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00:00It's going to be exciting. I'm going to start with the number three of Eli Tomek.
00:04I almost wonder if last week was the one that got away from him.
00:08He was in a great position. Rarely do you see that from him, but I think he's back.
00:12I think he's going to show us a lot of what he showed us at the first two rounds.
00:16Five wins here, so you know he feels comfortable.
00:22Number 26, Jorge Prado, fastest qualifier. He wins the heat race.
00:27He gets another hole shot in this main event. A couple things go his way.
00:31I'm telling you, he has a chance to shock the world here. He is riding that well.
00:36Next to him in the gate there, JT, the 96 of Hunter Lawrence.
00:41We are talking about three second-place positions in the last three rounds.
00:46He obviously is waiting for that win, as we all are.
00:50He has the best average position at the end of the first lap.
00:55So that's not a hole shot. First average position, sorry, best position at the end of the first lap.
01:01He might need that tonight. He's going to lean into that, even though Jorge Prado and Eli Tomek were the fastest in their heat.
01:08Thanks, Bill. A lot of those starts on those factory Hondas come with the cool factory parts.
01:12Joey Cevace doesn't have those. He doesn't have a wish list of stuff he'd like to have.
01:15They don't get that because it's not the factory team, but he is still happy and comfortable on the bike.
01:21Uncomfortable. The fact that he broke his big toe last week, and every time he shifts gears, it hurts.
01:26And you asked me this earlier. It just shows you how good these bikes are.
01:29Yeah.
01:30Stock.
01:30You're right.
01:31I mean, obviously, it's not a stock bike, but it's certainly not factory.
01:34Everything on there you could buy.
01:35Yep.
01:36Yeah.
01:36You could buy, and Joey is rock solid tonight. He's got great technique on the motorcycle, always has.
01:43And I think if he can get a good start, man, this guy could contend for an easily top five position.
01:48Yeah, that's where he was, rounds two and three, battling around there. Here we go.
01:53450 main. So much on the line at Glendale, and it starts now.
01:59Not a good start for Tomek or Prado.
02:02Oh, Sexton's buried as well.
02:06Freezy, I think, is going to lead them in.
02:07Oh, no.
02:08Hunter Lawrence can start. No.
02:09Tomek is down. It looks banged up.
02:11Yeah, he does.
02:12No.
02:12He's not hustling back.
02:14Hunter Lawrence has taken the lead from Freezy.
02:16He's got Roxen right behind him.
02:18What has happened to Tomek?
02:19Yeah, watch Ken Roxen right now.
02:21We talk about how explosive he is.
02:23Oh, you hate to see.
02:24Is Eli going back?
02:26No, he's getting back on the track.
02:28Okay, he's getting on the track.
02:29Something doesn't seem right here.
02:31Yeah, definitely.
02:32I mean, this is going to be...
02:36Oh, this is critical for points in this championship.
02:39Cooper Webbell making moves for third on Freezy,
02:42and he's got it on the number one.
02:43Yeah, these guys fighting so hard early on for this track position.
02:48That's how important it is.
02:49Not wanting to give those competitors an inch.
02:55Roxen's not giving an inch to Hunter Lawrence.
02:57Fight is on for the lead.
02:59Well, I tell you what.
03:01Talking about guys who are due for a win, it is these two right here.
03:07Hunter Lawrence never won a 450 Supercross race, so he would be next in line.
03:13What it would be to see him win his first.
03:16But Ken Roxen, you talk about stats.
03:18He is another guy that is rock solid here.
03:21Yeah, three wins in Roxen's career here in Arizona.
03:23There's Webb closing from third.
03:26We're going to show you the start and the number three, Tomac.
03:28Yeah, decent.
03:29And then it looks like he has to double clutch.
03:32Has to pull in.
03:33Oh.
03:34Gets the door closed in on him by the 94 and the 1.
03:38He's trying to get stopped.
03:39Everything's okay.
03:40But let's see what happens on impact.
03:42Oh, Christian Craig goes down.
03:45Ouch.
03:46Oh, look.
