This week in Supercross – Atlanta!
The Monster Energy Supercross Championship bounds into Atlanta this weekend for round 13 of the 2023 series and with only four rounds left following this it’s a case of now or never for Chase Sexton as he looks to reel in Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb at the head of the field in the 450’s.
Stats and Feature Image courtesy of Feld Motor Sports, Inc
Tomac looks like he has broken free of the Webb’s clutches and seems to now have the upper hand having eked out a 7 point lead over his rival and beaten him straight out over the last couple of weeks. Sexton seems to have lost his mojo a little and if he doesn’t put the hammer down this weekend then his title chances are all but over. Justin Barcia has been a rider on a charge in recent weeks and it would be interesting to see if he could nudge himself further up the podium order if he was to make a good start in Atlanta.
Dean Wilson had his best result of the season with ninth in Glendale and will be looking to replicate that or go one or two higher this weekend.
In the 250’s we move back to the East this weekend and Max Anstie will be looking to make up on points regarding his DNF in Detroit which saw him drop from second to fifth in the standings. Hunter Lawrence will take some stopping but Nate Thrasher has shown some great speed and Haiden Deegan is only going to get better.
450 Class Recap: Glendale
Defender of Blue: Eli Tomac became the second winningest 450SX Class rider of all time after a 1-2-1 finish in Glendale gave him his seventh career Triple Crown victory and seventh victory of the season. Taking sole possession of the red-plate, Tomac is looking to become the third rider to defend his 450SX Class title on a Yamaha. Bob Hannah (’78 & ’79) and Jeremy McGrath (’99 & ’00) each did it for the brand twice.
Sneaky Sexton: Chase Sexton scored his ninth podium of the season with a runner-up finish in Glendale. The third year Honda rider is already 34th all-time in 450SX Class podiums after securing his 20th in Glendale. It has been 19 seasons since Honda won a 450SX Class title and Sexton now trails the red-plate by 25-points.
Back-to-Back Barcia: Justin Barcia nabbed his 30th career podium in Glendale and has back-to-back podiums for the seventh time in his 450SX Class career. He ranks 29th in 450SX Class podiums and 14th in top-fives with 68. Barcia is looking for three straight podiums for the second time in his career and first time since 2014 (Rds. 12-14).
Notes: Shane McElrath (13th) 45th 450SX Class start and tied best finish of season; Dean Wilson (9th) First top-10 of the season and 63rd of his 450SX Class career ranking 39th all-time; Kyle Chisholm (11th) Made 151st start tying him with Davi Millsaps for 11th all-time in 450SX Class starts; Anthony Rodriguez (20th) First career 450SX Class start; Adam Cianciarulo (6th) Had never made a Rd. 12 or later start before this season.
450 Class: Atlanta Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first Supercross race held in Atlanta was on March 5, 1977 in Atlanta-Fulton Co. Stadium. It was the season opener and Bob Hannah (Yamaha) won the race en-route to his first of three consecutive titles. The series has only missed Atlanta twice since that first season (1987-1988) and 2023 will be the 48th Atlanta Supercross.
Three Historic Venues: Fulton County Stadium hosted 14 450SX Class races from 1977-1992 before being demolished. The largest domed-stadium in the world was built close by and would begin hosting Supercross in 1993. The Georgia Dome stood until 2017 hosting 26 450SX Class races before it too was demolished in lieu of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mercedes-Benz Stadium entered the Supercross fray briefly from 2018-2020 including hosting a Triple Crown in 2018.
Fourth Venue Enters Mix: In 2021 Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted its first three Supercross races in lieu of the traditional football stadium layout Atlanta had always raced. The Speedway opened in 1960 and features Dale Earnhardt as its winningest driver. Comparable to Daytona International Speedway the track is built on the infield of the historic 1.5 mile asphalt loop.
Atlanta Title %: The Atlanta Supercross winner has gone onto capture the 450SX Class title in 27/47 (57%) races. This includes 10-straight seasons from 1998-2007 and all three races in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Jason Anderson won in 2022 but did not win the title, falling nine-points short to Eli Tomac.
