2020 Glendale Supercross | Race Preview

2020 GLENDALE SUPERCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

After three weeks of straight-up racing, it’s time for the first Triple Crown event of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series at the 2020 Glendale Supercross. Held at the massive State Farm Stadium outside of Phoenix, each of the night’s three races will be hectic from start to finish. The short sprint motos, the talented field of riders, and a high-speed track will up the intensity and tonight will be hard to predict, so watch for big swings in the results. We’re glad that the first Triple Crown is four races into the season, because the first three rounds gave everyone an idea of where they are in the running order, and now is a great chance to stake a claim for a spot high in the championship standings.

THE FORMAT

Here’s a refresher course on the Triple Crown format that will be used in Arizona. The top 18 riders in each class at the end of the afternoon qualifying session are seeded directly into the night’s three races, while everyone from the 19^th back will race the LCQ and fight for one of the four transfers into the night show. You’ll know what the starting lineup will be by 5 PM.

After experimenting with the race length in previous seasons, the race directors have decided that a consistent duration for all three is best. The 250 class will race for 10-minutes, the 450 class for 12-minutes. That’s long enough for guys to get into a rhythm, but not enough to allow a rider to break away and win by a massive margin.

Riders that can get to the front of the pack when the gate drops will be rewarded, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see new winners in each of the three motos, particularly from riders that have never claimed the checkered flag before. We’re looking at you, Vince Friese/Justin Hill/Zach Osborne/Dean Wilson/Brandon Hartranft/Mitchell Oldenburg.

THE COMPETITION

Below are the final entry lists and a brief injury report for both classes. We know that some people might be concerned about the total number of riders (49 in the 450 class, 48 in the 250 class), but keep in mind only 22 riders make the cut for the night show. So, if you were a rider that knows you won’t be close to that, maybe it’s a wise decision to hang back and save some money in the racing budget. 

As for the talent itself, this is going to be a battle. Take a look an try to predict exactly who will make the cut from the list below. Yeah, it’s damn near impossible to say with confidence which riders will fill every spot on the gate.

Although we’ve seen very few injuries or issues through the opening stretch of the series, there are a handful of riders that will be sidelined from round four. Jett Lawrence and Cameron McAdoo’s absence means there are two for-sure spots in the 250 class up for grabs, while the 450 class will be without Main Event mainstays like Kyle Chisholm and Fredrik Noren.

2020 GLENDALE SUPERCROSS | 250 CLASS PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST

1W. Dylan Ferrandis
26. Alex Martin
28. Michael Mosiman
30. Brandon Hartranft
32. Justin Cooper | The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider retains the championship lead and red plate.
40. Mitchell Oldenburg
45. Jacob Hayes
52. Austin Forkner
55. Martin Castelo
57. Derek Drake
60. Mitchell Falk | The Team BWR rider is back on the entry list after sitting out Anaheim Two with a concussion.
62. Christian Craig
72. Robbie Wageman
88. Logan Karnow
90. Killian Auberson
95. Carson Brown
97. Chris Howell
101. Luke Clout
106. Jay Wilson
108. Aaron Tanti
112. Xylian Ramella
118. Cheyenne Harmon
120. Todd Bannister
138. David Pulley
170. Michael Leib | The CANVAS MX rider is back on the entry list after missing two races with illness.
181. Wyatt Lyonsmith
193. Hunter Schlosser
204. Kyle Greeson
216. Devin Harriman | The privateer is racing with a shoulder injury and will undergo surgery after San Diego.
244. Mike Henderson
246. Chance Blackburn
277. Kordel Caro
284. Lorenzo Camporese
311. Mitchell Gifford
395. Charl Van Eeden
427. Deegan VonLossberg
446. Blaine Silveira
522. Cole Zitterkopf
538. Addison Emory
621. RJ Wageman
630. Jeffrey Meurs
837. Bryson Gardner
929. Taiki Koga
952. Ludovic Macler
974. Brian Marty

OUT WITH INJURIES OR OTHER ISSUES

29. Cameron McAdoo | The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider will miss an undetermined amount of time due to collapsed lungs in a practice crash at the St. Louis Supercross.
75. Coty Schock | The FXR/Chapparal/Honda rider will miss an extended amount of the season with a pair of broken arms.
83. Jett Lawrence | The GEICO Honda rider will miss the next three races due to a broken collarbone suffered at Anaheim Two.
98. Bradley Lionnet | The Team Solitaire/Rockwell Racing rider has been dealing with a case of Epstein-Barr and has changed plans to race the 250 East Coast region.

2020 GLENDALE SUPERCROSS | 450 CLASS PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST

1. Cooper Webb
3. Eli Tomac
4. Blake Baggett
7. Aaron Plessinger
9. Adam Cianciarulo
10. Justin Brayton
15. Dean Wilson
16. Zach Osborne
19. Justin Bogle
21. Jason Anderson
22. Chad Reed
27. Malcolm Stewart | The SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider is still dealing with a sore back and ribs from a crash before the St. Louis Supercross, but will race Glendale.
34. Tyler Bowers
37. Martin Davalos
43. John Short
44. Kyle Cunningham
46. Justin Hill
49. Chris Blose
50. Benny Bloss
51. Justin Barcia
56. Justin Starling
61. Alex Ray
64. Vince Friese
65. James Weeks
67. Jerry Robin
71. Ryan Breece
82. Cade Autenrieth
86. Josh Cartwright
92. Austin Politelli
94. Ken Roczen | The Team Honda HRC rider has taken the championship lead and will run the red plates in Glendale.
114. Nick Schmidt
135. Robert Fitch
230. Joel Wightman
240. Bryce Stewart
280. Cade Clason
282. Theodore Pauli
304. Hector Assuncao
330. AJ Catanzaro
447. Deven Raper
509. Alex Nagy
526. Colton Aeck
651. Jake Hogan
722. Adam Enticknap | The H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki rider has a damaged tendon in his wrist, but is still racing.
817. Jason Clermont
848. Joan Cros
976. Josh Greco
981. Curren Thurman

OUT WITH INJURIES OR ISSUES

11. Kyle Chisholm | The Team Chizz/TiLube/Rock River rider will sit out Glendale due to bruised lungs and a sore shoulder from a crash at Anaheim Two; he intends to return in Oakland.
17. Joey Savatgy | The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing rider will miss an undetermined amount of time due to an ankle injury suffered at the AUS-X Open Supercross in 2019.
31. Fredrik Noren | The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing rider is expected to miss the next 12 weeks due to a lower leg injury suffered at the St. Louis Supercross.
53. Jimmy Decotis | The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing rider’s stint in the 450 class is over and he will now turn his attention to the 250 East Coast region.
111. Dakota Tedder | The Monster Energy/Team Tedder/KTM rider is still recovering from a year-long wrist injury and is not yet certain when he will return. 
421. Vann Martin | The Team AllSouth rider suffered a torn patella tendon in a crash at the St. Louis Supercross and will miss multiple rounds of the series.

THE TRACK

State Farm Stadium has the most floor space of any venue on the series and the Dirt Wurx crew has made very good use of it. Long lanes run the full length of the football field, including a whoop section with 14 rollers and two rhythm lanes, while a deep sand turn is tucked in the dark pocket at the far end of the stadium. Expect the desert dirt to be dry and slick during the night show.

EVENT SCHEDULE & TV BROADCAST

Heads up! This race will only be shown on Saturday night via the NBC Sports Gold Pass streaming option, as its television broadcast slot is scheduled for Sunday afternoon on NBCSN. We cannot say it enough: buy the pass for the full SX and MX season.