“Nope!”

Is what the response would surely be from Webb if he were to read the entry above. Webb has absolutely no intention of letting Sexton reassert himself in this championship, and a look at Webb’s recent results backs it up. In the last five races, Webb has been second three times and has two wins. It’s tough to make up ground when the competition is that unyielding! If Webb can put even more distance between himself and Sexton in Birmingham, things are going to start looking pretty bleak for Sexton’s title hopes. -Hansel 

High Water Mark

Justin Cooper was outstanding in Indianapolis, where he took second to match the best 450SX result of his career. The last time Cooper finished that high was in Salt Lake City last year, but since it was the last race of the season, he didn’t get a chance to follow it up with more brilliance. Well, he’s got eight more races this season to back it up, starting this weekend in Birmingham. Will we see him get back on the podium? -Hansel

New Leader

You can make all kinds of arguments as to why Tom Vialle isn’t the fastest or most talented supercross rider in the 250SX East Division. They’d all have merit too, but the undisputable fact of the matter is, he’s the current points leader. His lead is just one point over Max Anstie, however, which makes Birmingham a critical round. If Vialle can come in hot and extend his lead, the landscape of the 250SX East Division is going to start changing in a hurry. -Hansel 

Fighting Back

Not too long ago it was looking like Anstie could dominate the 250SX East Division this year. Then he lost what was almost a sure win in Detroit when the race had to be restarted after a red flag, and he crashed on the start of Daytona and had to fight through the pack to take sixth. Then, in Indianapolis, he could only muster a seventh in the East/West Showdown. He told our Tom Journet yesterday during press day that a crash during media day at Daytona made those two races hard to get through. But he is ready for the gate drops today after a weekend off to reset. If he’s going to restore his fight for a title, he needs to get back the rails in Birmingham. -Hansel

No Doubt About It

RJ Hampshire came into this 250 East Division recovering from a wrist injury, and a big question mark on if he was ready to compete. After his win on the toughest track of the year in Daytona, RJ has put all of those doubts to rest. He is still 12 points out of the lead because of his run in with a Tuff Block in Tampa, but there is still plenty of time for him to make that up. Will he mount his charge this weekend? -Sarah Whitmore

The Quiet Assassin

For a rider who is pretty quiet off of the bike, Seth Hammaker’s win at the East/West Showdown in Indianapolis sure said a lot! Seth took a chance on himself in the offseason and moved to Florida to change up his program, and it really seems to be paying off. He currently sits third in points, and if he keeps riding like he did in Indy he could be a spoiler in this championship. -Whitmore

And Then There Were Two

After getting sick at Indianapolis and coming away with a seventh (his worst finish so far besides his DNF at Tampa) Ken Roczen’s championship run went from “he’s still in it” to “longshot.” However, Kenny is still going to be battling for wins and podiums every weekend, getting in between Sexton and Webb. His presence can either hinder or help the two riders at the top of points, depending on which way you look at it (aka who you are rooting for). And if you are cheering for Kenny, there is a good chance he gets another win or two this season, with how great he has been riding. A long shot is still a shot, after all. -Whitmore