Supercross is back on in 2020, with seven races on consecutive Sundays and Wednesdays at one venue–Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Running from May 31 to June 21, the final seven rounds of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series will all be televised, and there will be no fans in the stands when the Supercross series resumes.
Championship protagonists Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen will pick back up where they left off in Daytona–Tomac as a three-point lead in the series. Defending Supercross Champion Cooper Webb has a bird’s eye view of the battle from the title, 29 points behind Tomac in P3.
Riders will not be qualifying for the evening racing, as they usually do. Instead, the afternoon qualifying sessions are for gate pick in the Heat races. To determine which riders will be competing, the AMA will be using this system: 40 Riders based on current point standings and 2020 top 100 number or combined season qualifying results.
From there, the rest of the racing process will be familiar–two Heat races, an LCQ, and Main Event in both the 450SX and 250SX classes.
Weeks 1 through 3 and 6 will be considered East regionals for the 250SX class, with weeks 4 and 5 being 250SX West rounds. The final round in week 7 will be the finale and East/West 250SX Shootout.
“We’re excited to continue our work with Feld Entertainment, Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, and the Utah Department of Health Services. Their continued support along with Utah’s Governor Gary R. Herbert, have made it possible for Supercross’ return to Utah,” said President and CEO, Utah Sports Commission Jeff Robbins. “We also look forward to showcasing Utah worldwide via Supercross’ global footprint.”
“Monster Energy Supercross fuels an entire industry and is the primary source of income for thousands, including competitors,” a Feld spokesman said. “With no events, the industry is in severe economic peril. It’s important to the economic infrastructure to get back to work. Unlike other professional sports with guaranteed contracts, Supercross athletes, team personnel, and many others involved in event and television production are independent contractors.”
According to Feld, there will be a wide range of precautions taken to protect the riders, pit crews, and event staff: “Mitigation efforts include mandated prescreening, testing, temperature checks, face masks, increased sanitation efforts and social distancing to limit contact among individuals executing the events. The stadium will assist with the implementation and execution of our plan. Supercross, in partnership with the Alpinestars Medical Unit, has a trained medical team of seven professionals to assist on-site. Supercross partners Oakley, Toyota, and VP Racing Fuels have been lending their expertise to the medical community and first responders by developing and mass-producing protective shields, eyewear, and hand sanitizer.”
Here’s how you can watch the racing (all times EDT):
- May 31, Sunday: 3-4 p.m. on NBCSN, then 4-6 p.m. on NBC
- June 3, Wednesday: 10 p.m on NBCSN
- June 7, Sunday: 5 p.m. on NBCSN
- June 10, Wednesday: 7 p.m. on NBCSN
- June 14, Sunday: 7 p.m. on NBCSN
- June 17, Wednesday: 7 p.m. on NBCSN
- June 21, Sunday: 3-4:30 p.m. on NBCSN, then 4:30 to 6 p.m. on NBC
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series Standings (10 of 17 rounds)
- Eli Tomac (Kawasaki), 226 points (5 wins; 6 podiums)
- Ken Roczen (Honda), 223 (3 wins; 8 podiums)
- Cooper Webb (KTM), 197 (1 win; 7 podiums)
- Justin Barcia (Yamaha), 195 (1 win; 3 podiums)
- Jason Anderson (Husqvarna), 170 (3 podiums)
- Malcolm Stewart (Honda), 152
- Justin Hill (Honda), 141
- Justin Brayton (Honda), 129
- Dean Wilson (Husqvarna), 129
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki), 128 (2 podiums)
- Aaron Plessinger (Yamaha), 125
- Blake Baggett (KTM), 109 (1 podium)
- Vince Friese (Honda), 108
- Zach Osborne (Husqvarna), 105
- Martín Dávalos (KTM), 92
- Tyler Bowers (Kawasaki), 60
- Chad Reed (Honda), 49
- Kyle Chisholm (Yamaha), 44
- Benny Bloss (Yamaha/KTM), 34
- Ryan Breece (Suzuki), 31
- Justin Bogle (KTM), 24
- Kyle Cunningham (Suzuki), 23
- Alex Ray (Kawasaki), 19
- Chris Blose (Honda), 18
- Broc Tickle (Suzuki), 12
- Adam Enticknap (Suzuki), 12
- Daniel Herrlein (KTM), 8
- Ryan Sipes (KTM), 7
- James Weeks (Yamaha), 7
- Henry Miller (KTM), 6
- Jimmy Decotis (Suzuki), 4
- Jason Clermont (Kawasaki), 3
- Cade Autenrieth (Honda), 3
- Ronnie Stewart (Husqvarna), 3
- Fredrik Norén (Suzuki), 2
- Jerry Robin (Honda), 1
- Josh Cartwright (Kawasaki), 1
