2018 Las Vegas Supercross Preview | Anderson vs. Musquin Finale
With 16 rounds behinds us, the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series comes down to the Las Vegas Supercross.
It looked like Jason Anderson was going to wrap up the title in Salt Lake City, but a footpeg in the spokes of his front wheel when coming into the first corner delayed his crowning. Now, Anderson goes into Sam Boyd Stadium with the entire season on the line, and Marvin Musquin has a glimmer of hope.
1. If Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna FC 450) finishes in eighth place or better, the title is his. For Anderson, it’s that simple. If Musquin (Red Bull KTM SX-F 450) wins, Anderson will need to score 15 points or more to win the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. On the flip side, if Musquin does not score at least 14 points—ninth place—Anderson automatically wins the championship.
2. Expect Anderson to be more aggressive in his Heat. Anderson rode tentatively in his Heat in Salt Lake City. The fourth place Heat finish meant a mediocre gate pick. From there, Anderson got a poor start and that resulted in a damaged motorcycle, preventing him from clinching the championship. Anderson cannot afford another 17th place finish.
3. Marvin Musquin needs to stretch his win streak to three to have his best chance at winning the championship. Musquin has three wins in the last five rounds, along with a six-round podium streak. However, if Musquin finishes as low as third place, Anderson will only need a top 15 finish in the Main.
4. Should Anderson and Musquin be tied on points at the end of the night, the tiebreaker will go to Musquin. They’re tied on wins, but Musquin has more second-place finishes (4-3).
5. Eli Tomac is still waiting for revenge for Foxborough Supercross. Tomac undoubtedly hoped to extract revenge on Musquin in Salt Lake City, but wasn’t able to get close enough to make it happen. Tomac has two second-place finishes in a row, and you know he will want to close out the season as a winner. Consider Tomac to be the biggest threat to Musquin winning the Las Vegas Supercross, not Anderson. The last six Supercross rounds have been won by either Tomac or Musquin, with each scoring three wins. Tomac is locked into third place in the season standings regardless of how he finishes at Sam Boyd Stadium.
6. The other battle to watch is the fight for fourth place in the standings between Justin Brayton and Blake Baggett. They each have 264 points, so it’s winner-take-fourth at the Las Vegas Supercross. Baggett comes into Las Vegas with more momentum, having gone 4-3 in the previous two rounds, compared to 8-6 for Brayton. Regardless of the outcome, both will finish the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series in the top 5.
7. It’s a long track for the Las Vegas Supercross. Although not as gimmicky as a Monster Energy Cup track at Sam Boyd Stadium, the Las Vegas Supercross has six long lanes, a number of flat turns, a trip outside the stadium, plus a long start straight. All that will add to the “anything can happen” possibilities for the night.
8. Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET to watch the Las Vegas Supercross live. Given how unpredictable 2018 has been, you won’t want to miss the finale.
2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 16 of 17 rounds)
- Jason Anderson, 338 points (4 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 324 (4 wins)
- Eli Tomac, 292 (7 wins)
- Justin Brayton, 264 (1 win)
- Blake Baggett, 264
- Weston Peick, 235
- Dean Wilson, 193
- Broc Tickle, 184
- Cooper Webb, 181
- Justin Barcia, 163
- Malcolm Stewart, 159
- Vince Friese, 155
- Chad Reed, 147
- Tyler Bowers, 146
- Cole Seely, 124
- Benny Bloss, 123
- Christian Craig, 115
- Ken Roczen, 102
- Kyle Cunningham, 98
- Josh Grant, 83
- Ben Lamay, 71
- Cedric Soubeyras, 56
- Kyle Chisholm, 48
- Jeremy Martin, 36
- Alex Ray, 28
- Henry Miller, 22
- Cole Martinez, 20
- Dakota Tedder, 20
- Adam Enticknap, 19
- Justin Hill, 18
- Austin Politelli, 16
- Matt Bisceglia, 15
- AJ Catanzaro, 13
- Justin Bogle, 12
- Josh Hill, 9
- Brandon Scharer, 9
- Dylan Merriam, 9
- Cody Vanbuskirk, 8
- Deven Raper, 6
- Bradley Taft, 5
- Jake Weimer, 5
- Justin Starling, 5
- Scott Champion, 5
- Carlen Gardner, 5
- Collin Jurin, 4
- Theodore Pauli, 3
- Dustin Pipes, 2
- Nick Schmidt, 1
