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Supercross Preview: Razor thin margins separate title contenders

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Ken Roczen leads the way going into Round 7 as Supercross heads to Arlington this weekend.

The top four riders this week enter Arlington with only two points separating them. A slight bobble by Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac or Marvin Musquin could break up this dominance - but since all four of them have swept the top 10 in the first six rounds - don’t expect anyone to make a big mistake this week.

That’s because the hard-packed Northern Texas dirt has a reputation for holding its consistency throughout the event. By the time the Feature lines up, they should all be comfortable with the racing lines. Riders have a chance to find their rhythm and slowly improve as the night progresses.

Zach Osborne could play the role of spoiler. He returns to competition this week after suffering a broken collarbone before the season opener at Anaheim I, which is good news after injuries thinned the field of his teammate Jason Anderson, Justin Hill and Malcolm Stewart.

Dean Wilson continues to stand in for Anderson as Osborne’s teammate. He has almost shown the same level of consistency as the top four with only one result (a 12th in the mud at San Diego) outside the top 10.

Meanwhile in the 250 class, Christian Craig is expected to miss Arlington to allow his thumb to heal after sustaining an injury in December. He climbed aboard his steed at Minneapolis last week, but could only manage a 20th-place finish.

Schedule:

Qualifying: 2 p.m. on NBC Sports, Gold
Race: Live, 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports, Gold

Last Week:

Cooper Webb won his third event over Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin in the 450 class.
Austin Forkner won the East season opener over Jordon Smith and Justin Cooper in the 250 class.

Last year:

Eli Tomac beat Marvin Musquin and Blake Baggett in the 450 class.
Zach Osborne beat Colt Nichols and James Decotis in the 250 class.

Winners

450s:
[3] Cooper Webb (Anaheim II, Oakland and Minneapolis)
[1] Justin Barcia (Anaheim I)
[1] Blake Baggett (Glendale)
[1] Eli Tomac (San Diego)

250 West:
[3] Adam Cianciarulo (Glendale, Oakland, San Diego)
[1] Colt Nichols (Anaheim I)
[1] Shane McElrath (Anaheim II)

250 East:
[1] Austin Forkner (Minneapolis)

Top-5s

450s:
Ken Roczen (6)
Eli Tomac (5)
Marvin Musquin (5)
Cooper Webb (4)
Dean Wilson (2)
Blake Baggett (2)
Justin Barcia (1)
Jason Anderson (1)
Justin Bogle (1)
Chad Reed (1)
Joey Savatgy (1)
Justin Brayton (1)

250 West:
Shane McElrath (5)
Adam Cianciarulo (5)
Colt Nichols (4)
RJ Hampshire (3)
Dylan Ferrandis (3)
James Decotis (2)
Jacob Hayes (1)
Garrett Marchbanks (1)
Jess Pettis (1)

250 East:
Austin Forkner (1)
Jordon Smith (1)
Justin Cooper (1)
Alex Martin (1)
Chase Sexton (1)

Points Leaders

450s:
Ken Roczen (125)
Cooper Webb (124)
Eli Tomac (123)
Marvin Musquin (123)
Dean Wilson (95)

250 West:
Adam Cianciarulo (114)
Shane McElrath (105)
Colt Nichols (104)
Dylan Ferrandis (102)
RJ Hampshire (75)

250 East:
Austin Forkner (26)
Jordon Smith (23)
Justin Cooper (21)
Alex Martin (19)
Chase Sexton (18)

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