The series is really fun to watch right now. 250SX East just kicked off last weekend with a victory for Jett Lawrence, but Austin Forkner, Cameron McAdoo, Jeremy Martin and RJ Hampshire all rode well and can feel like they're in this title hunt. As for the 450s, Eli Tomac's last-to-sixth ride last weekend was good but cost him a lot of points, as Jason Anderson sailed to the win and closed to within three points of Tomac in the standings.

Chase Sexton had a heartbreaker when he crashed away last week with the win in hand. Luckily he escaped without serious injury and is back to race this weekend. Cooper Webb says this is his favorite stadium and he's riding a little momentum after a podium last week. Lots of stories colliding at once. Should be a fun night of Triple Crown racing tonight.

Free Practice

Yesterday for press day, Malcolm Stewart busted out what we would have to call a...quint? He jumped two tables and a single, which is five jumps in supercross speak. Once the 250s rolled out today the guys were already jumping onto the last table, which is considered a quad, and Jett Lawrence tried to send it and clear the final table. He didn't make it and cased it hard. So, 250s, it's gonna be tough to do the five. The real trouble is that if you don't clear the table and instead try to bounce off of it, it's hard to bounce all the way over the next single. Most riders were clanking it pretty hard. We'll see how the 250s handle this section as the day goes on. 

We were not able to access lap times for the 250 free practice, but those times don't count for qualifying anyway.

As for the 450s, the five is actually quite easy for them, with all of the top riders clearing it with ease. Tomac cruised over it on the first lap. We'll see if the ruts or track ends up changing and if this line holds. 

It was also funny to see the riders hit the finish line jump on the first lap and get way too much air and over jump. These riders are so amazing and precise it's a shock when they even over jump something by five feet on the first lap. 

Tomac topped the lap times in the free practice, which doesn't count for qualifying.

By the way, the Triple Crown format means all qualifying happens during the day, with 18 riders seeded via lap times, and LCQs in both classes running before the night show. Stay tuned.

Supercross Futures Practice

The supercross futures group is back for another way to learn the ropes of stadium racing. Kawasaki Team Green's Ryder DiFrancesco has dominated the proceedings at the other rounds this year, but Chance Hymas is another factory-backed prospect (with Honda HRC) and is competing this weekend. These two riders had some great battles in the MX Sports Moto Scouting Combine races last year. Hymas missed some time with a shoulder injury but is back on the bike and looking quick today. In this free practice, Hymas and DiFrancesco swapped the top lap time back and forth, with Ryder D ultimately holding the edge at the end of the session.

Timed Practice

It was….Phil Nicoletti to the top of the board on the first lap of this practice! That was the first lap. Soon Jett Lawrence and Austin Forkner jumped into the top two spots, then Cameron McAdoo launched the quint! He cleared it easily, and moved to third quickest. Levi Kitchen jumped it as well. Nicoletti held fourth and then RJ Hampshire, and then Pierce Brown went down super hard in a rhythm lane. It was scary as Brown was down on the track not moving. The session was red flagged, then Brown was eventually able to stand up. He took a ride in the Alpinestars Medic Mule. His night could be over.

Lawrence’s time held as the session ended, ahead of Forkner and Hampshire.   

“The track, you can’t sprint at all,” says Lawrence. “It looks tacky, but it’s slick in spots, it can catch you off guard for sure. You have to be smart and nothing crazy.”

In the 450s, it was Tomac, Webb and Barcia as top three early here. Then Marvin Musquin threw down a good lap and got to third best. Marv had a nice hybrid skim-jump combo going through the first section of whoops, and it was quick, plus he’s been stepping up his game as of late. Also, Webb looked good, following up on his promise that Dallas is one of his favorite stadiums and tracks. The whoops here are fast, not nearly as tightly spaced as some of the very technical whoops from earlier this season. Ken Roczen has had his issues in the whoops this year (outside of Anaheim 1) and these whoops might be better for him. He was a much more competitive fourth-fastest 

Then Chase Sexton went to the top on the sixth lap! Pretty impressive considering his crash from last weekend.

“I feel good, trying to stay where I left off last weekend,” said Sexton. “Track is technical and tight, I just want to finish the job off I was doing last weekend. I was sore this week but as of right now I feel really good, there’s nothing holding me back tonight.”

With a late lap, Dylan Ferrandis went to second-best behind Sexton. Tomac, Roczen, Webb, Anderson, Musquin, Stewart, Barcia and Brayton.

