Racing Through Grief: Chance Blackburn’s Tribute to His Father at Seattle Supercross

Seattle Supercross holds an incredibly special place in the heart of Chance Blackburn. A full-fledged privateer, living the dream out of the back of his pickup truck, Chance’s first full year of Monster Energy AMA Supercross was already a grind. But then, just 11 days after his father’s celebration of life, he found himself lining up for his first-ever Supercross main event—a mudder, no less. While that night in Seattle was an emotional one, the story of Chance Blackburn goes much deeper.

The Early Years

Chance was born to race. He first swung a leg over a bike at the age of three, and by four, he was a staple at local series like the Centralia Mudslingers and Woodland MX. For those unfamiliar, these weren’t just any races—they were full-on winter slugfests, where deep mud and relentless rain were just part of the deal. Chance learned early on that racing wasn’t about looking pretty; it was about gritting your teeth and finding a way forward. Summers were spent at Washougal, and as he progressed, his family made annual pilgrimages to World Mini, Ponca City, Spring Nationals, and, of course, Loretta Lynn’s.

Despite being all-in on moto, Chance was a gifted all-around athlete. He played football and wrestled through his senior year, carrying that same toughness into every facet of his life. He came from a traditional small-town, blue-collar family. His father, a chief inspector on pipelines, traveled the country for work but never let that keep him from being involved in Chance’s racing. It was their bond, their thing. No matter how far his dad had to go for work, he always found his way back to be there for his son on race day.

After high school, Chance packed up and moved to the Georgia Practice Facility (GPF) to chase the pro dream, finishing his senior year online. In 2015, at 18 years old, he lined up at Loretta’s for his last amateur season, competing in 450 A and 450 Pro Sport. A solid showing landed him just outside the top 20, but his real goal was ahead—turning pro.

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Moving to a Pro Career

Arenacross was his first shot. He snagged a holeshot in an LCQ and checked out, locking himself into his first AX main event. The Driven MX team took notice and offered him a spot, setting him up for a full season of racing out of an RV. Everything was lining up, but while practicing at Pala, a miscalculated triple ended in disaster—he cased the landing so badly he bent his handlebars into the fatbar. The damage? A shattered ankle and multiple broken ribs. One single point stood between him and his Supercross pro license, and now he was off the bike for nearly a year.

Recovery wasn’t easy. Back home in Newman Lake, WA, Chance resorted to open-water swimming in Lake Coeur d’Alene, simply because weight-bearing was out of the question. Nearly 10 months later, he returned, regained his points, and secured his pro license for Supercross. But when summer rolled around, his missed time meant his points to turn pro for Pro Motocross had expired, forcing him to requalify. He was told to compete in P.R.O. races and submit his results—by the time the AMA cleared him, there were only a few rounds left. At Millville, he was one second off qualifying, but he rebounded by holeshotting the LCQ and winning by a massive margin, even after a crash. For the remainder of the season, he consistently placed just outside the top 30—an incredible feat for someone in their rookie year and who had essentially lost a full year to injury.

Supercross came next, and Round 1 didn’t go as planned—he missed the night show. Frustrated, he debated skipping the long haul to Round 2 in Houston. But his dad wasn’t having it. “Dude, you’re in it to do the f***ing series. That’s why you’re living in SoCal. Now go down there and make it happen.” So, Chance drove to Houston, met up with his dad and uncle, who were currently working on a pipeline in Oklahoma. Chance made his first-ever Supercross night show. That night meant everything to him.

A week later at A2, he missed the night show by an even slimmer margin than A1. After the race, he and his dad texted back and forth, breaking down what went wrong. He figured they’d pick up the conversation the next morning. But that morning never came. His mom called, saying she couldn’t get a hold of his dad. Then his sister noticed a news post—there had been a fatal hit-and-run outside the bar his dad was watching the race at the night before. Fearing the worst, Chance checked his dad’s location. His truck was in an impound lot. Moments later, the sheriff confirmed the unfathomable: his father was gone.

“Moto kids would get this, but you get a lot of confidence from your dad,” Chance said, choking back tears. “My mom was there so much too of course, and I would have been lost without them both. We did this as a family, he was our source of strength.”

Chance had just turned 21, and it was the day before his sister’s 18th birthday.

Racing suddenly didn’t matter. His dad had always worked to make sure he could chase his dream, and now that security was gone. Chance stepped away, prioritizing his mom and sister, making sure they would be okay. He figured he was done with racing.

Then Seattle came around.

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That Night in Seattle

Two months had passed. His race bike sat untouched, covered in cobwebs. He hadn’t even considered lining up. But when he saw the forecast—relentless rain—something clicked. This was what he grew up in. This was what he was made for. At the last minute, he signed up. His mechanic, Chris, prepped the bike the night before, and when the gate dropped in his heat race, Chance played it smart. He stayed on two wheels, worked through the pack, and found himself in a transfer spot. He crossed the line in 7th—straight to the main event.

The local moto community erupted inside Lumen Field. Just 11 days earlier, many of them had stood beside him at his father’s celebration of life. And now, here he was, racing under the lights, doing exactly what his dad had pushed him to do. He finished P18 that night, but the result didn’t matter. The moment did.

Chance’s career since has been a winding road—fair races, Arenacross, Canadian Nationals, and local pro races. He had a scary close call a couple years back where a peg went through the side of his helmet and fractured his skull. He even had his entire trailer stolen with all his gear and race bikes while racing AX in Arizona. Chance is one of the toughest dudes mentally and physically. He keeps grinding, keeps finding a way.

Now, as we head into Seattle once again, fate would have it, rain is back in the forecast. Another mudder. Another chance to honor his father the way he knows best.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the year he does it again.