There were a wide range of upsets that occurred Saturday night inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. — from rider injuries to significant swings in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross standings.
It started with unbelievable speed from Ken Roczen, who overtook Jett Lawrence for second place during the opening lap of the 450SX main event and immediately began chasing leader Eli Tomac.
The No. 94 Suzuki rider was flying through the sand section, running a treacherous triple-jump line into the whoops and was simply on rails as he started clicking off the laps.
Until it all went wrong.
Smoke started gushing out of Roczen’s Suzuki as he attacked the whoops, with the bike malfunction taking the German rider for a wild ride and ultimately throwing him over the handlebars and into the dirt.
Roczen was unable to continue on, scoring 21st on the night. Following the main event, his H.E.P. Motorsports team shared that he had a few bruised bones, but no breaks.
Red Bull KTM’s Chase Sexton, who ranked third in the standings heading into Nashville, also experienced a brutal crash when his throttle stuck wide open earlier in the main event. He also logged a DNF.
Roczen, Sexton Crash Out Of Nashville Supercross
Out front, Tomac was in his own realm during the opening half of the 20-minute race, but Lawrence overtook the Star Racing Yamaha rider in the sand section when a lapped rider fell directly in Tomac’s path. The No. 3 Yamaha rider did move up to third in the standings after finishing runner-up to Lawrence.
Cooper Webb, who entered the weekend tied with Lawrence for the points lead, seemed to ride the most quiet and consistent race en route to a third-place finish. He is now five points behind the No. 18 Honda HRC rider in the title fight.
The chaos also extended into the 250SX class, with the first East/West Showdown of the year taking place within the walls of the Tennessee Titan’s stadium.
Both red-plate holders — Cameron McAdoo (East) and Levi Kitchen (West) — crashed on the first lap of the race. McAdoo, who had struggled all day, ran a few laps before pulling off for the night. Kitchen stayed at it and caught back up to the pack to finish 15th.
However, both Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders surrendered their points lead. Tom Vialle now holds the advantage in the East, while R.J. Hampshire leads the West region.
What Makes Nashville So Difficult?
The same type of series shakeup occurred when Supercross visited Nashville last season, only the track claimed different victims this time around.
Last year, it was Webb and Justin Barcia who made their exit in “Music City,” with Webb sustaining a concussion and Barcia breaking his collarbone, right shoulder and two ribs.
This season, it was Roczen and Sexton.
“Last year, unfortunately, this was what ended my season. It’s always in the back of your mind, but I didn’t let it bother me today,” Webb said. “We’re so locked in that you (aren’t able to) think about it too much.”
When asked to explain why Nashville has been such a brutal stop for riders the past two years, Webb added, “I think it’s just the dirt here, it’s really tricky. I think when they build it, it’s really tacky and soft, and then it really gets hard and the transitions are always tough here for some reason. Unfortunately, this one always claims a lot of guys, so they might need to look into that a little bit.”
News Nuggets
On the morning of Nashville Supercross, Aaron Plessinger extended his contract with Red Bull KTM through 2025. Meanwhile, in the 250SX class, Evan Ferry and Triumph Racing mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.
Nashville was designated the “LOVE MOTO STOP CANCER” race, which benefitted the children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This year marks the eighth season Supercross has been partnered with St. Jude.
There are three races left in the 17-round Supercross season.