Crawfordsville, IN IronmanAMA Pro Motocross Championship

Last Chance

If the 450 field wants to prevent Jett Lawrence from achieving a perfect season, (and they do), this is their last chance to disrupt his epic summer. They had what was probably their best chance last week too, when Lawrence got an uncharacteristic poor start in the first moto and had to work through multiple riders before eventually taking over the lead and cruising away with the win. With rides like that it’s hard to think anyone will be able to stop him at Ironman, no matter what happens! -Aaron Hansel

Rapid Improvement

If they were giving out “Most Improved” awards from week to week, Justin Barcia would definitely have taken top honors at Budds Creek. One week after going 40-14 for 19th overall at Unadilla, where he returned for the first time after breaking his collarbone at the Nashville Supercross, Barcia went 5-4 for fifth at Budds Creek. That’s a massive improvement! We’ll see how much higher he climbs at Ironman, where he won in 2018. -Hansel

Now or Never

You can’t get any closer to winning the overall, without winning the overall, as Justin Cooper did last week at Budds Creek. Cooper exchanged moto wins and second-place finishes with Hunter Lawrence, tying them on the day, but it was Hunter Lawrence who got the win, thanks to his superior second-moto performance. If you’re counting, that’s six second-place finishes for Cooper so far this summer. Ironman is his last chance to snag a win. Can he get it done? -Hansel

Championship Math

As bad as Hunter Lawrence’s luck was earlier this season when he went scoreless in two consecutive motos, he’s taken full advantage of Haiden Deegan’s issues in the last few races and is now on the verge of capturing the AMA Pro Motocross 250 National Championship. Only Justin Cooper and Jo Shimoda remain in contention, with Cooper trailing Hunter Lawrence by 22 points, and Shimoda by 48. Clearly Shimoda’s chances are less than slim, but if the #96 were to have some sort of weird mechanical failure in a moto, a good ride from Cooper would put him right back into the thick of it. Of course, Hunter Lawrence could just seal it up by winning the first moto too! No matter what happens, it’s going to be interesting to see how the first moto plays out. -Hansel

Teammate vs. Teammate

The battle for seventh in the points is rarely one that gets discussed, or even noticed, but with this Saturday marking the final race of AMA Pro Motocross in 2023, every position matters. Right now, Tom Vialle trails his teammate, Max Vohland, by a mere five points for seventh place. It would actually be a single point, but Vialle was penalized four points at Budds Creek for jumping on a red cross flag. Vohland has the benefit of having raced Ironman Raceway twice, will that be enough to help him edge his teammate in the points? -Hansel

Rapid Changes

If you want an example of just how quickly things can change in this sport, look at Deegan, who was trailing Lawrence by three points after Washougal, and now sits 61 points behind the leader, thanks in part to a broken bike at Unadilla and a red-flag-restart at Budds Creek that didn’t go Deegan’s way. With the title now mathematically out of his reach, Deegan truly has nothing to lose. Will that result in another of his crazy fast rides this weekend? -Hansel

Ferrandis’ Star Pro Motocross Finale

It's wild to think that Dylan Ferrandis, who dominated the 450 National Championship just two years ago, doesn't have anything lined up for 2024, but as it stands, he doesn't have anything locked in just yet. He even joked (we think) about retirement a month ago on the PulpMX show, although from what we're hearing, that's pretty far from reality. That said, he is most likely done at Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, so when he lines up at Ironman, it just might be the last time we see him on a Pro Motocross gate aboard a blue machine. (He still has the three SMX races in September). -Hansel

Rookies

In an already stacked 250MX field, an onslaught of Loretta Lynn’s graduates have brought even more depth to the field. Both Daxton Bennick (seventh) and Julien Beaumer (ninth) placed top ten at Budds Creek. Trevin Nelson (who trains at ClubMX Yamaha), will make his pro debut this weekend aboard a Yamaha YZ250F. Will they, or any of the other newcomers like Casey Cochran, do it again at Ironman? -Sarah Whitmore

Last Call

It's the last national of the year, which historically means anything can happen (remember Tommy Hahn’s one career 450MX win at Steel City in 2009). Riders who do not have a ride lined up for next year have nothing to lose, and this is their last chance to impress a team. Add to it the list of riders who will be trying to get as many points as possible to qualify for SMX and we could be in for a very exciting show. -Whitmore

AP

Can one even talk about Ironman without mentioning the name Aaron Plessinger? Coming off of a second place at Budds Creek, his confidence is high heading into his favorite race of the year. Will AP get on the podium two weekends in a row? -Whitmore