2019 Glendale Supercross Preview: Desert Racing
With the mudfest at Anaheim 1, the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series moves on to (hopefully) drier conditions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Although there is a predicted seven percent chance of rain at the start of Round 2, water falling from the sky shouldn’t be an issue.
1. There will be two kinds of riders at Glendale—those who wish to continue their momentum, and those looking for redemption. After winning A1 in the slop, Justin Barcia will be sporting the red number plate, and he won’t mind leaving Glendale with it still on his Yamaha YZ450F. At the other end of the spectrum, defending Monster Energy Supercross Champion Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) will be looking to erase the memory of his 14th place debacle at the opener.
2. Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac started the season off right. The duo didn’t let the conditions get to them at A1, and their podium finishes give them a huge jump on their two main competitors—Marvin Musquin and Anderson. Team Honda HRC’s Roczen is eight points up on Red Bull KTM’s Musquin (8th at Anaheim 1) and a staggering 14 points ahead of Anderson. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Tomac is right up front in the standings, just two points shy of Roczen. If Roczen and Tomac beat Musquin and Anderson at Glendale, it could be a long season for the trailing pair.
3. Dean Wilson and Cooper Webb left A1 with huge smiles. Few would have picked either rider to make the top five in the dry, yet in the rain they both made it happen. Now the real challenge comes for Wilson and Webb—beating the top riders without the benefit of challenging weather.
4. Three more happy riders were Aaron Plessinger, Malcolm Stewart, and Chad Reed. Again, all had to be satisfied with a top 10 start for the year. Stewart ran up front much of the race, so he could be a big surprise this year. Last year, Stewart would be fast early, and then fade out of the top 10. Reed also struggled for top 10 finishes last season. As a rookie, Plessinger should have been pleased with his sixth-place finish at A1.
5. Justin Brayton and Blake Baggett finished outside of the top 10. Given their performances last year, these two can’t be satisfied with their struggles at A1. They will be hungry at Glendale.
6. Rookies Justin Hill and Joey Savatgy did not do well at A1, and they need to rebound at Glendale. With Hill in 15th and Savatgy behind him, it was a bad rainy night for the two rookies. There will be pressure on the two factory riders to turn that around sooner rather than later.
7. Here’s how to watch the Glendale Supercross. If you have the NBC Sports Gold streaming subscription service, Qualifying is at 3 p.m. ET—there’s no other way to watch qualifying. Both NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN will have live race coverage, starting at 10 p.m. ET. Don’t forget to bookmark our 2019 Supercross Cable and Streaming Television Schedule.
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 1 of 17 rounds)
- Justin Barcia, 26 points (1 win)
- Ken Roczen, 23
- Eli Tomac, 21
- Dean Wilson, 19
- Cooper Webb, 18
- Aaron Plessinger, 17
- Malcolm Stewart, 16
- Marvin Musquin, 15
- Chad Reed, 14
- Cole Seely, 13
- Justin Brayton, 12
- Blake Baggett, 11
- Vince Friese, 10
- Jason Anderson, 9
- Justin Hill, 8
- Joey Savatgy, 7
- Carlen Gardner, 6
- Ben Lamay, 5
- Justin Bogle, 4
- Ryan Breece, 3
- Tyler Bowers, 2
- Kyle Chisholm, 1
