The Contenders

Justin  Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Maybe it’s time we put some respect on El Hombre’s name. Last season the #21 took home the championship but it doesn’t appear people gave him the respect he deserves. Anderson can ride with the best of them because he is one of the best. He’s fast, he’s smooth, and he’s a workhorse. Anderson isn’t flashy but he’s consistent. And he’ll go after a motherfucker if they ride dirty.

Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) – The Colorado native has the rawest speed out of anyone in supercross the question is can he contain it. He recorded 8 wins in 2018 but missed the second round of the year. With that race and maybe one better result we’re looking at a champ. He’s finished runner-up twice and a third place last year. If Tomac can stay on his bike he’s winning the championship this year. It’s his time.

Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) – Marv rides for a championship winning team on a championship winning bike but continues to underperform. He’s aggressive but runner-up points finish last year is all he has to show for it. One half of the Wet Bandits won three races last year, can he finally step up in the final year of his contract?

Ken Roczen ( Honda HRC)  – Potentially the most gifted rider in the series is returning following back to back seasons of devastating arm injuries. In 2017 Roczen crashed at Anaheim 2 so severely his forearm bones were sticking out of the skin and he nearly lost his arm. After recovering from that and returning in 2018 Roczen got caught up in a crash that saw his right hand get ripped through the swingarm of Cooper Webb’s bike ending his season again. In 2019 Roczen is back and he’s ready to finally claim the 450 championship.

The Maybes

Cooper Webb ( Red Bull KTM) – Kid was fast in 250s and made the move up to 450 with the factory Yamaha team but never panned out. Maybe a change in scenery is what he needed.

Aaron Plessinger ( Monster Energy Factory Yamaha) – Plessinger is the most interesting of the rookies. The kid matured quickly in 250 and figured out how to capitalize. Can he bring that same style to 450 and make it work? Also a Cincinnati kid.

Joey Savatgy ( Monster Energy Kawasaki) – Another rookie here but one that is more questionable. Savatagy is here to play rear gunner for Tomac in 2019.

Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) – Well he was supposed to make his first start tonight but he broke his collarbone three days ago. However, Osborne is a stout rider just not sure if he can transition at a competitive level.

Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Factory Yamaha) – Bam Bam is back on a factory bike. He might steal a win at like Daytona but he’s not a title contender in 2019.

Yeah No Chance But They’re Here And That’s Cool

Entire Joe Gibbs Team – Chad Reed and Justin Hill will be spearheading the 450 duties for JGR hoping to give Coy Gibbs something to justify the money spent on this team. They’ll be in the gate but they have little chance of winning.

Seven Deuce Deuce – is now on the #97 as he moves to the HEP Motorsports Suzuki. Long live the Seven Deuce Deuce.

Rocky Mountain ATV KTM Team – They’re like the Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing. Rocky Mountain ATV KTM is a satellite of the factory team and will field bikes for Benny Bloss, Justin Bogel, and Blake Baggett. They could steal a win but for the most part, they’ll just be there.

Most Likely To Piss Off The Field

Vince Friese – He’s still here and he’s still likely to throw hands with someone at some point this season. Dude is a danger on the track but the AMA/FIM doesn’t seem to care.

Who Wins The ‘Chip?

Eli Tomac, book it.

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Salem Means A Lot To Me

It’s not really the fact that I’ve been going there since I was a little chap but more the fact that the spring ARCA race at Salem last season was a day that really stuck out to me. It was the first time that I had realized how addicted to racing I really am. It’s such a weird concept but ever since that day I literally can’t get enough. Each time I watch a race on TV or in person, I expect it to be better than the last time, and on top of that I expect myself to be more into each race that I watch or go to. And every single time I take in a race, it somehow exceeds my expectations. Take Sunday’s ARCA race at Salem: I went into it just hoping for good weather and a good time with a good group of friends. Not only did we have perfect weather, we saw a grueling 200 lap race that pitted two of the youngest and most coveted young talents against each other nose to tail for the last 40 plus laps.

