It’s time for the 13th round of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series, and we hope it won’t be unlucky for any of the riders. The series moves to Atlanta Motor Speedway, with an early race on Saturday. We’ve got the tips and facts you want to help you beat your friends in RMFantasySX.com leagues.
- Eli Tomac is an excellent pick for sprawling supercross tracks at superspeedways, and that is what is on tap at Atlanta. Atlanta Motor Speedway will have two whoops sections, sand, and the longest start straight—check out our track maps at the bottom of this story. Given Tomac’s momentum coming into Atlanta, it all adds up to a Tomac victory on Saturday.
- Cooper Webb needs a win in Atlanta, but that won’t be easy. Webb trails by seven points after his lackluster Triple Crown performance in Glendale. While Webb isn’t likely to be able to hang with Tomac, he’s a great choice to beat everyone else.
- As his title hopes are fading, Chase Sexton will have to push hard to keep any chance of winning the 450SX championship alive. That may work in Sexton’s favor, as most of his errors are unforced. Regardless, this is a tough track and not friendly to the mistake-prone. Still, with his speed, Sexton is your third podium guy.
- When picking your podium, remember that Tomac, Webb, and Sexton own the rostrum. All three have nine podiums in 12 races. The next best rider is Justin Barcia, with four podium finishes. That’s a huge gap.
- Justin Barcia is on a tear. Barcia has five top-four finishes in a row, including three podiums in the last four races. In those three podium rides, Barcia replaced Sexton twice and Webb once. Barcia does well at superspeedways, so he is a strong podium candidate. However, I’m expecting Barcia to repeat his P4 Daytona finish.
- The final top-five spot is down to Ken Roczen and Jason Anderson; both are inconsistent. Roczen has three top-fives in his last four races, including two P5s in the previous three—all solid reasons to pick him for P5. Anderson has finished in P5 three times in the last seven races and has five top-fives in the previous seven, but just one top five in the last three. I would call it a toss-up indoors. However, Anderson won at Atlanta Motor Speedway last year, so I give the P5 edge to Anderson.
- Picking the P9 Wild Card will, as always, be tricky. Dean Wilson popped into the top 10 in Glendale for the first time this year with a P9 finish. Colt Nichols returned to action with a P8 result; Nichols also finished in P9 in Oakland. Justin Hill is on a 9-7-10-12 run, so he’s in the P9 discussion. Going 6-8-8-6 since his return from injury, Adam Cianciarulo is a viable P9 choice. Aaron Plessinger has been in P7 the last two rounds, but was in P9 at Daytona—something to think about. Finally, Anderson is 9-4-10 at the previous three rounds—there’s an interesting pick. I’m going with Nichols, as he may drop a spot on the demanding Atlanta track. Disclaimer: I am 0-12 in Wild Card picks, though just one off most of the time.
- I’ve been in a holding pattern for my overall position in the RMFantasySX.com standings. I’m just a hair out of the top 30-percent. That’s not bad, though I haven’t had a big week yet, and I just cannot hit the Wild Card.
- It’s going to be a warm race in Atlanta. When the flag drops for the Main Event, the temperature is predicted to be approaching 80 degrees, and partly cloudy with 47 percent humidity. Florida-based riders will love it.
- Set your alarm clocks on the West Coast if you plan on watching the Atlanta Supercross live. It’s an early start. Check our 2023 Supercross Television schedule for details.
tl;dr 2023 Atlanta Supercross Fantasy Picks
- Eli Tomac
- Cooper Webb
- Chase Sexton
- Justin Barcia
- Jason Anderson
Wild Card P9: Colt Nichols
Photography by Ryne Swanberg, Brown Dog Wilson, Align Media, Feld Motor Sports et al
2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series Standings (after 12 of 17 rounds)
- Eli Tomac, Yamaha, 274 points (7 wins, 9 podiums, 10 top fives)
- Cooper Webb, KTM, 267 points (2W, 9P, 12 T5)
- Chase Sexton, Honda, 249 (2W, 9P, 11 T5)
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 217 (1W, 2P, 8 T5)
- Justin Barcia, GasGas, 216 (4P, 6 T5)
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 212 (2P, 7 T5)
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 196 (1P, 4 T5)
- Christian Craig, Husqvarna, 150
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 139
- Justin Hill, KTM, 127
- Dean Wilson, Honda, 121
- Colt Nichols, Honda, 99
- Josh Hill, KTM, 86
- Shane McElrath, Suzuki, 86
- Joey Savatgy, Kawasaki, 85
- Justin Cooper, Yamaha, 76
- Benny Bloss, Yamaha, 66
- Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha, 56 (2 T5)
- Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki, 55
- Grant Harlan, Yamaha, 52
- Kevin Moranz, KTM, 47
- Josh Cartwright, Kawasaki, 44
- Fredrik Norén, Kawasaki, 43
- Justin Starling, GasGas, 41
- Cade Clason, Kawasaki, 34
- RJ Hampshire, Husqvarna, 15
- Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna, 15
- John Short, Kawasaki, 12
- Marvin Musquin, KTM, 11
- Cole Seely, Honda, 7
- Chase Marquier, Kawasaki, 5
- Anthony Rodriguez, Honda, 3
- Logan Karnow, Kawasaki, 3
- Joan Cros, Kawasaki, 2
- Alex Ray, Yamaha, 2
2023 Atlanta Supercross Track Maps
