Supercross: Results, points after Round 16 in Salt Lake- NBC Sports

Marvin Musquin narrowly held off teammate Cooper Webb to win Round 16 of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross season to top the results at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is Musquin’s first podium finish in the past six races and his first win in two years.

Early in the race, Musquin put pressure on then-leader Ken Roczen, who was trying to cut into the points’ lead of Webb and make a more realistic battle out of next week’s season finale in Round 17. When Roczen fell for the second consecutive week, he handed the lead to Musquin and allowed the KTM riders Musquin and Webb to finish first and second in the race.

Webb would have preferred to win – or at the very least, see Roczen fall back another couple of positions – in order to wrap up the championship, but now all he realistically needs is a safe race next week to win his second Supercross title. Webb won the 2019 championship and finished second to Eli Tomac last year.

Malcolm Stewart kept the pressure on Webb until Roczen’s crash and then fell more than 10 seconds behind the battle for the lead. He was running third when the checkers waved for his first career podium.

RESULTS: Click here for 450 Results; Click here 250 Results

Dylan Ferrandis finished fourth. That was his best finish since crossing under the checkers second at the beginning of the season in Houston 2.

Chase Sexton rounded out the top five for his fourth top-five in the last six races. He finished on the podium in the first two rounds of the Atlanta residency.

After his fall, Roczen finished sixth. With a 22-point deficit, he needs something to happen to Webb in order to have a shot at becoming the fourth new champion in as many seasons.

Jason Anderson in seventh, Aaron Plessinger in eighth, Dean Wilson in ninth, and Tomac rounded out the top 10.

With a 50-point deficit to first, 10th-place finisher Tomac has been eliminated from contention for the 2021 450 championship.

Click here for Round 15 450 Main results | 450 Rider Points | Manufacturer Points

The title hunt in the 250 East class changed complexion quickly in practice.

Christian Craig had a hard crash in practice and limped off course. He lined up for his heat, but was unable to complete it and retired from the event with an injured ankle.

After 10 weeks off as the 250 West division competed, the East riders got back on course with two races remaining on their scheduled. Salt Lake City 1 will be the only time they race against their division only. Next week will be an East/West battle that can change the balance of points.

With Craig’s retirement, that meant the title battle would come down between Jo Shimoda and Colt Nichols.

Shimoda entered the race 28 points in arrears. In order to have a mathematical shot at winning the championship, Shimoda needed to make up at least two points on Nichols.

Shimoda responded to the pressure by taking the early lead and holding it to keep his championship hopes alive.

But Michael Mosiman and Jett Lawrence did not make matters easy.

*Jett Lawrence congratulated Jo Shimoda after his 250 victory (NBC Sports).*

In the closing laps, Mosiman jumped wide and left the course – taking himself out of contention. But Lawrence stayed tight on Shimoda’s bumper and made him earn the win. Lawrence ended up 1.15 seconds behind in second and closed the gap on third in the points with Craig’s retirement.

Nichols salvaged what he could, but will enter next week’s East/West Showdown needing to qualify of the Main in order to win the title.

Mosiman’s mistake in the closing laps meant he was unable to challenge for the win. He finished fourth and allowed the title championship to tighten up slightly.

Thomas Do rounded out the top five.

Click here for 250 East Main results | 250 Rider Points

Next Up: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 1.

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

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 14 AT ATLANTA: Ken Roczen isn’t done yet; Justin Cooper extends 250 lead

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 15 AT ATLANTA: Title contenders finish 1-2-3; Cooper Webb extends advantage

DETROIT – There’s no rest for the weary as an Indy 500 winner, but Josef Newgarden discovered there are plenty of extra laps.

The reigning Indy 500 champion added an extra trip Wednesday night back to Concord, N.C., for one last session on the GM Racing simulator before Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

After a 30-year run on the Belle Isle course, the race has been moved to a nine-turn, 1.7-mile layout downtown, so two extra hours on the simulator were worth it for Newgarden.

INDYCAR IN DETROIT: Entry list, schedule, TV info for this weekend

JOSEF’S FAMILY TIES: Newgarden wins Indy 500 with wisdom of father, wife

“I really wanted to do it,” he told NBC Sports at a Thursday media luncheon. “If there’s any time that the sim is most useful, it’s in this situation when no one has ever been on a track, and we’re able to simulate it as best as we can. We want to get some seat time.