03:47He grabs his left wrist.
03:52Immediately, it looked like that.
03:54Or maybe it's...
03:56Yeah, see, he's like doing something with his left hand.
04:01It appeared to.
04:02Man, you hate to see that.
04:03Hopefully, it's not his thumb.
04:04Remember, he hurt his thumb a couple years back in practice at Denver, I believe it was.
04:10Yeah, and couldn't race the next weekend.
04:12Roxen and Lawrence still paddling it out with Webb right there.
04:16Man, what an improvement the 96 of Hunter Lawrence has made,
04:21knowing if he wants to really contest for this championship.
04:24He has got to improve his early race intensity.
04:28And that's not the early race stuff necessarily Webb's specialty either,
04:34but he is hanging in there, and you know he'll be strong later.
04:37Yeah, you talk about it not being his specialty, Weege,
04:39but I got to tell you, that wind and what that wind did for him mentally last week,
04:45was it going to be enough, JT?
04:47And it sure seems like it.
04:48Well, and this is historically his best racetrack.
04:51He's averaging at sixth place, and that's with a second here last year that really bucked that trend.
04:56But the critical aspect here for Webb, and he knows this, he's got to hang in there in the first half.
05:01If he's right behind these guys, when the halfway flag flies, it is absolutely on,
05:07because they will have withstood the fury from Ken Roxen.
05:12Yeah, that's Roxen.
05:13It is one of his best tracks.
05:14It had been statistically one of Webb's worst.
05:17Worst, yeah.
05:18Yes, but he did do well last year, but he's trying to put that to bed.
05:21Crowd has come to light because Roxen challenging and taking the lead from Lawrence.
05:26Yeah.
05:27But look at right there, Hunter.
05:29Staying with him.
05:30Great pass by Kenny.
05:31Almost wonder if something happened to Hunter in the sand,
05:33because I felt like Hunter had a few bike lengths of a lead.
05:38Oh, he's all over him right here.
05:40Watch Kenny in the whoop speed.
05:42He's been good there all day.
05:44Gaps Hunter just by about a half a bike length right there.
05:47But Hunter's got great speed on the rest of the track.
05:50So, a big reset here.
05:54Yes, it did look like it was starting to tilt Hunter Lawrence's direction,
05:58but now Roxen has the advantage.
06:02Tomek still circulating, but still last.
06:04Let's go!
06:05Billy Hartle, the mechanic.
06:07Animal to Roxen, who's had great success here before we asked him about the dirt in Arizona.
06:13So, I'm in Germany, so we were riding like flue groove pretty much all the time.
06:25So, I am used to that.
06:26Having said that, I've been here for so long now that the connection, you know,
06:31I think some things just stay with you since your childhood, you know.
06:34It kind of shapes your brain a little bit, and this track might just be that.
06:37So, I've always been pretty comfortable here.
06:39I don't necessarily go here thinking that this is my place to go to and whatnot,
06:44but obviously it's hard to ignore over the years with the results that I've had here
06:47that this place has got to be, suit me really well.
06:52So, I guess very good vibes coming in here every year to this race.
06:57Here's some good vibes.
06:58He is pulling away now from Lawrence and Webb.
07:02Yeah, I mean, let's be honest.
07:04This guy rides well everywhere.
07:06And, I mean, you want to talk about tech.
07:09This guy is, he's super techie on a motorcycle, a lot of talent.
07:15And I just think about all the years and how many races he's done.
07:19You're all seeing, you're seeing it come to life of the things that he's done right
07:25and then some challenging times that he's had throughout his career.
07:29Great to see Kenny in this position.
07:31But how about this guy?
07:33Great to see this from towback.
07:34He is back up to race pace.
07:36He has caught 21st place Cartwright.
07:38But at least if he did get banged up in that crash, it can't be that bad because he's back up to speed.
07:44Boy, I mean, I think it might be worse than what we think.
07:49I mean, he definitely was in no-hustle mode.
07:53And he knows what's at stake right now.
07:56Scream 7 drone cam here.
07:59What can Adrenaline do, even if he is hurting right now in this situation?
