Grand Marshal for 2025 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations at Ironman Raceway

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame & Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Inductee
 to Lead Opening Ceremonies at World’s Most Prestigious Motocross Event

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN – September 16, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – MX Sports, host organizer of the 2025 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN), is pleased to announce that AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and USA Motocross Team icon Jeff Ward, the most prolific racer of the 1980s, will serve as Grand Marshal of the world’s most prestigious motocross event, which will return to American soil from October 3-5 from Crawfordsville, Indiana’s Ironman Raceway. Ward will join this year’s USA rider lineup of Haiden Deegan, Chase Sexton, and Eli Tomac during the kickoff Nucor Grand Parade of Nations on Friday, October 3, and will also lead opening ceremonies on race day, Sunday, October 5.

Simply put, Ward is “Captain America” at the MXoN. Not only is he the most successful racer in USA Motocross Team history with the most appearances for his home country, but he is also the single-most-successful competitor in the 78-year history of the storied event. Ward represented the stars and stripes on seven different occasions between 1983 and 1990 and went a perfect 7-for-7 in those appearances. An unprecedented level of success that still stands to this day, 35 years since Ward’s final MXoN.

“Jeff Ward represents everything the Motocross of Nations stands for — national pride, world-class talent, and a relentless drive to win,” said Tim Cotter, Event Director for the 2025 MXoN. “It is only fitting that the winningest American in MXoN history leads Team USA and our fans into this year’s event as Grand Marshal.”

Ward (left) was selected to represent the USA seven times during his Hall of Fame career and successfully led his country to victory every time to become an MXoN icon.
Photo Courtesy Racer X Archives & Moto Verte

Adding to Ward’s heralded legacy at the MXoN were winning performances in each displacement division, with five wins riding a 500cc Kawasaki KX500 and one win apiece riding a 250cc Kawasaki KX250 and a 125cc KawasakiKX125. He helped lead the USA to victories in six different host nations, including the MXoN debut on American soil from New York’s Unadilla MX in 1987, and became a cornerstone figure in the country’s ascension to dominance at the MXoN, where the USA has the most Chamberlain Trophy triumphs with 23 victories.

While Ward’s accolades at the MXoN alone is the stuff of legend, his career résumé in American motocross as a whole is equally incredible. Ward captured seven SuperMotocross championships during an illustrious 15-year career, with two titles in Supercross and five titles in Pro Motocross. He will also forever carry the distinction of being the only rider in AMA history to win a championship in each displacement, in both disciplines.

Upon his retirement from motocross, Ward made a successful transition to four wheels, notably in IndyCar where he competed in 61 races over a seven-year period, with one victory at Texas Motor Speedway in 2002 and both a second and third-place finish at the legendary Indianapolis 500. Ward then made a triumphant return to two wheels at over 40 years of age, where he dominated the AMA Supermoto Championship with both a pair of titles (2004 & 2006) and a pair of X Games Gold Medals (2006 & 2008). He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and was later inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2006.

Ward’s unprecedented seven wins saw him compete aboard each displacement of Kawasaki motorcycles – 500cc, 250cc, and 125cc.
Photo Courtesy Racer X Archives & Moto Verte

As Grand Marshal, Ward will serve as the ceremonial leader of the event, participating in opening ceremonies, leading the Nucor Grand Parade of Nations, and welcoming the world’s top motocross athletes and fans to Ironman Raceway for what promises to be one of the most historic motocross events ever held on American soil.

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