2018 Las Vegas Supercross Results: Anderson Takes the Title, Tomac Wins
It was an anti-climatic end to the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series, as Jason Anderson methodically rode to a fifth-place in the 2018 Las Vegas Supercross, which was enough to earn him the 2018 title. It’s the first 450SX Supercross title for both Anderson and Husqvarna. After an early battle with Marvin Musquin, the only rider in the finale with a chance to catch Anderson in the title chase—Tomac rode to a four-second win.
- Jason Anderson knew what he had to do, and he did it. After qualifying third fastest, Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) took a safe second place in his Heat race, assuring him a good gate pick. Although his sixth place start wasn’t great, it was enough. Anderson passed Benny Bloss for fifth place on the third lap, found a comfortable niche between fourth place Christian Craig and a group battling for sixth place. Anderson didn’t push, and he wasn’t pushed. With Musquin unable to win, Anderson won the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Championship by a comfortable nine-point margin.
- Eli Tomac proved that he was the fastest rider of 2018, if not the most consistent. Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) qualified fastest, won his Heat, got the holeshot in the Main, and lead every single lap of the Main on his way to a win at the 2018 Las Vegas Supercross. In addition to the win, he got a consolation prize of a third-place medal from the FIM, as the AMA Supercross Championship Series also carries with it World Championship status. Tomac finished 38 points back in the standings, with his championship hopes ruined by three rounds—Anaheim 1, Houston, and San Diego—that netted him just two points in the series.
- Marvin Musquin hung with Tomac early, but eventually faded. Less than a half-second back after four laps, Musquin (Red Bull KTM) looked like he might have a shot at catching Tomac. However, a small error cost him 1.1 seconds on Lap 5 (of 21). Musquin made another run, getting to within two-thirds of a second of Tomac on Lap 8. Tomac recovered his gap on the following lap, and Musquin never got within a second again. Tomac turned it up on Lap 16, and Musquin couldn’t respond, sealing the deal. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Anderson had taken care of business by finishing fifth.
- The expected battle between Blake Baggett and Justin Brayton for fourth in the standings never materialized, with Baggett taking his fifth podium of the year. Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) was third at the start and Brayton 10th. Baggett held his ground, and Brayton (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda) ended up dropping behind Justin Barcia (Lap 6) and Vince Friese (Lap 17). Baggett had to be happy to end up fourth in the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Championship standings, and Brayton ended the year an impressive fifth in the series after winning in Daytona.
- Benny Bloss had his best finish of the year—a comfortable sixth place. Bloss (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) got a great fifth place start, and was dropped by Anderson early. Tyler Bowers passed Bloss on Lap 6, and led Bloss for three laps before Bloss regained sixth place for good. Bowers went on to fall on a wet spot on the track and finish 20th.
- Anderson led just 27 laps in 17 races in 2018, but it was enough to take the title. In comparison, Tomac led 123 laps and Musquin was in front for 99 laps. However, Anderson scored points at every single round, with both Tomac and Musquin sitting out Round 2 at Houston. Anderson’s championship run was built on consistency.
2018 Las Vegas Supercross Results, Sam Boyd Stadium
- Eli Tomac, Kawasaki
- Marvin Musquin, KTM
- Blake Baggett, KTM
- Christian Craig, Honda
- Jason Anderson, Husqvarna
- Benny Bloss, KTM
- Weston Peick, Suzuki
- Dean Wilson, Husqvarna
- Justin Barcia, Yamaha
- Vince Friese, Honda
- Chad Reed, Husqvarna
- Justin Brayton, Honda
- Malcolm Stewart, Suzuki
- Cedric Soubeyras, Suzuki
- Alex Ray, Yamaha
- Henry Miller, Suzuki
- Dakota Tedder, KTM
- Cade Autenrieth, KTM
- Josh Hill, Yamaha
- Tyler Bowers Kawasaki
- Austin Politelli, Honda
- Kyle Cunningham, Suzuki
2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Final Standings
- Jason Anderson, 356 points (4 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 347 (4 wins)
- Eli Tomac, 318 (8 wins)
- Blake Baggett, 285
- Justin Brayton, 275 (1 win)
- Weston Peick, 251
- Dean Wilson, 208
- Broc Tickle, 184
- Cooper Webb, 181
- Justin Barcia, 177
- Malcolm Stewart, 169
- Vince Friese, 168
- Chad Reed, 159
- Tyler Bowers, 149
- Benny Bloss, 140
- Christian Craig, 134
- Cole Seely, 124
- Ken Roczen, 102
- Kyle Cunningham, 99
- Josh Grant, 83
- Ben Lamay, 71
- Cedric Soubeyras, 65
- Kyle Chisholm, 48
- Jeremy Martin, 36
- Alex Ray, 36
- Henry Miller, 29
- Dakota Tedder, 26
- Cole Martinez, 20
- Adam Enticknap, 19
- Justin Hill, 18
- Austin Politelli, 18
- Matt Bisceglia, 15
- Josh Hill, 13
- AJ Catanzaro, 13
- Justin Bogle, 12
- Brandon Scharer, 9
- Dylan Merriam, 9
- Cody Vanbuskirk, 8
- Deven Raper, 6
- Bradley Taft, 5
- Cade Autenrieth, 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
