Once a highly touted amateur prospect, Nick Romano’s path through the professional ranks has been anything but smooth, leaving him without a ride entering the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship season. A lifeline arrived when Mitch Payton needed a fill-in at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki and – so far – Romano is making the most of the opportunity.

A combination of persistence and injury to full-time rider Drew Adams opened the door for Romano in the 250SX East division, with the New Yorker joining the team at Birmingham before contesting the remaining six rounds of the championship.

He ultimately finished 10th in the standings, highlighted by a seventh-place finish in Detroit and an emphatic heat race victory in the mud of Philadelphia. The signs of a career resurgence were emerging, but it wasn’t until the opening rounds of Pro Motocross that Romano’s momentum truly gathered pace.

Ninth overall at Fox Raceway, sixth at Hangtown, and a career-first podium at Thunder Valley have firmly returned the 21-year-old to the map. Reaching the podium at this level is no small feat, making it remarkable to consider that, just a year ago, he was contemplating whether to continue racing at all.

Image: Octopi Media.

“It’s been a work in progress, a lot of trial and error for me,” commented Romano after Thunder Valley. “It was a lot of unknowns – a year ago, at one point, I told myself, my family, and my parents that I was quitting. I was done. It was just kind of a dark road there for a couple of years at the end of my stint with Yamaha, and when I went privateer, it just was one thing after another.

“So, I told myself about six, eight months ago, I said, ‘if I can’t get back on a factory bike, this is it.’ I hounded Mitch [Payton] for a long, long time, and I truly can’t thank him enough for the opportunity. It’s just a blessing. I guess on paper I’m the fill-in guy, but I’m trying to establish myself as a full-time guy.”

Perspective often arrives during moments of adversity, and for Romano, that came when he was forced to confront the possibility that a career once tipped for great things could be cut short. After entering the professional ranks as one of the sport’s most highly rated amateur talents, he suddenly found himself watching the next generation emerge and capture the spotlight.

It was through that experience that Romano adopted a different mindset – one focused on appreciating the opportunities in front of him rather than becoming consumed by what the future may or may not hold.

Image: Octopi Media.

“After the injuries, I had a lot of time to myself,” he continued. “You sit there, you’re hurt, you sit there, you watch, you sit there, you train, and I have a different mentality going into everything now. It’s not even about the fill-in, or the this or the that. It’s just I have the opportunity in my hands right now, and I’m just taking it literally race by race, day by day.

“And yes, at the end of the day, I do want the contract, and I do want to establish myself to be on a factory team, but if that’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I have to focus on myself and [be] in the moment and results.

“If that [contract] comes with it, then obviously it’s awesome, but for me right now, it’s just keep focusing. I finally got this third, I want to get it again. I want to get another podium, and I want to get a win, so we’ll keep working at it.”

Perhaps most importantly, Romano appears to be enjoying his racing again during this stint with Pro Circuit. After years of setbacks and frustration, the tide is finally turning, allowing him to showcase the potential many have long believed he possesses.

Image: Octopi Media.

With aspirations of securing a ride at one of the sport’s premier teams – or potentially earning a full-time seat with Pro Circuit beyond 2026 – consistently finishing ahead of riders on factory-supported programs is a strong place to begin.

“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had – I do feel like a little kid again. I feel like an amateur. I was a very good amateur in my final years, and I won a lot, and I’m not winning yet, but it’s just fun. With Levi [Kitchen], he’s basically my older brother at this point, so we have fun times on and off the track and with the group and the team and Mitch and the mechanics.

“It’s just a good team, and there’s good movement, good motion. So yeah, we’ll just keep trucking along. I’ve been really trying to get the moto podium – that was kind of my big goal, but to get the overall podium, it’s awesome, dude. I don’t even know what else to say besides, it’s a dream come true.”

Romano’s third-place finish at Thunder Valley marked another significant step in his resurgence, and one that is impossible to overlook given the depth of talent currently lining up in the 250MX category. It’s safe to say he is making the most of his opportunity with Pro Circuit, too, in what could become a deal that carries him through the remainder of the summer at the very least.