Tony Desmo
Tony Cairoli may be retired from professional racing, but that’s not stopping him from entering pro races. In fact, he’ll be lining up this weekend at ReBud on his Ducati Desmo 450. He’s not in it to win it, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun to see one of the greatest racers of all time back in action. How will Cairoli stack up at America’s most iconic motocross track? -Aaron Hansel
Battle Bros
Betting on a Lawrence brother to win is pretty safe. So far Jett and Hunter Lawrence are the only two 450 riders to win this summer, and nobody has provided any real challenge, either. But between the two of them, it’s anyone’s guess who will win on any given Saturday. Hunter was dominant at the opener, then Jett came roaring back and won the next two, only to have Hunter destroy everyone at High Point. Just when you think one of them has an edge, the other answers. Who will have the upper hand on Saturday? -Hansel
Third Best
For the most part Haiden Deegan has been the next fastest racer behind the Lawrences. This isn’t all that surprising, considering how great he was outdoors on a 250. But after watching how much Jorge Prado improved in supercross in 2026, it’s a little surprising to see him not consistently having the upper hand in this situation. After all, he has two MX2 titles and two MXGP titles under his belt! Will Deegan have Prado handled at RedBud, or will the world champ reassert himself on the podium? -Hansel
Back on Track
The last year has been tough for Aaron Plessinger, who wasn’t able to compete at his full potential due to illness and injuries. He sure looked good at High Point though! The Red Bull KTM bested Prado after a tremendous battle in the second moto and was fifth overall, which is his best Pro Motocross result since he took fourth at High Point in 2025. Hopefully everyone’s favorite cowboy keeps rolling at RedBud. -Hansel
Sooner or Later
Julien Beaumer has never won a round of AMA Pro Motocross but judging by how he’s been riding this season it sure seems like it’s a matter of when, not if. He’s had some incredibly strong rides this season, and he was even leading the first moto at High Point before going down. He’s going to win one of these things sooner or later, will it happen this weekend? If it does, he’ll be the fifth 250 Class winner in as many races. -Hansel
Tight Fight
A quick look at the 250 point standings reveals a championship fight that literally couldn’t get much tighter. Levi Kitchen leads, but only by a single point over Jo Shimoda, who only has a single point advantage over Beaumer. In fourth and only seven points out of the lead is Cole Davies, who is coming off a dominant 1-1 performance at High Point. How will these standings look following RedBud? -Hansel
New Plan
The summer has not gone according to plan for Chance Hymas. Considered a title contender before the season, he currently sits ninth, 60 points behind Kitchen. The title is no longer a reality at this point, but that doesn’t mean Hymas can’t salvage his summer by getting some podiums and even some wins. Will we see a spark from Hymas this weekend? -Hansel
Climbing
Kayden Minear, who did two Pro Motocross rounds last year, then competed in SMX Next than raced the last two rounds of Monster Energy has been improving with each round. Going 12-10-8-5 to start the season. At High Point he even landed on the podium in the second moto. If he can get good starts, could he land on the overall podium this weekend? -Sarah Whitmore
So Close
With the exception of a tough opening round, Garrett Marchbanks has been strong outdoors going 5-4-6 in the last three rounds. He usually finds himself in a battle with the KTM duo of Jorge Prado and Aaron Plessinger. Could he find himself ahead of them and land on the podium for the summer is over? -Whitmore
REDBUUUUUUUD
Let’s be honest, if you are going to RedBud there’s more to watch than just the action on the track. Given this year’s race is actually on the fourth of July, on our nations 250th birthday, the crowd is bound to be wild. People watching will be all time this weekend, and the party never stops. -Whitmore
Bonus! Mud Race?
Just before the second moto of the SMX Next Moto Combine was about to launch on Friday, massive rain and wind unleashed on RedBud, which led to the end of Friday's riding and also trashed a ton of tents and infrastructure around the facility. Ouch. With all that rain, and it was a lot, how will the track be impacted for Saturday's racing? Full mudder? Soft in the morning and but starting to dry as the day goes on? No one really knows yet. Anything could happen now! -- Jason Weigandt