“It’s extra important coming off the Indy 500 because you’ve been out of rhythm for a road or street course-type environment, so I really wanted some laps. I was really appreciative to Chevy. There was a few guys that just came in and stayed late for me so I could get those laps before coming up here. I don’t know if it’s going to make a difference, but I feel like it’s going to help for me.”

After a whirlwind tour of New York for two days, Newgarden arrived at the simulator (which is at the GM Racing Technical Center adjacent to Hendrick Motorsports) in time for a two hour session that started at 6 p.m. Wednesday. He stayed overnight in Charlotte and then was up for an early commercial flight to Detroit, where he had more media obligations.

Newgarden joked that if he had a jet, he would have made a quick stop in Nashville, Tennessee, but a few more days away from home (where he has yet to return in weeks) is a worthy tradeoff for winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing – though the nonstop interviews can take a toll.

“It’s the hardest part of the gig for me is all this fanfare and celebration,” Newgarden said. “I love doing it because I’m so passionate about the Indy 500 and that racetrack and what that race represents. I feel honored to be able to speak about it. It’s been really natural and easy for me to enjoy it because I’ve been there for so many years.

“Speaking about this win has been almost the easiest job I’ve ever had for postrace celebrations. But it’s still for me a lot of work. I get worn out pretty easily. I’m very introverted. So to do this for three days straight, it’s been a lot.”

Though he is terrified of heights, touring the top of the Empire State Building for the first time was a major highlight (and produced the tour’s most viral moment).

New texts alert sound just dropped.@josefnewgarden| @EmpireStateBldg pic.twitter.com/YWLpS9UWrN

— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 31, 2023

“I was scared to get to the very top level,” Newgarden said. “That thing was swaying. No one else thought it was swaying. I’m pretty sure it was. I really impressed by the facility. I’d never seen it before. It’s one of those bucket list things. If you go to New York, it’s really special to do that. So to be there with the wreath and the whole setup, it just felt like an honor to be in that moment.”

Now the attention shifts to Detroit and an inaugural circuit that’s expected to be challenging. Along with a Jefferson Avenue straightaway that’s 0.9 miles long, the track has several low-speed corners and a “split” pit lane (teams will stop on both sides of a rectangular area) with a narrow exit that blends just before a 90-degree lefthand turn into Turn 1.

Newgarden thinks the track is most similar to the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.

“It’s really hard to predict with this stuff until we actually run,” he said. “Maybe we go super smooth and have no issues. Typically when you have a new event, you’re going to have some teething issues. That’s understandable. We’ve always got to massage the event to get it where we want it, but this team has worked pretty hard. They’ve tried to get feedback constantly on what are we doing right, what do we need to look out for. They’ve done a ton of grinding to make sure this surface is in as good of shape as possible.

“There’s been no expense spared, but you can’t foresee everything. I have no idea how it’s going to race. I think typically when you look at a circuit that seems simple on paper, people tend to think it’s not going to be an exciting race, or challenging. I find the opposite always happens when we think that way. Watch it be the most exciting, chaotic, entertaining race.

Newgarden won the last two pole positions at Belle Isle’s 2.35-mile layout and hopes to continue the momentum while avoiding any post-Brickyard letdown.

“I love this is an opportunity for us to get something right quicker than anyone else,” he said. “A new track is always exciting from that standpoint. I feel I’m in a different spot. I’m pretty run down. I’m really trying to refocus and gain some energy back for tomorrow. Which I’ll have time to today, which is great.

“I don’t want that Indy 500 hangover. People always talk about it. They’ve always observed it. That doesn’t mean we have to win this weekend, but I’d like to leave here feeling like we had a really complete event, did a good job and had a solid finish leading into the summer. I want to win everywhere I go, but if we come out of here with a solid result and no mistakes, then probably everyone will be happy with it.”

Supercross 2021: Results and points standings after Round 16 at Salt Lake City

After New York whirlwind, Josef Newgarden makes special trip to simulator before Detroit

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