2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview + Track Map (10 Fast Facts)

2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview: Webb Moves Ahead

The Atlanta Supercross is the midway point in the 17-round 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship series—eight rounds before and eight after.

Cooper Webb has eked out the largest lead this season—six points over his closest rival, Ken Roczen. Let’s see what to look for inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.

2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview - Cooper Webb

1. Although Cooper Webb’s two-round win streak expired in Detroit, his momentum is as strong as ever going into Atlanta. When Webb (Red Bull KTM) moved backward through the pack in Main 1 at the Detroit Triple Crown last week and finished in P6, it looked rocky for Webb. However, he turned that poor start for the night into a motivator and rebounded to go 2-1 to complete the night. Leaving Detroit with a Main 3 win and another podium to go along with his four wins in eight races this year, Webb is the favorite from here on in. Webb podiumed two of the three Triple Crown Mains at Atlanta last year, so he should be good in the Georgia clay in the single Main format.

2. Watch for Marvin Musquin to rebound in Atlanta. Finishing P6 at the Detroit Triple Crown was a blow to Musquin’s title quest. With the first half of the season over, Musquin (Red Bull KTM) has zero wins and is 12 points behind series leader Webb. Musquin’s Detroit debacle was his first off-podium result since round 2 in Glendale. Fortunately for Musquin, Atlanta has been good for him. Last year he won Main 3 in the Atlanta Triple Crown, finishing in P2 overall behind eventual champion Jason Anderson. Anderson’s not here due to injury, so this could be Musquin’s chance to regain his composure and click off his first win of 2019.

2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview - Marvin Musquin

 

3. Atlanta is an unknown for Ken Roczen. He hasn’t made it this far into the season since 2016. The last time Roczen (Team Honda HRC) raced in Atlanta, it was in the Georgia Dome and Ryan Dungey won. Roczen finished a lackluster P6 that night, so the clay doesn’t look to be his surface. Roczen did not impress at the Detroit Triple Crown, going 5-6-5 for a P4 overall—Roczen’s third time off the podium in 2019. He is always a threat to win, but don’t look for Roczen to pull off his first win in over two years at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, even if it is named after a company from his home country.

2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview - Ken Roczen

4. Tomac almost let Detroit slip through his fingers, so he retains enigma status. Had Roczen not taken out Dean Wilson’s front end late in Main 3 at the Detroit Triple Crown, there’s a reasonable chance that Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) would not have won the night. Going 1-1-6 is a good night, though ending it with a mediocre ride is not the best way to prepare for Atlanta. Tomac failed to win any of the three Mains in the Atlanta Triple Crown last year, so he’s far from an odds-on favorite this year. Even with his two strong Mains, Tomac gained just three points on the leader in Detroit and is now 13 points behind Webb. Winning after missing the podium the previous two races does help Tomac, though he remains his own worst enemy. 

2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview - Eli Tomac

5. After the four-way battle for the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, there’s another four-way battle for P5. That pack is made up of Dean Wilson (122 points), Justin Barcia (120), Blake Baggett (119), and Chad Reed (114).2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview - The Start

6. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing fill-in rider Dean Wilson leads the P5 pack, though not by much. Wilson scored 69 points in the first four rounds, but only 53 points in the last four rounds. If he wants to stay P5 in the standing, he is going to have to return to the form he showed before Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing picked him up again. Atlanta isn’t a great place for Wilson, who went 9-10-10 in the Atlanta Triple Crown last year.

7. Justin Barcia s P6 in the standings, but won’t be racing in Atlanta. Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) crashed while training this week and suffered a concussion that will keep him out. That will almost certainly drop Barcia to P8 in the standings, at least. If Barcia’s teammate Aaron Plessinger has a strong night, it will be P9 for Barcia.

8. Blake Baggett is the man on the move in the four-way battle for P5. Having scored 37 points in the last two rounds, Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) has picked up 10 points on Wilson, five points on Barcia, and extended his lead over Chad Reed by four points. Baggett had his first-ever win at Glendale this year, and has one other podium. Fantasy Supercross players will want to know that Baggett went 3-4-18 at Atlanta last year, so he can compete for the podium on the clay. Baggett is only three points behind Wilson, so Baggett could easily jump two spots in the standings to P5. If he does, that will make three KTMs in the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Championship Standings top five.

2019 Atlanta Supercross Preview - Chad Reed

9. Chad Reed may have adapted to his Suzuki. In the first four rounds this year, the two-time Supercross Champion put only 47 points on the board. That was bad enough for P11 in the standings. In the last four rounds, Reed (JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing) has 67 points, including his 132nd career podium last week in Detroit—quite a turnaround. Reed didn’t do too well at Atlanta last year, going 7-15-9. Atlanta may tell us which Reed we’ll be seeing for the rest of 2019.

10. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. ET, and the racing will be live on NBCSN at 7 pm. ET. Although the streaming of the evening racing is hardly worth the $75 charged by NBC Sports Gold, the coverage of the Qualifying is a great value to the hardcore fan. If you don’t have our 2019 Supercross Television Schedule bookmarked, now is the time!

Photography by Simon Cudby et al

2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 8 of 17 rounds)

  1. Cooper Webb, 173 points (4 wins)
  2. Ken Roczen, 167
  3. Marvin Musquin, 161
  4. Eli Tomac, 160 (2 wins)
  5. Dean Wilson, 122
  6. Justin Barcia, 120 (1 win)
  7. Blake Baggett, 119 (1 win)
  8. Chad Reed,114
  9. Aaron Plessinger, 104
  10. Justin Brayton, 97
  11. Cole Seely, 94
  12. Joey Savatgy, 92
  13. Justin Bogle, 70
  14. Vince Friese, 65
  15. Justin Hill, 59
  16. Tyler Bowers, 51
  17. Jason Anderson, 46
  18. Kyle Chisholm, 43
  19. Ben Lamay, 42
  20. Alex Ray, 29
  21. Cole Martinez, 26
  22. Carlen Gardner, 26
  23. Malcolm Stewart, 17
  24. Zach Osborne 14
  25. Chris Blose, 14
  26. Ryan Breece, 12
  27. Ronnie Stewart, 9
  28. Cheyenne Harmon, 6
  29. Theodore Pauli, 5
  30. Daniel Herrlein, 5
  31. Cade Autenrieth, 4
  32. Angelo Pellegrini 4
  33. Casey Brennan, 3
  34. Austin Politelli, 3
  35. AJ Catanzaro, 3
  36. Heath Harrison, 1