Race Pace

Jason Anderson knows how to win races, he’s done it plenty of times in the past, but it’s been a little while since we’ve seen him running up front like he was at A2. After leading six laps Anderson eventually wound up in fourth, but his early race pace was an explosive sign of life. Afterward Anderson said, “It was nice to be out front, I want to be able to have that pace the whole time. I just haven’t been up there in a minute.” Hopefully Anderson, who hasn’t won a 450SX race since Salt Lake City in 2022, can keep putting himself up front—more talent at the top makes for even more exciting racing. -Hansel 

Keep Fighting

Things haven’t gone well for Cooper Webb so far this season, and you could see the disappointment in his eyes afterward at A2, where he crashed while running fourth behind Eli Tomac. He ended up fifth, and afterward said the beginning of the year had been hell for him, and A2 “may or may not have put a nail in the coffin for a title defense.” He’s now 24 points back of Tomac in the point standings, but there’s still 14 races left. Expect Webb to keep fighting this weekend in Houston. -Hansel

Hot Start

Michael Mosiman has been tremendous so far this season, and after taking third two weeks ago in San Diego, he ramped things up at A2, where he led a ton of laps and rode it home for second after a charging Haiden Deegan passed him late in the race. Mosiman is now second in points, nine back of Deegan, and is looking better than we’ve seen him in years. He hasn’t won since he took the checkers in San Diego in 2022, but with the way things are going for him this year, that could change soon. -Hansel 

Just Win, Baby

Levi Kitchen isn’t going to win this championship. He did a great job of salvaging points at the first two rounds after crashing off the start, but he DNF’d last week at A2, which increased his championship deficit to 33 behind Haiden Deegan. But just because the title is almost certainly out of reach, it doesn’t mean Kitchen can’t still come out and win races, which is the next best thing. Can Kitchen smooth over the sting of last week’s DNF by taking the checkers in Houston? -Hansel

Heat Race Hero

Jorge Prado won his second heat race of the year at A2. And after a bad start in the main event, he was able to work his way up to seventh, in a stacked class, proving he may actually be for real in supercross. Given that this weekend is a Triple Crown, good starts coupled with shorter races, it's not out of the question to see another Prado podium finish in Houston. -Sarah Whitmore

Podium Contender

Two weeks after landing on the podium for the first time in his pro career, Ryder DiFrancesco found himself there again at A2. Coupled with good qualifying times, it's safe to say he is making a habit of it. How many more podiums will he be able to rack up by the end of the season, and will he be there again this weekend? -Whitmore

Next

The SMX Next riders are back again this weekend. Their first race of the season was A2 and unfortunately most fans will remember the gnarly crash by Ryder Malinoski and Max Shane which led to a red flag. However, once they got going again, the race between Kayden Minear and Caden Dudney was exciting to watch. Will the youngster bring the excitement again in Houston? -Whitmore

Bonus: Masterpool's Season Debut

Ty Masterpool will make his season debut this weekend. After racing with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki squad in 2025, the Texas native will be on the line for the first time on his private #44 YZ450F in Houston. Masterpool has only ten total supercross starts to date: six in 250SX and four in 450SX. While he has a ton of raw speed, qualifying for the 450SX races is not a guarantee. How will his season debut go? Will he make the top 18 directly? Will he have to race the LCQ? With Masterpool, you never really know! -Mitch Kendra