Time is running out on Ken Roczen, but his Monster Energy Supercross Round 14 win shaved a lot of points off his deficit to Cooper Webb and if the results continue to trend favorably, he is back in the thick of the championship battle.
Roczen grabbed the lead early in the Main and cruised to an easy victory over teammate Chase Sexton, while his principal rival in the points struggled. Roczen entered the race 22 points out of the lead with four races remaining. He left only 13 down but will need more nights like this to become the fourth consecutive first-time Supercross 450 champion.
Jason Anderson took the last spot on the podium, but he had to ride through the Last Chance Qualifier to be a part of the Main.
RESULTS: Click here for 450 Results; Click here 250 Results
Anderson got tangled up with Alex Ray as the two had a mid-air collision that sent both hard to the ground. Instead of immediately remounting, Anderson stopped long enough to chastise Ray for the contact - and as a result, he narrowly missed advancing directly into the feature as one of the top nine riders in his heat.
Justin Barcia remains on a quest to win a second race this season in the 450 class after taking the season-opener. He made himself as wide as possible, but slipped to fourth at the checkers.
Eli Tomac had another mediocre start that had him mired ninth in the opening laps. He climbed to fifth at the end, but without major problems for Webb and Roczen, his hopes of defending his 2020 championship are all but over.
450SX Main Event time! 👀
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) April 14, 2021
Monster Energy 450SX Main Event LIVE fueled by @CircleKStores#SupercrossLIVE #DropTheGate pic.twitter.com/AIJvFWFFSk
Meanwhile, it was a bad night for Webb. He started with the leaders but never really seemed to find a rhythm. As he dropped back steadily, he saw his points lead wither with a sixth-place finish.
Marvin Musquin in seventh, Aaron Plessinger in eighth, Dean Wilson in ninth, and Joey Savatgy rounded out the top 10.
Click here for Round 14 450 Main results | 450 Rider Points | Manufacturer Points
Justin Cooper kept the pressure on Cameron McAdoo and Hunter Lawrence in the 250 class. He scored his second win in the last three races and continues to have a perfect record of top-five finishes.
In the closing laps, Hunter Lawrence had the fastest bike on the track. He was more than a second a lap faster than Cooper as the leader rode safely to protect a 10-second lead. That speed allowed him to catch and pass McAdoo as the white flag waved.
If McAdoo can make up the ground he needs in the final two races, he will have a red flag to thank for his championship. It will not matter at all that the red flag waved for him.
Click here for 250 West Main results | 250 Rider Points
McAdoo won Heat 1 and hoped to keep the points tight. He was racing fifth when he slammed into the face of the tunnel jump. His foot got hung on the peg and his Kawasaki dragged him up and onto the top of the obstacle.
The rider was stunned and the race was red-flagged in order to help him down from the tunnel jump. But as the field prepared to line back up, McAdoo was heard pleading his case to the medical staff. He won his argument and was cleared to restart. The race had not completed three laps so a complete restart was required.
Round 13 winner Nate Thrasher finished fourth to earn his second career top-five in as many weeks.
Garrett Marchbanks rounded out the top five.
Mitchell Harrison in sixth, Coty Schock in seventh and Pierce Brown in eighth grabbed the next three positions.
Seth Hammaker had an adventurous race. He fell from second in Heat 2, remounted and fell again. His second crash dropped him to 13th and he was not quite able to transfer directly into the Main. He rebounded to finish ninth.
Jalek Swoll rounded out the top 10.
Next Up: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga. April 17.
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 1 AT HOUSTON: Justin Barcia, Christian Craig take early lead
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 2 AT HOUSTON: Eli Tomac closes gap, Jett Lawrence wins his first
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 3 AT HOUSTON: Ken Roczen earns one-point margin; Colt Nichols, Christian Craig share 250 lead
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen wins to extend points margin, Colt Nichols doubles down
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen makes it two in a row; Colt Nichols threepeats
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 6 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen continues to roll; Christian Craig stops Colt Nichols
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 7 AT ORLANDO: Cooper Webb gets second win as Jett Lawrence also doubles
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 8 AT ORLANDO: Cooper Webb wins again to close the gap on Ken Roczen
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 9 AT DAYTONA: Eli Tomac gets back in contention with fifth Daytona win
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 10 AT ARLINGTON: The Battle of words between Webb and Roczen ends with Webb win
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 11 AT ARLINGTON: Cooper Webb two-for-two in Arlington; Hunter Lawrence wins first 250
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 12 AT ARLINGTON: Cooper Webb gets second residency sweep with perfect Arlington effort
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 13 AT ATLANTA: Eli Tomac surges to second win on NASCAR infield course