The 2020 Supercross season heated up last week in Atlanta and should get only tighter as the series heads to a hybrid track this week at Daytona International Speedway at 7:30 p.m. ET. (Watch on NBCSN or stream live.) The long track stretches the length of Daytona’s tri-oval, acts as much like a Motocross course as Supercross and allows for a variety of riding styles.
Eli Tomac headed into Round 8 last week with what appeared to be a comfortable lead. Only seven points separated Tomac from Ken Roczen, but Tomac caught and had pulled away from his rival in the last few weeks.
The story is different heading into Daytona. A bad start at Atlanta mired Tomac in traffic. A crash with Blake Baggett one-third of the way through the race dropped him to 14th. And a feud with Justin Barcia (click on this link for video), who sits third in the points and is in striking distance at 23 points, tightened up the battle.
Roczen won Atlanta; Tomac climbed to fourth at the checkers, and the two riders will both affix red plates to their bikes this week with a share of the points lead. Both riders have 200 points.
MORE: Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia feud on camera at Atlanta
MORE: Justin Barcia set to attack the final nine rounds
Tomac made headlines last week in a way he’d prefer not.
Confronted at the base of the podium by Barcia, the two engaged in verbal fisticuffs. Barcia accused Tomac of riding dirty after a series of passes for eighth-place left Barcia with bloody knuckles. Tomac responded that Barcia has never made a clean pass in his life.
Once they were done chirping, Barcia ascended to the podium. Tomac headed to the pits.
Cooper Webb’s gutsy ride got lost in the drama. Riding with severe bruising from an accident at Dallas one week earlier, Webb battled back from adversity and finished third in a tight three-way battle that included Tomac and Martin Davalos.
Fifth in the points, Jason Anderson finished 11th.
Kyle Cunningham suffered a separation in his left shoulder and will be out for the foreseeable future.
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The 250 class has been just as tight.
Chase Sexton and Shane McElrath came into Atlanta tied for the lead. Sexton’s victory over RJ Hampshire and McElrath gives him sole possession of the red plate, but the points are tight.
Sexton hold a five-point advantage on McElrath. Hampshire is nine more behind.
Joey Crown crashed on press day in Atlanta. He broke his collarbone and will not return for a couple of weeks.
Jace Owens will return at Daytona after sustaining an injury to his arm and a bout with the flu.
Schedule:
Qualifying: 12:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Gold
Race: 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN
Last Week:
Ken Roczen beat Justin Barcia and Cooper Webb in the 450 class (Eli Tomac finished fourth).
Chase Sexton beat RJ Hampshire and Shane McElrath in the 250 class.
Last Atlanta race (March, 2019):
Eli Tomac beat Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin in the 450 class.
Austin Forkner beat Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper in the 250 class.
Points Leaders
450s:
Eli Tomac (200)
Ken Roczen (200)
Justin Barcia (177)
Cooper Webb (176)
Jason Anderson (151)
250 West:
Dylan Ferrandis (135)
Justin Cooper (128)
Austin Forkner (122)
Brandon Hartranft (110)
Alex Martin (98)
250 East:
Chase Sexton (75)
Shane McElrath (70)
RJ Hampshire (61)
Garrett Marchbanks (53)
Jordon Smith (47)
Wins
450
(4) Eli Tomac (Anaheim 2, Oakland, Tampa, and Dallase)
(3) Ken Roczen (St. Louis, Glendale, and Atlanta)
(1) Justin Barcia (Anaheim 1)
(1) Cooper Webb (San Diego)
250 West
(3) Dylan Ferrandis (Anaheim 2, Oakland, and San Diego)
(2) Austin Forkner (St. Louis and Glendale)
(1) Justin Cooper (Anaheim 1)
250 East
(2) Chase Sexton (Dallas and Atlanta)
(1) Shane McElrath (Tampa)
Top-5s
450
(8) Eli Tomac
(7) Cooper Webb
(7) Ken Roczen
(7) Justin Barcia
(6) Jason Anderson
(3) Adam Cianciarulo
(3) Zach Osborne
(2) Blake Baggett
(1) Justin Hill
(1) Martin Davalos
250 West
(5) Dylan Ferrandis
(5) Austin Forkner
(5) Justin Cooper
(4) Michael Mosiman
(4) Brandon Hartranft
(3) Alex Martin
(1) Christian Craig
(1) Jett Lawrence
(1) Jacob Hayes
(1) Luke Clout
250 East
(3) Shane McElrath
(3) Chase Sexton
(2) Jeremy Martin
(2) Garrett Marchbanks
(2) Jordon Smith
(2) RJ Hampshire
(1) Jo Shimoda