08:04I mean, he's just got to grind it out and try to get as many positions, eliminate the damage at this point.
08:10And he's doing it.
08:11He goes by another rider.
08:13That was Harlan into the top 20.
08:15Battle back here.
08:16Been a so-so knife for Chase Sexton on the number four.
08:19He is in eighth, battling with Dylan Ferrandez for seven.
08:23He's got Blessinger right behind him.
08:26Blessinger made up a ton of time getting into that sand section.
08:29J.T.
08:34Watching Chase Sexton, and I'm not sure what it is here, but ever since he was unable to kind of make that final pass on race one at the Triple Crown in Houston, Chase just hasn't looked like the same guy.
08:45He had so much intensity as he tries to make a move here on Ferrandez, but ever since in race two, race three, he just wasn't the same guy.
08:53And that trickled into today.
08:55Qualifying didn't look that great.
08:56Mediocre heat race in here.
08:58Tough start in trying to battle from the back.
09:00So I'm not sure if it's mental, physical, or if he's still battling in a motorcycle setting, but he has not been the same rider for going on a week now.
09:07J.T., just to give you a little back story on that, I did get to speak to team manager Dan Fahey, who told me that after the heat race today, Chase was not comfortable.
09:16That's what he told them.
09:17They said they were kind of in a better space earlier on in qualifying, but not after the heat race.
09:23So they did make a few subtle changes there, just a few clickers in between that and the main event that we're watching right now.
09:28But he also said that they're continuing to work in the week.
09:31I know there's mixed opinion on how much you should be doing that.
09:35Dan did make it clear that these weren't big swings, they weren't big changes.
09:38But he did also stress that that's their job, that is the team's job.
09:42He said our job is to make that guy comfortable, and we will keep working, and they work every single week in order to achieve that goal.
09:48And he said we won't stop until we get him in a place where he feels that he can fight forward.
09:53Thanks, Will.
09:54It'll be interesting because they're fighting in front of him and behind him.
09:59You just saw Plessinger and Verandas battling.
10:01Now Prado versus Justin Cooper, and it's Sexton in between those four riders.
10:09AP here wants Verandas.
10:11He's all over him.
10:12He's faster than Verandas.
10:13He just can't get by him.
10:14And, oh, I thought he was going to run him wide there to secure the position.
10:21Dylan blocks the inside, slows up just enough.
10:25But look at the Cowboys in the perfect spot, goes wide, and that sets him up to be on the inside.
10:30Now you watch this next lap or two.
10:32He's going to catch right up to Chase Sexton.
10:34Saw that in the heat race.
10:35They follow each other through.
10:36That's right.
10:37Plessinger has some speed tonight, and let's see if he can keep it close.
10:42And can he and Sexton work together to get to Savace, who'd be next.
10:46Then I mentioned that Prado and Cooper battle.
10:48I think Prado, though, just made a mistake.
10:51Well, you saw Chase Sexton's bike kind of dancing around there, going left to right.
10:56But, like, JT, you were talking about, and the setup, and not being comfortable.
11:01But, you know, not always is your bike going to be comfortable.
11:04And you just have to do the best set you can in this situation.
11:08And I know that I've been there.
11:10And I know it's frustrating.
11:12But you just got to keep your head down and keep digging.
11:14And that's what he's doing.
11:16But, man, tough spot for the number four here.
11:20Back to the leader, though, Ken Robson.
11:25Impressive.
11:26Adding to his lead.
11:28Oh, no, Lawrence closed in a little bit, but it's up to three seconds.
11:31And as mentioned earlier in the show, the legendary team manager for Robson's squad, Larry Brooks,
11:37who has taken so many riders to championships in this series,
11:42is diagnosed with stage two colon cancer.
11:45So not going to be at the races for a while.
11:47Larry is confident that he will have a positive outcome.
11:51Our thoughts are with Larry, who has done so much to put this team,
11:54which was once a team that was battling just to make mains to the last chance qualifier.
12:00Larry came on board.
12:01Kenny came on board.
12:03Huge strides to the point where now we expect them to win races.
