The 450 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship has been decided while the 250 class is up for grabs in the 2019 season finale at Ironman Raceway.
There is a reason why Eli Tomac was focused on securing his possession of the red plate before this weekend unfolded.
The Ironman has been the final race for all five years of its existence and has only featured one repeat winner in the 450 class. Ken Roczen won two of the first three races. The last two events have gone to riders who might rightly be called dark horses with Jeffrey Herlings winning in 2017 and Justin Barcia last year.
Meanwhile, this is one of the worst tracks for Tomac. He has stood on the overall podium only once in 2016 after finishing third in both motos. He combined for a third overall.
In 2014 Tomac finished seventh overall with a 4-10. He was sixth (5-6) in 2017 and fourth (2-9) last year.
The 250 class has also had only one repeat winner in five races. That did not come until last year when Aaron Plessinger backed up his 2015 win. And as with the championship leader in the 450 class, Adam Cianciarulo has not won this race yet.
Plessinger will make his first 450 class start of the season this week.
Cianciarulo came close in 2017, however, with his second-place finish and a 2-2 in the motos. That give him a distinct psychological advantage over Dylan Ferrandis who finished seventh overall last year with a 10-4.
For several riders in both classes, this is their last chance to make an impression before a long offseason. That can be a double-edge sword as they fight for every position on the track - including some of those needed by the title contenders.
MORE: Eli Tomac’s near perfect season ended perfectly
Schedule:
Qualifiers: 9:15 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold
Race: Live, 12 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold, Moto 2 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold, (Moto 2, re-airs at 10 p.m. on NBC).
August 17 - 2019; Budds Creek
450: Eli Tomac (1-1) won over Jason Anderson (4-2) and Marvin Musquin (4-4)
250: Shane McElrath (1-1) won over Adam Cianciarulo (2-5) and Justin Cooper (6-2)
August 28 - 2018; Ironman
450: Justin Barcia (1-1) won over Ken Roczen (3-2) and Marvin Musquin (4-3)
250: Aaron Plessinger (1-1) won over RJ Hampshire (4-3) and Chase Sexton (2-6)
Overall Wins
450:
[5] Eli Tomac (Pala, High Point, RedBud, Washougal, Budds Creek)
[3] Ken Roczen (Hangtown, Thunder Valley, Unadilla)
[2] Marvin Musquin (WW Ranch, Southwick)
[1] Cooper Webb (Spring Creek)
250:
[6] Adam Cianciarulo (Hangtown, Pala, Thunder Valley, High Point, Southwick, Spring Creek)
[3] Dylan Ferrandis (RedBud, Washougal, Unadilla)
[1] Justin Cooper (WW Ranch)
[1] Shane McElrath
Moto Wins
450:
[10] Eli Tomac (Hangtown II, Pala I & II, Thunder Valley II, WW Ranch I, RedBud I, Washougal I & II, Budds Creek I & II)
[5] Ken Roczen (Hangtown I, Thunder Valley I, High Point II, Unadilla I & II)
[3] Marvin Musquin (WW Ranch I, Southwick I, RedBud II)
[2] Cooper Webb (Spring Creek I & II)
[1] Blake Baggett (High Point I)
[1] Zach Osborne (Southwick II)
250:
[7] Adam Cianciarulo (Hangtown II, Pala II, Thunder Valley II, High Point II, Southwick I, Spring Creek II, Unadilla II)
[7] Dylan Ferrandis (WW Ranch II, Southwick II, RedBud I & II, Washougal I & II, Unadilla I)
[3] Justin Cooper (Hangtown I, Pala I, Thunder Valley I)
[2] Hunter Lawrence (High Point I, Spring Creek II)
[2] Shane McElrath (Budds Creek I & II)
[1] Chase Sexton (WW Ranch I)