Final Practices

Couple of injury updates here: Alex Ray crashed on press day yesterday and has had to have his spleen removed. Obviously, he’s out. Ramy Alves went down hard in his final 250 qualifying session. Not sure of his status yet but we’d say racing is a long shot, he hit very hard. Pierce Brown crashed early in the first timed 250 A group practice but we have heard he is going to give it a go here in the final session. He needs to log a top 18 time to get in. Jace Kessler crashed and broke his arm.

Jett Lawrence got the fake start holeshot over Stilez Robertson and led the field around early. He is still trying to work on the quint over the tables and single, but can’t get it. Levi Kitchen is clearing it no prob, but it clearly doesn’t matter because Jett was still fastest anyway, making a lot of his time in the whoops. Jett finally got the five, just clipping the end a little bit. That’s such a stretch for a 250 that you might not really see it used in the main races tonight.

Lawrence was untouchable in this one, he was seven tenths faster than the rest of the field. Forkner and McAdoo were again next. Jeremy Martin was struggling earlier today but put it back together here for fourth fastest. Levin Kitchen was fifth. Nicoletti had great laps earlier today but struggled in this one in 14^th.

“I guess the track just flowed better,” he said. “I don’t know, it just kinda happened really.”

Cooper Webb nailed the fake start in the 450 A group, but a rejuvenated Ken Roczen went to the top of the board here. Alex Martin washed out and crashed not one not two but three times. They were small crashes and he was okay. THEN HE CRASHED A FOURTH TIME! Each crash was essentially a front end tuck. Roczen also went down in a corner but still stood on top of the board. On the final lap, Tomac pinned it and took over the top spot from Roczen. Sexton was third, then Ferrandis and Webb.

“It was [strategic], I was trying to get a good lap in there, I was having a tough time getting in a clean lap early,” Snuck by for that last lap. Found my lines and that was it. I feel like over time you build such a base, physically, I do feel better.”

The lineups straight to mains are set via top 18 times. However the LCQs remain to find the final four spots. Justin Starling got the final spot on lap times.

Also here's the results for SX Futures in qualifying. Their main event is coming soon.

SX Futures Main Event

The SX Futures main event was set to be a duel between Chance Hymas and Ryder DiFrancesco, and they didn’t disappoint. Hymas got a good jump but Ryder got inside of him to cut him off and get the lead. Hymas stayed close and the duo settled in for a battle for the win. In the whoops near the finish, Hymas closed the gap. The next time around, DiFrancesco bobbled and Hymas had an opening to try to blitz the whoops and get the lead…but he got bucked and ended up crashing. This gave Ryder D a decent lead but he then washed the front end in the corner after the finish! Hymas got going in fourth and was able to get around Chase Yentzer and Luke Kaliatzian to take over second, and he kept charging and nearly caught back up to DiFrancesco at the finish. Kaliatzian has been a podium guy throughout these events and kept that streak going with a third.

LCQs

In the 250 LCQ, Jarrett Frye got the holeshot and controlled the rest of the race from the front. Josh Varize, Lane Shaw, Marshall Weltin and Derek Drake were in the hunt, but Shaw went down on lap one. Drake kept charging and moved around Weltin and Varize to take second. Varize was third, and Weltin had to deal with pressure from Cullen Park, who was trying to snag the final transfer spot. It didn’t work—he got closed to Weltin but couldn’t quite get to striking distance. The final transfers: Frye, Drake, Varize, Weltin.

In the 450 LCQ, two pileups took place immediately—one with riders hitting tough blocks on the inside of the entrance to turn one, and another with riders stuck together on the outside. Kevin Moranz was in the mess on the outside, but he somehow got free in time to battle for a transfer spot anyway.

Cade Clason caught and passed Cros for the lead, then Logan Karnow got around Cros for second. Cros took third. Moranz battled his way through, getting around Tristin Lane and Robbie Wageman to get into fourth. Wageman kept it close, but Moranz held on for the final spot into the Triple Crown.

250 Race 1

Jett Lawrence grabbed the first start but crashed in turn two! This put Robertson into the lead with the Kawasaki duo of McAdoo and Forkner right behind. Meanwhile something went wrong with Jeremy Martin and he was nearly dead last by lap two. Fourth was Hampshire and then Oldenburg made a pass on Kitchen in the whoops. Forkner and McAdoo were ganging up on Robertson for the lead. While McAdoo tried to find a way around, Forkner almost passed him, but then McAdoo blew by Robertson for the lead in the whoops and Forkner followed. Behind them Oldenburg was hooked up with Hampshire, and Jordon Smith was coming too.

Forkner made a pass on McAdoo and took off from there, taking a solid win with his teammate second. But the crowd was fixated on Jett, who was slicing through the field with ridiculous speed in the whoops and corners, plus he was hitting the big “quint” over the two tables and the single. He ate up a huge gap in front of him, blowing by the likes of Nicoletti, Kitchen, Oldenburg, Smith, and catching Hampshire on the last lap to go for the podium! He tried a huge run through the whoops and then knifed back to the inside, but he came up a bike length short.