The Young Driver That I’m Most Pumped About Won

It wasn’t until last spring that I started following late model racing and prior to that Christian Eckes took home huge Myrtle Beach 400 and Snowball Derby wins in December of 2016. He followed those up with an extremely strong run at Salem in the ARCA Series in April of 2017 and that’s when he caught my attention. He was on a slightly different tire strategy (only 17 laps fresher tires on a 124 lap run) and not only passed the field to take the lead, but also lapped the field. That led into more strong runs throughout a limited ARCA schedule as well as CARS Tour and multiple big name Late Model races. As simple as it was, of all things racing related that I’m pumped about in 2018, his expanded ARCA schedule and recent truck series announcement are at the top of that list. It made his hard fought win on Sunday that much more fun to watch.

The Disparity In The ARCA Series Continues to Amaze Me

Seriously, there are more surprises in each ARCA race that you can even comprehend. The way the tires fall off, the way the teams manage limited tire strategies, inexperience, raw talent, and limited budgets all rolled into one make for a wild racing product. Take the ‘experience’ portion of that point and think about it. Zane Smith and Christian Eckes, two of the last three race winners, are considered some of the more experienced drivers in the series after running partial schedules in 2017. The drivers that contend for wins are genuinely out there just trying to make a name for themselves and it’s a beautiful thing and exactly what the ARCA racing series embodies. If the stars align, a driver can show up to race in an ARCA race with the right mix of racing talent and versatility and compete on any given weekend. Take Josh Berry for example: everyone knows his talent from his success in the late models for Jr Motorsports and he showed up and not only led laps but competed for the win in his first career ARCA series start. At the end it was Eckes who’s experience helped him hold off the hard charging 15 year old Chandler Smith to hang onto the win at Salem.

Tomorrow afternoon’s race at Talladega should be more of the same and I can’t wait.

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Where the hell did Bam Bam Barcia even come from? In our season preview, he wasn’t a guy we thought would win a lot of races or even be a legitimate factor. After running a privateer campaign for most of the 2018 season, Barcia joined the Yamaha Factory team in 2019 as a teammate to Aaron Plessinger. Saturday night Barcia made a statement that he was here to win and not play second fiddle to the kid from Hamilton, Ohio.

Dean Wilson

Dean Wilson led for the first 15 minutes of the race as he filled in for the injured Zach Osborne on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna. Wilson he was originally entered as a privateer and made the most of his opportunity on the factory bike. A 4th place finish is nothing to be ashamed of but it has to be a punch in the guy knowing he led for so long.

Justin Barcia

Barcia took the lead from Wilson and led for the remaining minutes plus two laps to take the win and insert himself into the championship talk. Could Barcia have a career resurgence and fight for this title? He certainly has the intangibles but staying healthy is a bigger question. For now, he leads the championship just like we all thought. He might be supercross’ Martin Truex Jr. though when all is said and done.

Ken Roczen

Ken Roczen came home second after winning his heat race and missing most of the 2018 season with an arm injury it was the next best return outside of winning the race. Sporting the 90’s throwback gear the German got off to a slow start but methodically picked his way through the field. Instead of pushing it in his first race back he settled for second, a smart championship play and one that could pay off come spring.

Eli Tomac

Eli Tomac was uncharacteristically off the pace at times this weekend and even at the start of the race. As the race went on, the rain got heavier and Tomac came to life. He finished third after struggling most of the race.

One name that was missing all night was defending champ Jason Anderson who finished a lap down in 14th. El Hombre looked like a stiff out there Saturday night. He reportedly couldn’t see which is actually key when racing supercross. Look for him to rebound after a very weird night.

Cooper Webb

Cooper Webb crashed on the holeshot and fell to something like 17th. But this kid rode like a maniac in the second half of the race and managed to finish 5th which is absurd when you consider how far back he was at one point.

Supercross is back in action Saturday night in Glendale at 8 PM.

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