12:07This is not a surprise at all.
12:09That's not just Kenny.
12:10That's the work Larry, team owner Dustin Pipes, and his family have put in an incredible story.
12:17Halfway through this race, reminder, Monster Energy available now at Quick Trip.
12:26What a story this would be for Ken Rockson.
12:28Every year he wins on this upstart Suzuki team.
12:31It's still feel good every time.
12:33This guy is, uh, he's like wine, man.
12:38He gets better with age.
12:40And again, no surprise here.
12:41And if this guy is able to continue this momentum throughout the season,
12:46I would love to see him have a fair shot at Salt Lake City for the championship, JT.
12:52Yeah, and he keeps riding like this.
12:55He might.
12:55And he talked a little bit about how this track suits him.
12:58And I just wanted to kind of touch on the specifics of that because you can watch him in these corners.
13:03Watch him in the midpoint of the corner.
13:04He'll be so patient.
13:06No, you know, erratic movement.
13:08He's not on the throttle too hard.
13:09He's just letting the motorcycle's natural momentum carry him through the corner.
13:14And you see Malcolm Stewart there pulling in.
13:16He's had a rough go here.
13:18But back to Kenny.
13:19Just see him roll through the corner because there's simply not enough traction to be aggressive.
13:23And he understands that it is such a strength of his.
13:26And then you just saw him blast through those loops too.
13:29He is entering the loops with so much speed.
13:31It's just so hard to deal with that combination of skill set that Ken Rockson can display.
13:36Yeah, and he's so good right now being in this position and managing this race lead right here.
13:43Probably not going 100%, maybe 90, 93%, and just doing what he has to do to maintain that gap between himself and Hunter Lawrence.
13:53Still lots of time, though.
13:54Eight minutes and a lap for Lawrence or Webb to try to put in a charge.
13:58We saw, as JT mentioned, Malcolm Stewart is out of this one.
14:02Had been dealing with a shoulder injury all year long.
14:05See Lawrence here in second.
14:06Send it back to Will.
14:08You guys, this could be, if it stays like this, another second for Hunter Lawrence.
14:13But the difference with this one, the fourth in a row, is he would leave State Farm Stadium here with the red plate.
14:20And I got to talk to Johnny O'Meara, his mentor and trainer earlier, about the lack of wins.
14:26And Johnny had a very calm head about it.
14:27He said, in his belief, he does have to win races here in order to get this championship.
14:33He said it doesn't have to be tonight.
14:35He said there is more one way of doing it.
14:37And he said, last weekend, when they chipped into Eli Tomac's lead, think of that as a win.
14:42He said, this is part of our plan.
14:43If we are gaining on that front runner, then we are winning.
14:47And then, again, here tonight, a second.
14:49Doesn't look like it's going to be the win.
14:51But he will leave as the points leader.
14:53So, as Johnny said, they are executing the plan.
14:56Hunter believes in it.
14:57This is, you know, how they are going to go about it.
14:59And you've got to believe that that win surely at some point will come.
15:02Well, here's the thing.
15:03And with the field so stacked right now, you've got five, six, seven guys that can win on any given night.
15:10Wins are definitely important, but I think consistency is important.
15:13And what you were just talking about, if Hunter is able to maintain this position and leaves her with the red plate,
15:20that's case in point right there, that consistency is key over the importance of wins.
15:26Now, if there was less depth, then those wins become a little bit more important rather than consistency
15:33and knocking out those second places and third places every single weekend.
15:38So, the win is going to come.
15:39Keep running like he's running.
15:41It's going to come.
15:43And you work with Johnny O'Mara a long time yourself.
15:46It could be four straight second place finishes for Lawrence if it ends like this.
15:50And as predicted, Aaron Plessinger not letting Chase Sexton go.
15:55This is seventh and eighth.
16:00It's good to see the seven of Plessinger riding well.
16:07He had a rough weekend last week in Houston as well amongst other guys.
16:12So, to be able to come back and just watching him, he looks like he has good aggression.
16:19And he's coming out of the corners.
