Sexton Returns

Chase Sexton wasn’t around much this summer after getting banged up at the season opener, but when he did make a brief return, he was pretty damn good. After two races he handed Jett Lawrence a rare loss at Washougal, then won the very next moto at Ironman before crashing out of the second. He hasn’t raced since, but he’ll be back this weekend. If he’s on the same level he was before he went down at Ironman, we could be in for some serious battling up front.  -Hansel

The Supercross Champ

After taking some time off to have surgery on a twisted knee after RedBud, Cooper Webb will make his return to racing this weekend in Concord. You might be tempted to count him out after he’s been out of action for a while, but that would be unwise. Webb always has something in the tank, especially when it comes to situations like the playoffs, which feature shorter motos and have the potential for a huge payout. Look for Webb to figure out a way this weekend to position himself to be in the hunt at the finale. -Hansel  

Mr. Wild Card

Coty Schock put in a valiant effort to try to get the points he needed to be a seeded rider for the SMX Playoffs, but he came up just a little short. All is not lost for Schock though, as he’ll just have to go through the extra step of qualifying through the Wild Card races (basically just LCQs) to get into the show. This could lead to some of the most entertaining racing of the series. You’d think Schock would be a shoo-in to qualify, but things can, and often do, get crazy in those Wild Card races. No matter what happens, you know Schock is going to be going for it! -Hansel

Mr. Wild Card, X2

Kyle Chisholm may have retired after the 2025 season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, but c’mon, you knew that wasn’t going to be the last we’d see of The Chizz, right? And with the SMX Playoffs offering a chance at some pretty significant amounts of money, the return of Chisholm this weekend seems like it was inevitable all along. He’ll have to go through the Wild Card races to get in, but hey, he’s got plenty of experience in that format. Chizz gonna Chizz! -Hansel

To the Max

Anstie, that is. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider broke his leg in Birmingham and had a complicated recovery, which prevented him from racing all summer. He’ll finally be back in action this weekend, however. He’ll have to qualify via the Wild Card (LCQ) races, but something tells us that won’t be a problem for Anstie. How will the British rider do in his first race back since March? -Hansel