Meanwhile, Forkner was already celebrating the win, and thinking about the overall.

“In the past I’ve been in the position where I don’t have to win the final race to win the overall,” Forkner said. “That’s definitely something to think about, not maybe now, but depending on how things shape up. Winning the first two really sets you up well.”

 450 Race 1

Friese grabbed his customary good start, Musquin was able to get around him and then chaos ensued as the rest of the field tried to get around Friese. He cut off Anderson and then Brayton, then slowed up Anderson again and Malcolm Stewart got inside of them both. Then Friese crashed and nearly collected Roczen and Tomac. Stewart kept charging and got Musquin for the lead in the whoops and the crowd exploded. Musquin was struggling and Anderson Barcia and Webb got him. Then came Sexton Brayton and Ferrandis Roczen and Tomac, who all got around Musquin. Wow.

Some more carnage when Brayton slowed coming out of a turn and Ferrandis hit the back of him and cashed, and then Roczen went down in the whoops.

Anderson caught Stewart and saw and opening on the inside of a corner and went for it, and he took them both down! Stewart actually bumped into Anderson on his way back to his bike, surely in frustration. This tangle up cost them several spots, most costly when Tomac, who had a terrible start, cruised by.

Up ahead Barcia now led Webb, but Webb got the bit between his teeth in the final two laps, his old form. As the white flag flew he was all over Barcia for the lead and then just knifed inside under the tunnel to take the lead. Last lap pass inventing an inside line in Dallas? That’s vintage Webb. Barcia was second. Sexton rode well early but drifted off the pace late, and that allowed Tomac to get him for third. Sexton was fourth, Stewart and Anderson next in fifth and sixth.

“Yeah it feels great. Crazy conditions out there, I washed the front on the site lap and I was all flustered out there. I messed the start up, made a few passes but also made a few mistakes trying to make passes too quickly. I don’t know what happened with Jason and Malcolm, but thanks for the gift. Raced Bam Bam there, he’s tough to get around, I was able to make the pass. Felt better there toward the end. Really gelling with the track, had a good week and we’ve got the bike a lot better.”

250 Race 2

The start of the second 250 race was just like the first, with Jett Lawrence leading the field into turn one, and Robertson pulling his sneaky move on the inside to move into second. Their lines came together in turn two, but this time Lawrence did not crash, and once he maintained the lead the race was over from there. He was gone. Jeremy Martin got into second quickly. Robertson had his hands full with the flying Kawasaki teammates of Forkner and McAdoo, who were all over him. They made passes on Robertson and then McAdoo kept attacking his teammate Forkner and then made the pass. Impressive riding from McAdoo, who then pulled away from Forkner.

Pierce Brown crashed out of the race with a big one in the whoops. Somehow he recovered again, and he’s heading to the gate for race three.

Phil Nicoletti is riding well, he caught and passed his teammate Lopes in the whoops to take over fifth. He then had heat from Hampshire, who got caught in the tough blocks around the first turn off the start. It turned ugly when their lines crossed in the air over the tunnel jump and RJ hit the ground super hard. He was motionless for awhile before finally sitting up, and then being helped off the track by the Alpinestars medics. Nicoletti held on for fifth, with Oldenburg just behind him.

Lawrence avenged his crash in race one to win this one easily over Martin and McAdoo, Forkner and Nicoletti.

450 Race 2

Wow, what a race. Sexton nailed the start over Anderson and Tomac. Those three, who have been the best three this year, on average, established the lead, with Webb fourth. This would be a true test for those three to see who could win, and also to see if Webb could match them. At first, the trio pulled away. Tomac, from third, started attacking Anderson. He made a pass in the whoops, and Anderson sliced underneath and repassed him. Tomac took another shot after the finish, Anderson squared underneath him again, and then took Tomac wide after the tunnel to make it stick. That seemed to disrupt Tomac’s rhythm, as Anderson was able to pull away from there and then attack Sexton. Anderson took the lead from Sexton. Meanwhile Webb had started to close back up when Anderson and Tomac were battling, and he was right behind Tomac until he made a mistake. Webb was trying to set up an inside line over the double before the whoops, but he cased it on one lap and Tomac got away. Tomac put it back together and attacked Sexton, taking the second-place spot on the jump next to the the mechanic’s area. Webb kept the heat on Sexton to the end, but Sexton held on. This led to a wild scenario on points heading into the final race, with Anderson (6-1), Tomac (2-3), Sexton (4-3) and Webb (1-4).

