Back on Top
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chase Sexton won last week at zMAX Dragway. After all, he is the reigning Monster Energy Supercross Champion, and the track was somewhat of a departure from the national tracks he’s been racing on in recent months. Even still, it had to feel good to finally get back on top after watching Jett Lawrence dominate all summer. Will Sexton be perfect again this weekend? -Aaron Hansel
Off the Box
For the first time in a very long time, Jett Lawrence didn’t win. In fact, his 7-2 scores didn’t even get him on the box, instead landing the Honda HRC rider in fourth place. That’s not a spot Lawrence is accustomed to finishing! The question now is, how will the 450 National Champ respond to his first loss in months when the gate drops at Chicagoland Speedway? -Hansel
Yellow Streak
Ken Roczen was back in the saddle last week and he looked great! He even led ten laps in the second moto en route to going 3-3 for second overall. With Roczen not having raced much recently, that’s especially impressive. We’ll see if he can hang on for a win in one of these things now that he’s refamiliarized himself with the intensity up front. -Hansel
Building
Cooper Webb entered his first race since rejoining the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha squad during the summer, and things didn’t exactly go to plan. Before the weekend Webb expressed some pretty solid confidence in an interview with Steve Matthes, but after going 8-7 for eighth overall last Saturday, Webb said in "The Weege Show" that he “rode like shit,” and that he was “rusty” in his first race back. The good news for Webb fans is, Webb hates underperforming, which means you can likely expect an extremely motivated, and fiery, Webb at Chicagoland Speedway. -Hansel
READ: The Conversation: Cooper Webb
In the Zone
Is where you can find Jo Shimoda lately! The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider has been on quite a hot streak lately, and after winning the final national of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, cashed in for a second straight W in Charlotte. Whatever he’s been doing lately, it’s clearly working for him, and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Will he get another win at Chicagoland Speedway? -Hansel
- SuperMotocross
SuperMotocross Playoff 2
Saturday, September 16- QualifyingLiveSeptember 16 - 6:30 PM UTC
- Pre-Race ShowLiveSeptember 16 - 11:30 PM UTC
- Night ShowLiveSeptember 17 - 12:00 AM UTC
- Next-Day Delayed AiringSeptember 17 - 4:00 PM UTC
- Monday Re-AirSeptember 18 - 5:00 AM UTC
Up and Down
Levi Kitchen’s first moto last week was great. He led laps and eventually finished second to Haiden Deegan. His second moto? Not so much. After nabbing the runner-up spot in the first moto, the best Kitchen could muster was an 11th in moto two. Kitchen later explained he had gotten sick the night before, which explains the lack of energy. Expect more consistency from Kitchen after he’s had a week to recover. -Hansel
Chic-ona? Day-cago?
If you’re a fan of the Daytona Supercross, you’re going to love the track at Chicagoland Speedway. This weekend’s track is long, is built on the infield of a famous speedway, and has a layout reminiscent of its Floridian counterpart. It also has what promises to turn into a very nasty sand section! Regardless of what happens on Saturday, it’s going to be very interesting watching the boys race on track like this. -Hansel
Mr. Consistent
Tom Vialle mentioned after the Charlotte SMX round that he liked the hybrid style track and has been feeling more comfortable on supercross than he was at the beginning of the year. He was also the only 250 rider to land on the podium both motos in Charlotte with 3-2 moto scores. Could the Frenchman have found his niche? We will see this weekend in Chicago. -Sarah Whitmore
Double The Points, Double The Fun (or Not)
This weekend in Chicago, the second playoff round is worth double points. So, the winner will go home with 50 points on the night instead of 25 (next weekend in LA is worth triple points). This will be big for the riders who do well and are able to stack points. However, riders who do not do well will probably not be a fan of the unique points payout. -Whitmore
Night Moves
After Charlotte, riders were mixed on if the hybrid track had more of a motocross or supercross-like feel to it. Some thought it was a perfect mix of the two, but found it hard to set the bike up to work for both. This weekend in Chicago, no matter what the track design is, may feel more “supercrossy” as it will be held at night, just like a typical supercross. However, depending on how rough the track gets, motocross under the lights can get pretty sketchy as the shadows make it harder to see the ruts and bumps. -Whitmore
