2019 E. Rutherford Supercross Preview:
How Webb Can Clinch
With two rounds remaining, Cooper Webb has the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship well within his grasp. Only three riders can mathematically take it from Webb, but all are longshots going into MetLife Stadium after the Easter break. Let’s take a look at Saturday’s race, and what it will take for Webb to wrap up the title.
- Ken Roczen is the most likely to be mathematically eliminated in E. Rutherford. If Cooper Webb finishes in P19 or better, it’s over for Roczen. That’s even if Roczen wins, and he hasn’t won a Main Event in more than two years.
- Marvin Musquin’s quest for the championship can continue if Musquin stops Cooper Webb from scoring two more points that he does. Musquin trails Webb by 23 points, and has to be no more than 25 points back going into Las Vegas—a tie on points goes to Webb on the most-wins tiebreaker. Should Webb win, Musquin is done. If Webb doesn’t win, Musquin cannot be more than one position behind Webb should Webb finish on the podium. If Webb finishes further down in the order, Musquin must be within two positions to prevent elimination. Of course, Musquin needs to win at MetLife Stadium and do what he can to cut into Webb’s lead.
- It might seem unlikely that Tomac could be eliminated at MetLife Stadium, but don’t forget the last time Supercross was in New Jersey. Trailing Webb by 18 points, Tomac needs nine points (P14) to guarantee viability going into Las Vegas. Barring a mechanical problem, that should be a gimme for Tomac. However, two years ago at E. Rutherford, while battling Dungey for the title, Tomac crashed his bike and stalled it, finishing in P8 in the process. That cost Tomac the series lead in 2017, and put him in a huge hole going into Las Vegas—one he couldn’t climb out of, and Dungey won the championship. Could Tomac fold in E. Rutherford, New Jersey again? It’s certainly possible.
- Cooper Webb has a solid 18-point lead to protect, which gives him a lot of options. Webb has to score just seven points (P16) in MetLife Stadium to leave in the lead—even if it’s only a tiebreaker over Tomac. Obviously, Webb wants to preserve as much of his advantage as possible. Should Webb suffer a DNF, or not qualify for the Main, for whatever reason, that will likely leave the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship wide open going into the final round. Still, even if Webb scores no points in E. Rutherford, he won’t be more than eight points behind Tomac (or three points behind Musquin, should Musquin win) going into the final round. Expect Webb to ride smartly at MetLife Stadium, as he has been most of the season. Webb comes into the penultimate round on a three-podium run—no other rider can say that.
- Cooper Webb will be happy with the dry weather report. There is rain predicted for Friday and Sunday, but the Saturday prediction is zero percent chance of rain and 55 degrees when the gate drops for the Main Even. Webb didn’t finish on the podium in either rain race this year, going P5 at A1 and P8 in San Diego. It will be a day race, with the Main ending at 7:50 p.m.
- The MetLife Stadium track looks like a tough one. It’s a big floor and a long track. It was technical last time around in 2017, and riding in the daylight might throw off some riders. Instead of whoops or a long straight before the finish, this time there is a long rhythm section and then a big 180 right-hander before the checkered flag. Otherwise, there are six 180-degree turns, plus four 90-degree corners, plus two whoop sections. There are plenty of chances for things to go wrong.
- There is only one other close battle in the top ten—Joey Savatgy vs. Cole Seely. The two are squabbling over P7 in the standings. Savatagy is 12 points ahead of Seely, and Savatgy has Rookie of the Year wrapped up. However, neither rider acts like he wants P7. Savatgy has gone 22-5 in the last two races, while Seely finished 7-19. You have to figure that whichever rider is more consistent will come out on top, though 12 points is a good cushion for Savatgy. P6 in the standings isn’t out of the question, as Dean Wilson is out for the final two rounds due to a shoulder injury. Wilson is 31 points ahead of Savatgy, and that might be enough.
- Rutherford, New Jersey, is the earliest race of the year, starting at 5 p.m. locally (EDT). Coverage is live on NBCSN. Qualifying begins at 11 a.m. EDT, and is available only with the NBC Sports Gold Supercross Pass paid subscription package. To make sure there’s not a change, as there was in Denver, be sure to check our 2019 Supercross Cable and Streaming Television Schedule.
Photography by Rich Shepherd, et al.Â
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 15 of 17 rounds)
- Cooper Webb, 332 points (6 wins)
- Eli Tomac, 314 (5 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 309 (2 wins)
- Ken Roczen, 283
- Blake Baggett, 255 (1 win)
- Dean Wilson, 223
- Joey Savatgy, 192
- Cole Seely, 180
- Justin Bogle, 157
- Justin Barcia, 154 (1 win)
- Chad Reed, 151
- Justin Brayton, 141
- Justin Hill, 135
- Tyler Bowers, 128
- Aaron Plessinger, 123
- Zach Osborne, 113
- Kyle Chisholm, 98
- Ben Lamay, 94
- Vince Friese, 65
- Alex Ray, 61
- Jason Anderson, 46
- Carlen Gardner, 45
- Chris Blose, 37
- Mike Alessi, 37
- Ryan Breece, 30
- Cole Martinez, 29
- Austin Politelli, 22
- Josh Grant, 19
- Malcolm Stewart, 17
- Justin Starling, 12
- Cedric Soubeyras, 12
- Shane McElrath, 11
- Adam Enticknap, 11
- Ronnie Stewart, 9
- Charles Lefrancois, 7
- John Short, 6
- Cheyenne Harmon, 6
- Theodore Pauli, 5
- Daniel Herrlein, 5
- Cade Autenrieth, 4
- Angelo Pellegrini, 4
- Casey Brennan, 3
- AJ Catanzaro, 3
- Jared Lesher, 2
- Scott Champion, 2
- Heath Harrison, 1
