2019 Nashville Supercross Preview:
Webb Closing In On 450SX Title
For the first time, Supercross comes to Music City, USA. Supercross rolls into Nissan Stadium for round 14 of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series. The weather is predicted to be warm—about 70 degrees when the gate drops for the Nashville Supercross Main Event, and there is a zero percent chance of rain. Cooper Webb leads the series by 17 points over Marvin Musquin, and that means Webb is the only racer who controls his own destiny with four rounds remaining. Eli Tomac is nine points behind Musquin, with Ken Roczen another ten points back of Tomac.
- Cooper Webb has one hand grasping the championship trophy. Two P2 and two P3 finishes would wrap it up for Webb, even if Musquin wins the final four rounds. The odds look good for Webb, as he has only been off the podium three times in 13 rounds. One had to wonder if Webb could finish his championship run after round 12 in Seattle—he had gone 1-2-3-4 in consecutive weeks. However, he won the Houston Triple Crown race, and that has given Webb a lead that does not require another win to take the title. Also, if Webb wins the next three rounds, he clinches the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Championship early at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
2. Marvin Musquin needs help if he wants to win the title. Houston was tough on Musquin’s hopes, as he dropped three points farther back of Webb at a time when he needed to be picking up points. Marvin has been consistent this year in a way that you might expect he would be leading in the standings. After a slow start to the season, he has 10 podiums in 11 rounds. Musquin needs to win the next four rounds and hope someone else can beat Webb.
3. Eli Tomac is now a full race behind Cooper Webb in the Monster Energy Supercross standings. No rider has run as hot and cold as Tomac this year. To match his three wins, Tomac has missed the podium at more than half of the races. A consensus favorite at the beginning of the year, the mercurial Tomac has failed to deliver on the track too many times. Still, he’s just 10 points behind Musquin and in position to pick up the pieces should something happen to Webb.
4. Ken Roczen has had a tough four-race run going into the Nashville Supercross. Roczen has gone 8-8-2-10 in the last four rounds, and dropped far off the pace. Now 36 points behind Webb, it would take a miracle for Roczen to win the championship. What also seems to require a miracle is Roczen winning a Main Event. He has none in the last two years, even though he’s considered to be one of the fastest riders on the tracks.
5. The track looks short, but with lots of obstacles to slow the riders down. There are consecutive whoops sections on the two straights before the finish line. If it’s close at the end, that should provide some serious action. There are five 180-degree turns and just two 90-degree corners—both right after the finish line. The start could be interesting, as it’s a long run across the stadium floor followed by a sweeping left-hand turn.
6. NBCSN will be covering the Nashville Supercross live. Racing starts at 8 p.m. ET, with Qualifying available to NBC Sports Gold subscribers beginning at 2 p.m. You can always check our 2019 Supercross Cable and Streaming TV Schedule to know what time to tune in.
Photography by Simon Cudby, Rich Shepherd, and Ryne Swanberg
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 13 of 17 rounds)
- Cooper Webb, 288 points (6 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 271 (2 wins)
- Eli Tomac, 262 (3 wins)
- Ken Roczen, 252
- Blake Baggett, 215 (1 win)
- Dean Wilson, 201
- Joey Savatgy, 173
- Cole Seely, 160
- Chad Reed, 151
- Justin Barcia, 150 (1 win)
- Justin Brayton, 141
- Justin Bogle, 124
- Aaron Plessinger, 123
- Justin Hill, 119
- Tyler Bowers, 103
- Zach Osborne, 80
- Kyle Chisholm, 78
- Ben Lamay, 72
- Vince Friese, 65
- Alex Ray, 47
- Jason Anderson, 46
- Carlen Gardner, 38
- Cole Martinez, 29
- Mike Alessi, 27
- Chris Blose, 25
- Malcolm Stewart, 17
- Ryan Breece, 16
- Austin Politelli, 13
- Cedric Soubeyras, 12
- Shane McElrath, 11
- Adam Enticknap, 11
- Ronnie Stewart, 9
- Cheyenne Harmon, 6
- Theodore Pauli, 5
- Daniel Herrlein, 5
- Justin Starling, 4
- Cade Autenrieth, 4
- Angelo Pellegrini, 4
- Josh Grant, 3
- Casey Brennan, 3
- AJ Catanzaro, 3
- Jared Lesher, 2
- Charles Lefrancois, 2
- Scott Champion, 2
- Heath Harrison, 1
