DENVER, Colorado – The unsung heroes of the Monster Energy Supercross Series had their day in the sun as Joshua Cartwright pocketed $20,000 for winning the Pulp MX Yamaha LCQ Challenge. The second annual specialty race was open to riders who are outside the top 20 in the points’ standings, and who often get overlooked while the cameras are focusing on Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, Chase Sexton and other superstars of the series battling at the front of the field.
On Friday after Press Day at Empower Field, the riders who struggle to get into the night show, where the big money is paid, lined up. Lane Shaw grabbed the holeshot. Fredrik Noren took the early lead but crashed at the end of a rhythm section midway through the race. Cartwright inherited the lead and pulled away from the field.
“It’s unbelievable,” Cartwright told NBC Sports after the race. “I got an okay start, got past a couple of people, then Noren went down and I got the lead. The elevation here is gnarly, so I just told myself to breathe. Hit your marks. On the last lap I just doubled stuff. I had an eight second gap, so I was like ‘dude, just get through it.’ ”
Cartwright beat Cade Clason and Chase Marquier, rode into the mechanics area, dropped his bike and crumpled in exhaustion, saying “I’m shot.”
Cartwright has made 12 mains this year, but with a best finish of 14th, (in Detroit and last week in Nashville), he doesn’t garner much press.
Clason has been in 11 mains and his teammate Marquier four. Nearly all of their advancements into the main came via the Last Chance Qualifiers, a no-holds-barred, bare-knuckle slugfest.
MORE: Scott Meshey rider profile
“It was really stressful to organize the race and answer all the questions, but now that it’s over, it’s cool,” said race organizer Steve Matthes, who uses his Pulp MX podcast to help spread the word about this tier of rider. “It’s awesome to give these guys some money. I wanted to reward the riders who race all year and didn’t make the mains. The guys who are driving the miles, doing the laps and not getting in the main event. And I think we did a good job of that today. Over $120,000 raised for these guys.”
The LCQ Challenge has been around for five years. The first three years, they tallied points based on their LCQ efforts and paid accordingly, but in 2022 Feld Entertainment, the organizer of the Supercross series, gave them a special race.
The money earned in this race is not incidental. Last year’s second-place finisher, Kevin Moranz took his money and built a supercross test track.
Last year’s race winner, Clason took the money and bought a Club MX sponsorship to help improve his program.
“It’s awesome to hear the guys investing in their programs and putting the money toward good use,” Matthes said. “I love to hear those kinds of stories.”