WATCH LIVE: Ken Roczen goes for third Motocross win in a row at High Point Raceway - MotorSportsTalk

With the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship ready to drop the gate on Round 4 at High Point Raceway, it’s clear who the rider to beat in the 450 Class is.

Carrying a two-round winning streak into today’s race at High Point, Ken Roczen is looking to both extend that streak and add to his points lead. Yet to finish worse than second in any of the season’s six motos so far, he’s also the top qualifier for today’s race after turning the fastest lap in this morning’s practice sessions.

While Roczen enters as the favorite, there are three riders you can expect to see challenging him – Ryan Dungey, James Stewart and Trey Canard. After winning his first moto of the season last week, Stewart looks to be hitting his stride. As for Dungey, he’s sitting second in the points but has only led one lap so far this season.

The UPMC Sports Medicine High Point National will also be a pivotal race for the riders in the 250 Class. Jeremy Martin finally saw his winning streak snapped a week ago but still looks like the favorite for today’s race. In order to become a champion, you have to overcome adversity at some point, so this could be a defining moment in Martin’s season.

Another win from Martin is exactly what the rest of the field can’t afford though. He’s built up a sizable points lead in just three rounds, and another dominant effort from him could cause a lot of riders to see their title hopes slipping away.

Among those riders is Blake Baggett. Although he took the overall win last week, he barely made a dent in Martin’s points lead and would really benefit from a repeat effort this week. Marvin Musquin could be back in the mix too. Admittedly not 100% recovered from ACL surgery earlier this season, Musquin – who won at High Point last season – keeps getting better and looks like he may be ready to contend for podiums and wins once again.

Four hours of live racing get underway at noon E.T. on ProMotocross.com and NBC Sports Live Extra with the first motos in both classes. Coverage will go straight into second motos at 2PM E.T. Click here to access the Live Extra stream.

NBCSN will also provide live televised coverage of second motos in both classes at 2PM E.T.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”