Back East
With all the craziness that’s been happening the last few races, you may have forgotten just how tight things are in the 250SX East Region, which has been on break for a few weeks. Well, buckle up, because the Foxborough round is going to a crucial round in the battle for the championship. Cameron McAdoo currently holds the red plate, but only by a mere two points over Tom Vialle, whose supercross skills seem to have improved dramatically in 2024. Don't count out the likes of Haiden Deegan and Pierce Brown, who are still in the hunt, too. (More on that below.) No matter what happens, one of these two is going to leave Foxborough happier than the other. -Aaron Hansel
Now or Never
Pierce Brown is having a great year. He’s avoided the big mistakes and crashes that’ve cost him dearly in the past, and he’s been incredibly consistent, going 5-5-5-4-4 so far. He’s also third in the points, 11 back of McAdoo. All of this is fantastic for Brown, and he should be proud of what he’s accomplished so far in 2024. However, his starts have been horrible and are preventing him from batting for wins and podiums. And with the gap to first starting to gradually grow, he’s going to need to finish ahead of McAdoo and Vialle if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive and well. We’ll see what happens if Brown can get out of the gate well in Foxborough. -Hansel
Collarbone Coty
Coty Schock has been a revelation this season. His worst finish has been eighth, and he’s finished as high as fourth. Perhaps even more impressive, and even perplexing, are the reports of his broken collarbone. After Haiden Deegan sent him over a berm in Birmingham, Schock’s already cracked collarbone was promoted to fully fractured status. In fact, he was initially listed as not being able to race the following week in Indianapolis, but then somehow finished fifth! How much better is he going to be now that he’s had a few weeks to rest and recuperate? -Hansel
Related: Coty Schock Signs Long-Term Deal with ClubMX Yamaha
Mercurial Season
Things have been up and down for Deegan so far in 2024. He was 16th at the first 250SX East Region round (as a part of the first turn crash), then came back a week later and won the overall. Since then, he’s gone 4-9-3, and has had some disagreements here and there with other riders. He’s also a big part of the reason why the AMA is now imposing fines for flipping people off. Even his post-race press conference demeanor has fluctuated wildly. Which Deegan will we get in Foxborough? -Hansel
Back on Top
With the first half of the season, and then some, elapsing without Eli Tomac getting a win, the question of whether or not he was going to light the fires at all in 2024 was starting to get asked pretty frequently. When he went 7-7-6 in Birmingham, Indianapolis, and Seattle, it sure seemed like there was a strong possibility he wouldn’t. Then Tomac, who's since admitted he’d been dealing with an ankle injury, went out and won the Triple Crown in St. Louis! Now that he’s finally got that first win out of the way, will more follow? -Hansel
Attack Mode
Cooper Webb made up a lot of ground on Jett Lawrence in St. Louis after Lawrence found himself on the wrong side of Justin Barcia and was thrown to the ground. Before that, Webb trailed Lawrence by 16 points, but now that gap is represented by just eight points. If there’s one guy you don’t want to let hang around, it’s Webb. These are the types of situations in which his stubborn and determined mindset serve him extremely well, and if Lawrence gives up even more points to Webb in Foxborough, he could have a very unwelcome situation to deal with down the homestretch of this season. -Hansel
Podium Hunter
After starting the season with a DNQ, Hunter Lawrence put in a great night in St. Louis to end up third overall, his first career 450SX podium. And you can save the, “He benefitted from penalties,” talk for your mom. A podium is a podium! Can the rookie get another one in Foxborough? -Hansel
Refresh
Last weekend the series took its first weekend off since February, giving the 450 riders a much-needed break. By this point in the season half of the riders, if not most, are dealing with nagging injuries. Eli Tomac (ankle), Hunter Lawrence (scapula), Chase Sexton (hand), and even Jett Lawrence who got banged up in St. Louis with his run in with Justin Barcia. It will be interesting to see who will benefit the most from a little R&R. -Sarah Whitmore
Boos for Bam Bam
Perhaps the person who could benefit from the weekend off the most will be Justin Barcia, taking advantage of fans’ short-term memory. Even though his run in with Jett Lawrence was accidental, and he apologized afterwards, some fans can become very vocal when their rider gets knocked down. Still, if any rider can ignore negative attention, it's Barcia, and St. Louis was his second-best finish of the year. Can he back it up this weekend? -Whitmore
History Repeating
The last time Monster Energy AMA Supercross went to Foxborough, Jason Anderson took home the win over Chase Sexton. Some riders find themselves winning in certain cities more so than others, whether it be the dirt, atmosphere or whatever. Now that Eli Tomac got a win, Anderson is the last of the pack of front runners to not win this season. Can he get it done this weekend? -Whitmore