For Anderson, it was a big bounce back after taking Stewart down, and himself, in race one.

“To be honest, the first race, I jumped into that corner and I grabbed gas and when I landed I was like, ‘Oh man.’ I think that first race was more of a shot to  the ego, a bit of embarrassment. I’m just trying. I’m trying out there. That race with Eli was good, I was like, “I’m not going to stop fighting.” That’s what I’m here for. There’s still one more to go.”

250 Race 3 

Again the same start, with Lawrence leading the field into turn one and again Robertson tucked to the inside. But then Lawrence slid out in turn one! He even tagged Robertson, and through the carnage McAdoo, Brown and Owen emerged 1-2-3. McAdoo knew what to do from there, bringing it home for the race and overall win.

More carnage behind him. Martin got into the back of Owen when Owen didn’t get a drive out of a corner and went down. That was just the beginning. Lawrence, coming from the back, caught Forkner and tried a pass in the whoops, he got completely out of control and somehow saved it and made the pass, but then was too far outside up the face of the next jump, clipped a tough block, came careening across the jump and hit Forkner in the air. It led to a massive crash for both. Forkner was done, clearly injured

"It was a crazy night," said McAdoo. "These Triple Crowns are gnarly. We went in with a three-way tie, so it was winner take all. It was intense, I was really trying to lock in. I picked the same gate in every race, I got good starts and put in good laps early and then I was really able to just ride my lines. I really had a good feeling on the bike, it was just amazing. That’s why I wanted to celebrate tonight."

"I don’t know if I believed I would get a podium, I got a ninth in the first one, someone tipped over and I had nowhere to go," said Martin. "Then in this one I was down by the mechanics area, so to be on the podium and get second…I saw this Honda and this Kawasaki tangled in the air, and I was like “Oh my God.” I hope those guys are okay.”

“Yeah I’m really disappointed in myself," said Lawrence. "I’m bummed because I’m not about that, so I’m very disappointed in myself. I hit the up ramp and hit a tough block and it sent me to the right. I hate to do that to a rider. I hope he’s [Forkner] okay and he can come back next week. I was hoping to have a good battle. I don’t like taking a rider out like that, at all. I’ll regroup and come back next week.”

450 Race 3

Yet another amazing battle in the final 450 race of the night. Tomac controlled the start but Anderson got right there, only to get tagged by Malcolm Stewart in turn two, probably not on accident. Anderson survived to emerge in second and then the battle began, with Anderson trying to catch Tomac. He was faster in most sections but not in the first set of whoops, once he picked up on Tomac’s line he was able to close in. Tomac didn’t have to take the race win to get the overall, but he was fighting for it, and they spent several laps battling, especially in the jump and turn after the finish. On one lap Anderson started on the outside and tried to cut underneath, Tomac got on the brakes to block it. The next time Anderson countered that move by dive bombing to the inside and he took the lead. Tomac never gave up on it, staying close all the way to the end, but Anderson emerged with the win. His ill-advised pass attempt on Stewart in the first race proved costly, though, as Anderson ended up with 6-1-1 scores, edged by Tomac’s 3-2-2.

“Oh yeah I was  trying to get the win there,” said Tomac about that final battle, even though he had the overall anyway.” Gosh that was a really fun game of cat and mouse there. First couple laps I made a few mistakes, probably paying too much attention to who was behind me. Once I got behind Jason, I was there the whole time and I was going to wait until the very, very end. I followed him one time in that 90 degree corner in the whoops, and he missed the double and of course that was the one lap where I followed him. That was my only attempt after that to get him. A lot of fun, and I knew the points. First overall was important. We didn’t get the race win but that was fun.”

“Yeah it’s incredible and I’m ready to battle,” said Anderson. “I just want to give it my all every time. Do whatever it takes in my power to win. I really enjoyed it out there, really fun with me and Eli just because we’ve been racing forever, you guys have heard it a million times. Let’s get it, let’s go.”

Behind those two, Shane McElrath had a good start and ran third for awhile, Malcolm Stewart eventually got him, then came a freight-train of Ferrandis, Sexton and Webb. Stewart maintained his spot. Sexton crashed late, which allowed Webb to slip by for third in the race and third overall. Ferrandis got taken down by Barcia and lost several spots. Webb was third, but bummed he never had a shot at Anderson or Tomac.

“I was a little bummed on that last one,” said Webb. “I felt really good that last main event, we made some good bike changes, that’s what we live for, to go to the last one tied. We all got bunched up there in the first turn, and unfortunately I ended up going down. I charged really hard which I’m happy with. I was in the fight, but overall I’m bummed. I felt like I had it to tonight and I really wanted to go win.”