Jason Anderson will not compete in round 8 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross at Daytona due to ongoing medical issues, Twisted Tea Suzuki confirmed on Saturday morning. Anderson, who has faced significant health struggles in recent years, is focusing on managing these challenges as he steps back from the competition.
Health Challenges Impacting Anderson’s Racing Career
During the 2025 Monster Energy Kawasaki season, Anderson was sidelined for much of the year because of persistent medical problems. Last October, Anderson explained on the Moto X Pod show that his difficulties stem from thyroid complications combined with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which has led to repeated illnesses. He shared,
“I’ve just really been struggling over the years with with my thyroid and I have been on medicine for my thyroid to help, but my thyroid is kind of really been hard to manage,”
and further elaborated,
“It also has to go with my EBV, which Epstein-Barr is like multiple different things. There’s eight different types. You can have mono [for example]. Basically I’m getting sick a lot. And from San Diego on until Seattle, I probably had a cold four times to where I wasn’t able to like really ride or anything like that.”
Anderson described how these ongoing health problems have seriously affected his ability to train and compete, noting,
“Then even in outdoors, same thing, you know, and I really just needed to give my body a rest. There was no training that I could do or anything along those lines that it was going to help me, because anytime I would train, I would just get sick, you know?”
He also reflected on how intense travel, especially by airplane, has made maintaining his health even tougher.
“When you’re traveling in airplanes all the time and everything like that, I just really had a hard time keeping my health together,”
he explained.
Highlighting the contrast with his younger days, Anderson admitted,
“I never really had that issue when I was younger. I could kind of burn the candle on both ends, and it never really affected me, you know? I’ll just be completely honest is if I would go out right now and I was to go just get hammered for a night, I would wake up with a cold and I would be screwed for a week. Back in the day, I could go out every Saturday night and still be on the podium and winning on the weekends as long as I trained. You know that wearing on my body wasn’t as hard on me then as it is now.”
Recent Performances and Current Standings Before Withdrawal
After an extended absence in 2025, Anderson switched to HEP Suzuki and clinched the SX1 (450) championship in the FIM World Supercross Championship. He began the 2026 season strongly, placing fifth at the Anaheim 1 opener and then earning a fourth-place finish during the series’ return to Anaheim in early January. Prior to withdrawing from Daytona, Anderson ranked ninth in the 450SX points standings following seven rounds.
Implications of Anderson’s Health-Related Absence
Although it is not explicitly confirmed that the thyroid and EBV complications are the direct reason for his current withdrawal, these long-standing medical difficulties have clearly taken a toll on Anderson’s performance and participation. Missing the Daytona race not only affects his competitive standing in the 2026 Supercross season but also sheds light on the broader challenge athletes face when coping with chronic health conditions. Moving forward, Anderson’s health management will likely remain a priority as he balances recovery efforts with ambitions to remain competitive at the highest level.