450 Class: Atlanta Winners
Manufacturer Wins in Atlanta (Last Win)
Honda: 12 (’21)
Yamaha: 11 (’09)
Kawasaki: 10 (’22)
KTM: 7 (’21)
Suzuki: 6 (’13)
Husqvarna: 1 (’18)
Top Winners in Atlanta
1) Jeremy McGrath: 5 (’94, ’96, ’98-’00)
1) Ricky Carmichael: 5 (’01-’03, ’05-’06)
1) Ryan Dungey: 5 (’10, ’12, ’15-’17)
4) Bob Hannah: 3 (’77, ’79, ’82)
4) Mark Barnett: 3 (’81, ’83, ’85)
4) Damon Bradshaw: 3 (’91-’93)
4) James Stewart: 3 (’07, ’09, ’13)
4) Ken Roczen: 3 (’14, ’20, ’21)
9) Jason Anderson: 2 (’18, ’22)
9) Cooper Webb: 2 (’19, ’21)
First Time Winners in Atlanta
Bob Hannah: 1977 (Fulton Co. Stadium)
Chuck Sun: 1980 (Fulton Co. Stadium)
Jeff Stanton: 1989 (Fulton Co. Stadium)
Damon Huffman: 1997 (Georgia Dome)
Davi Millsaps: 2008 (Georgie Dome)
250 Class Recap: Glendale
Rare Territory: Jett Lawrence stole the show with his first Triple Crown victory and 12th 250SX Class win of his career. He is now tied for fourth on the all-time 250SX Class wins list with Austin Forkner, Brian Swink, Eli Tomac, Damon Huffman, and Ernesto Fonseca. He is one win behind tying Jeremy McGrath and Nathan Ramsey for second all-time with 13. With presumably only three more races in his 250SX Class career the best he could do would be 15 wins, one behind the all-time record of 16 (James Stewart). Lawrence also scored his 20th podium in 28 career 250SX Class starts.
RJ: RJ Hampshire continues his impressive season with the fifth runner-up finish of his season in six starts. He beat Lawrence in the second of three races in the Triple Crown format and is the only racer within a race of him in the points (-26 with three races to go). Hampshire’s 28th top-five finish moves him inside the top-15 all-time in 250SX Class history.
Serving Podiums: Levi Kitchen nabbed his second career 250SX Class podium in Glendale with a third-place finish. He now has two podiums, three top-fives, and six top-10 finishes in his first eight 250SX Class starts. He is in a fierce battle for the coveted third place position in the point-standings with Enzo Lopes and Mitchell Oldenburg.
Notes: Pierce Brown (4th) Made his 25th career 250SX Class start; Enzo Lopes (5th) Made his 35th career 250SX Class start and earned his fourth top-five finish; Derek Kelley (6th) Career best Supercross or Pro Motocross finish; Mitchell Oldenburg (7th) Ties Nathan Ramsey for fifth on the all-time 250SX Class starts list with his 76th. Greg Schnell is next on the list with 87 starts; Cole Thompson (11th) Made his 40th career 250SX Class start; Brandon Scharer (13th) Ties career best Supercross finish; Luke Kalaitzian (22nd) Former SX Futures podium contender makes first career 250SX Class start.
250 Class: Atlanta Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first 250SX Class race held in Atlanta was on February 23, 1985 in Atlanta Fulton Co. Stadium and was also the first ever Eastern Regional 250SX Class race. Eddie Warren won that race and captured the first ever Eastern Regional title.
Venue History: Fulton County Stadium hosted six 250SX Class races from 1985-1992. The Georgia Dome took over from 1993-2017 and hosted 26 250SX Class races. Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted three 250SX Class races from 2018-2020 before Atlanta Motor Speedway took over. After four rounds of Atlanta 250SX Class racing in the last two seasons, 2023 will be the 40th 250SX Class race in Atlanta and fifth in Atlanta Motor Speedway.
East or West?: The 250SX Class race in Atlanta was an Eastern Regional round for the first 33 visits. In 2019 that changed when it was one of the two 250SX Class East/West Showdowns. In 2021 Atlanta was a Western Regional race for all three rounds due to the pandemic schedule. In 2022 Atlanta was again a showdown, meaning five of the last six 250SX Class races in Atlanta were not solely Eastern Regional races. In 2023 Atlanta returns to being an Eastern Regional only race.
Atlanta Title %: The winner of the 250SX Class Atlanta Supercross has gone onto win their Regional title in 25/39 (64%) races. Hunter Lawrence won the 2022 Showdown but was unable to secure the Western Regional title.
250 Class: Atlanta Winners
Manufacturer Wins in Atlanta (Last Win)
Kawasaki: 12 (’19)
Yamaha: 11 (’21)
Honda: 9 (’22)
Suzuki: 4 (’07)
Husqvarna: 2 (’17)
KTM: 1 (’15)
Top Winners in Atlanta
Brian Swink: 2 (’91-’92)
Ricky Carmichael: 2 (’97-’98)
Christophe Pourcel: 2 (’09-’10)
Martin Davalos: 2 (’14, ’16)
Nate Thrasher: 2 (’21 x2)
First Time Winners in Atlanta
Eddie Warren: 1985 (Fulton Co. Stadium)
Keith Turpin: 1986 (Fulton Co. Stadium)
Denny Stephenson: 1990 (Fulton Co. Stadium)
Doug Henry: 1993 (GA Dome)
John Dowd: 1996 (GA Dome)
Ricky Carmichael: 1997 (GA Dome)
Josh Grant: 2008 (GA Dome)
Dean Wilson: 2011 (GA Dome)
Wil Hahn: 2013 (GA Dome)
Martin Davalos: 2014 (GA Dome)
Nate Thrasher: 2021 (Atlanta Motor Speedway)
Atlanta Track Map
