Troy Dog
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We knew Daytona was going to be tough and separate the 19 points between first through seventh in the 450SX title chase. Yet, we didn’t know that the track was going to be THAT rough.
Now realistically, with only nine rounds remaining, we’re only down to four title contenders. Daytona spread the points out so much that 16 points now separate Jett Lawrence in first and Eli Tomac in fourth.
The series now heads to a new venue, Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. This is an open football/soccer stadium that the riders have never raced in before. It’s also a 40% chance of rain on Saturday morning.
We’re excited about this weekly written feature. Each week we will meet here and discuss who has the momentum and what the championship chase looks like. It’s an easy way to break it all down. Let’s see how the points stack up for the championship battle as we head into Alabama.
1st Jett Lawrence // 160 Points
Daytona was a statement win. He came from third to pass Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton and extended his lead to ten seconds over them at one point. Jett is the first rider to three wins this season. He also seems to have his early season rookie mistakes behind him at this point. He very well could have figured this game out and that’s scary.
2nd Cooper Webb // 150 Points
The new diesel. Webb will keep Jett Lawrence in his sights the rest of the season. Daytona, despite him liking it, isn’t one of his best tracks. He will look to create new memories in Birmingham and get back on the podium. He’s carrying some momentum still.
3rd Chase Sexton // 147 Points (+1)
We’re getting close to Sexton’s hand being closer to 100%. He said he had the chance to ride the week leading up to Daytona and it showed. He’s found the podium again and surprisingly only sits 13 points off of Jett, even with his injury. It’s been a strong season and he still has enough time to get his hand better and go on a run down the stretch.
4th Eli Tomac // 144 Points (+1)
I’m not sure where to rate Eli. Yes, he’s getting better and he was no doubt the fastest rider at Arlington. Yet, the jury is still out on his Daytona performance. He said in the press conference that he couldn’t feel a difference in his bike’s performance after it started smoking heavily before the halfway point in the main event. A second in Daytona moved him up a spot in points, but he’s lost three more valuable points to Jett. He knows the long game though, just like Webb does, and that’s a strength that will come in handy down the stretch.
It’s going to take a miracle for these three to win the championship, but it’s still technically possible.
5th Ken Roczen // 133 Points (+2)
Kenny, despite moving up two spots in the standings, now sits 27 points behind in the standings. The only way to make these points up is to go on a serious win streak. With this field, that’s going to be tough to do.
6th Aaron Plessinger // 132 Points (-3)
Man, AP had a BIG crash in Daytona and we’re all lucky that he was able to get up and continue the race. He dropped from seven points off of the red plate to down 28 points. It was his first bad race of the year, but it’s been a year to remember no matter what! The championship may be out of his reach, but he’s not done yet.
7th Jason Anderson // 131 Points (-1)
Anderson finished ninth in Daytona and had to dodge through the crowd on the last lap to finish. He’s starting to lose that early season magic that he had where he five top fives in six rounds, which included two podiums. The last two rounds he’s gone 10-9 and he’ll be looking to turn that around this weekend in Bama.
Main Image: Octopi Media