16:21He's attacking the next rhythm lane and really putting the power to ground.
16:26By the way, see Ferrandez back there on that charlie design.
16:30Terebole Ducati also sticking with them.
16:32And would catch back up to Eli Tomac.
16:34Now it's 16th.
16:35So, he mentioned that Hunter Lawrence could be taking over the point lead.
16:39He would have a five-point gap on rocks and if it ends like this.
16:42And Tomac would be third, 12 points down.
16:44But Tomac can gain quite a few points in this last five minutes.
16:49He can make some moves here starting with Colt Nichols.
16:52That's the first rider on his list.
16:54Yeah, we just hope, I hope that everything is okay with Eli and that he's still healthy.
16:58Number one for himself.
17:00Just because he's riding so well aboard that new Red Bull factory KTM team and gelling well with it.
17:07Looks like he's having a good time.
17:08But also for the series, man, it would just mean so much.
17:13It's been so competitive and a lot of fun to watch each and every weekend.
17:17Look at nice pass.
17:18Yeah, has that big double at the end of the rhythm locked in.
17:21We saw him working on that all the way back to sporting.
17:25100%.
17:25And it's paying off right now.
17:27They're going to concern on Jay Dungy.
17:29That's Tomac's mechanic's face and trying to clean the points.
17:34There's the standings as they run right now.
17:35I'm trying to watch when he's riding if I can see where he's, you know, is he checking up anywhere?
17:40Is he not jumping deep?
17:42Things of that nature to see if I can see if there's anything that's bothering him.
17:47It's really hard to tell.
17:48And his lap times have been good as well too since he's gotten back going again.
17:52Here's Prado in fifth.
17:55Solid performance again.
17:57Now, when he had the fast qualifying time, I went down to the truck and talked to him before the night show began.
18:02And he said, I was like, is there a point where you start thinking, win one of these races, main events?
18:08And he's like, of course I want to win, but I will not, I will absolutely not ride over my head to win.
18:14It is still the goal to log laps and take what he can get.
18:18And tonight it appears to be a fit for Prado.
18:20He's still trying to gain experience.
18:22Tomac's trying to gain positions.
18:24He's now up to Craig for 14.
18:25Oh, Varanis is back.
18:28Yeah.
18:29Challenging Plessinger.
18:30Well, a couple laps ago when Plessinger was all over Sexton, I mean, Dylan was right there.
18:38Man, this track is really starting to go away and become very challenging.
18:43It's starting to dry out.
18:44Remember, Justin Cooper was telling us about that.
18:47Maybe that's why it really didn't fit into what he likes best.
18:51Starting to get dry with just held better moisture, I believe, this year than any year that I've seen as of late.
18:59But it's getting choppy.
19:01A lot of little potholes.
19:03Very chattery and a rough ride.
19:06Tomac was working on McElwrap.
19:08Tomac's going about two seconds a lot faster than the riders in front of him.
19:12So now it's a matter of how much time can he make up with the amount of time that's left.
19:16As Varanis on that Ducati, going to work on Plessinger.
19:22Championship points as they run, you saw.
19:24Again, it would be Lawrence taking the point lead from Roxen.
19:27And Tomac would be pushed to third in the standings if it ends its way.
19:32Not seeing the late race charge from Lawrence or Webb this time.
19:37You are seeing it from Varanis, though.
19:41Varanis doing a great job aboard that new Ducati.
19:44It's not easy to come into the premier class and compete at a high level, especially against manufacturers that have been specifically in SMX for so many years.
19:55So kudos to that race team as well as Dylan.
19:58And it's great to see Dylan up here riding well.
20:02I mean, this is a guy who won a couple 250 divisional championships.
20:07He also won a 450 pro motocross championship.
20:12So titles under his belt.
20:14He's no slouch.
20:17He had some big things to say about how much he loved this bike in the offseason.
20:21And I think that really shocked people to hear into the bike.
20:24In his mind, it was that good that quickly.
20:26But he's definitely riding well right now.
20:28It's only ninth place.
20:29But that speaks to the depth of this field right now.
