Who to Keep an Eye on at Houston? We Have Some Ideas

This coming weekend kicks off my favorite portion of the Supercross season. The East Coast swing! As an east coast guy, I might be able to get to sleep before 2am since the races will start at a normal hour and not 10pm. I can’t wait. Anyways, East Coast Supercross gives us a fresh crop of riders in the 250 class who are eager to start racing plus another round of 450 SX. The 450 class has provided some of the best racing I have seen in quite a while so I look forward to seeing who ends up on top. Here are a few things I think you we should keep an eye on at Houston. 

• Coty Schock’s Comeback: It has been a while since we have seen or heard the name Coty Schock. In 2021, Coty had a breakout season. Finishing inside the Top 15 in all but one round of 250 Supercross, then moving to the 450 class for Outdoors posting multiple Top 10 results. Coty caught the attention of Phoenix Honda for the 2022 season where he was set to ride 250 Supercross. Unfortunately, Coty went down hard in the second round ending his season completely. Coty started riding again towards the end of 2022 and I look forward to seeing what he can do in Supercross this season. It has been almost a year since we have seen Coty line up, but he has shown some impressive speed in the past so I look for him to pick up where he left off. Coty has a very good opportunity to put in some good results this season to put his name back in the conversation. 

• Eli Tomac: Well, I have not seen Eli Tomac crash like that for a LONG time. As in control as Eli has been all season, that was not something I saw coming. Thankfully, Eli is okay and did not miss any time this past week. I look for Eli to bounce back this weekend and land on the podium at the very least. With Eli favoring the East Coast tracks in the past, I have Eli winning this weekend. Slawdog probably won’t have Eli in the #1 spot on his Power Rankings this week, but I will. 

• Caden Braswell Debut: Last year’s Nicky Hayden Horizon Award winner, Caden Braswell, looks to make his Supercross debut this coming Saturday with the Phoenix Honda squad. Caden signed with Phoenix Honda not long after Loretta’s 2022 and has done a few rounds of Kicker Arenacross since, winning a moto at the Albany, New York stop in November. Caden has been one of the nicest and well spoken riders I have met so far and I wish him the best of luck in his Supercross Debut this weekend.

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• Hunter Lawrence: This is going to be a crucial season for Hunter Lawrence. I believe he is the favorite coming into East Coast Supercross this year and I want to see if he can capitalize on the opportunity. With Jett being on the opposite coast and Jo Shimoda, along with quite a few others, being injured, Hunter has a good opportunity to get some points on the board to start off this season. Hunter does still have some competition with the likes of Jordon Smith and Jeremy Martin, but it has been a while since either has seen a gate drop. I think we will see Hunter Lawrence take the top spot this weekend in Houston. 

• Jeremy Martin: New year, new team, new J-Mart? Jeremey Martin makes his debut with the ClubMX team this Saturday and with the recent success of Enzo Lopes, I am excited to see what Jeremy can pull off. Last year, Jeremy was on track to be a title contender with 4-2 results through the first two rounds. Unfortunately, a practice crash sidelined him for the rest of the year. Jeremy has been back on the bike since last summer and training at the ClubMX Facility down in South Carolina. I believe Jeremy will be a title contender this season and Houston will be a good indication of whether or not am I right. The ClubMX bikes have already proven themselves this season, so there is no doubt Jeremy will have what he needs to be competitive. 

Who else should we keep an eye on this weekend?