20:33I mean, these guys are going fast.
20:34And it's just inside the top ten.
20:36I'm watching the lap times, Weege.
20:38And Eli, fastest guy on the track.
20:41Last step at a 57.9.
20:44Kenny was second with a 58.2.
20:48Hunter was third with a 58.2.
20:50Can he get all the way to the top ten?
20:52Anderson has a bad night as well.
20:54He was way back early.
20:56That would actually be the next rider for Tomac to try to catch.
20:59There's Anderson in the right-hander.
21:00I got to tell you, I was not expecting this from the number three of Eli Tomac
21:04when we saw him get up and get going.
21:06For a minute there, it was like...
21:08Oh, I was scared.
21:08Yes.
21:09We were worried for the worst.
21:11Maybe he was just shaking up there for a second.
21:14And once he got it figured out, he's basically at normal race speed.
21:20But what will be the damage in points?
21:23White flag will be out soon.
21:25Can he gain any more spots?
21:29Probably going to lose the points lead.
21:31As for this, Tanner Oxen looking to make it four different winners
21:35through five rounds this year.
21:39Man, what a great job, Kenny.
21:42Really stoked for him.
21:46Again, another guy.
21:49Not really a rough weekend last weekend,
21:51but I don't think he was overly happy with it.
21:54And no surprise here.
21:57Sticking with it.
21:58Not letting the motions get the best of them.
22:00And not getting too rattled by an unperfect night.
22:05And I love this ride that he's putting in right here because of that.
22:09You know, it's such a mind game, this 450 level.
22:12Especially when you're trying to manage all of these guys, Weech,
22:15for championships.
22:16Whether it's Eli, Hunter, Chase.
22:21I mean, it's so hard to do compared to just managing two guys for a championship.
22:27And he's done a fabulous job.
22:30Yeah, and such a diverse field.
22:31There's so many different strengths of all these different riders.
22:34We know how quick Roxen is early in the race.
22:37We know how strong Lawrence and Webb are.
22:39But honestly, the second half.
22:40Yeah.
22:41And Roxen had a dial tonight.
22:42And being able to keep that composure, the whole series,
22:48if everybody stays healthy, is going to be the name of the game.
22:53Yeah, that has always been the tough part for Roxen.
22:55He was right there in the thick of the title fight at this point last year.
22:58Then it started to slip away.
23:00But here's something impressive.
23:02If he holds on, this will be seven straight years that he's won a race in this championship.
23:07So, again, these race wins, we're never surprised to see it with a rider that has this ceiling,
23:12his talent, his savvy, and also it's darn popular every time he gets one.
23:18Yeah, he is.
23:19I mean, these fans are going to love this.
23:22You can hear it.
23:24Yeah.
23:25They're coming to life.
23:26It's going to be 24 career wins for Roxen.
23:29Bad dude, says his mechanic, Billy Hartle.
23:31Here it is.
23:32One straight away and a sand turn away from his first win of 2026.
23:38And moving up to second in the series standings.
23:42The winner in Glendale.
23:44Ken Roxen wins.
23:46Round five.
23:47And Hunter Lawrence is fourth.
23:52For the fourth straight week, takes second.
23:56Incredible consistency.
23:58He will take over the series lead.
24:00And Cooper Webb, podiums.
24:03Ah, look at a little fist bump right there.
24:06This is probably his best finish here ever in the 450 class.
24:09It has not been his best track.
24:10Podium points, not bad.
24:12It is going to be Justin Cooper.
24:14Fourth, he needed that.
24:15And Jorge Prado, a good run.
24:16We're going to follow Tomac home.
24:19Man, what a way to keep fighting for Eli.
24:21Looking at the big picture here.
24:24Brutal night.
24:25I was really looking forward to seeing him battle for the lead with all of these guys.
24:29And it's just not going to happen.
24:31But I'm just so happy to see him finish the race.
24:35This is it.
24:36Final tally is 12th.
24:38After a first turn crash, Tomac will drop to third in points.
24:43He'll be eight behind the new series.
24:46He'll be eight behind the new series.
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