2024 SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Arlington: Jett Lawrence rises to the top
In the 450 division of the Monster Energy Supercross Series, Jett Lawrence ascended to the top position of the NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Round 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas while there were wholesale changes in the 250 East class with several riders rebounding from bad debuts in Detroit.
When Lawrence dominated and won the 450 season opener in Anaheim, it appeared he would pick up where he left off in the 2023 Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross World championships. He seemed untouchable at the time and that impression was not diminished by a couple of bad races in the next two rounds. San Francisco and San Diego were held on muddy tracks that inverted the field.
Lawrence's struggles in the Triple Crown format when the series returned to Anaheim for Round 4 might also have been excused but when he became the first rider to win twice in Detroit the following week, order was reestablished. A third at Glendale and fourth last week in Arlington showed he is not perfect but in a season when no one wants to dominate, Lawrence has been the best overall during the past 45 days.
MORE: Cooper Webb wins in Arlington after Jett Lawrence crashes
Doubts may have begun to creep in for Aaron Plessinger after he scored back-to-back finishes outside the top five in Detroit and Glendale. The best way to put those aside is to get back onto the box and with his second-place finish in Arlington's Heat 1 and a third in the Main, Plessinger kept himself relevant in both the Power Rankings and points' standings. In the championship hunt, he lost a little ground to Cooper Webb and gained a little on Lawrence and is now seven markers out of the lead. There is a lot of ground to cover but a also a lot of storylines to uncover.
While many experts have been waiting to see how a mano-a-mano matchup between Lawrence and Eli Tomac would resolve, Webb got overlooked. Lawrence found out just how difficult it is to survive the head games Webb can inflict when he is in close proximity to another rider. While watching Webb too closely in Arlington, trying to regain the lead, Lawrence ran into the back of Vince Friese last week, which spelled the difference between second at fourth at the end.
No one will fully know if the beast is back until after Daytona, but Eli Tomac roared in Texas. Tired of people discounting him for his age, Tomac won his heat and expected to challenge for the Feature win. He made a mistake early and tipped over in a bowl turn but charged back to second at the finish line. Given how strong he has been on the hybridized track on the Daytona International Speedway infield, Tomac could put the No. 3 into championship contention this week.
Jason Anderson finished 10th last week and lost a little ground to the leaders. A 12th-place finish in the muddy San Francisco race also cost him points, but this may be one of the best seasons Anderson has had since winning the 2019 Supercross title. In every other round this year, he has finished in the top five and with a little luck could have converted second-place finishes in Anaheim 1 and Glendale into victories.
Rider (SMX points rank) 1. Jett Lawrence (1) | Power Avg. 83.92 | Last Week (gain/loss) 2 (1) |
250 Rankings
A major incident at Detroit and last week's dramatic crash involving Austin Forkner radically altered the standings among 250 East riders and leveled the playing field in that division. Much like the 450 class in which riders seemingly do not wish to establish dominance, it will take a few rounds to determine who is going to be the top choice in NBC's Power Rankings.
England's Max Anstie heads into Daytona with the red plate his No. 37 and he will attempt to keep it on a track that has elements of both stadium and outdoor racing. He has not swept the top five but with a runner-up finish in the season opener at Detroit and a sixth-place finish in Arlington, he's come close. This week will reveal a lot about whether Anstie is capable of establishing a bid for the championship in the short divisional rivalry.
With back-to-back top-fives, Pierce Brown is arguably the stronger rider of the two but given the differential between second and fifth in points' earnings, he finds himself four points below Anstie. His challenge entering Daytona will be to hold off a pair of riders who many experts expect will have their best efforts in the coming weeks - Cameron McAdoo and Haiden Deegan. The old adage of it's easier to catch a rider than pass them will apply, however, and it is better to be the one chased down than the one doing the chasing.
MORE: Austin Forkner suffers spine, scapula injuries in Arlington crash
A minor mistake by McAdoo at Detroit had major implications when he crashed on the inside of the pack entering Turn 1 and cleaned out the field. The important thing that week was that he was fast proved as much by finishing second in Arlington last week. With his teammate Forkner crashing in Texas, the top riders reset and McAdoo is arguably the top rider in the division.
Haiden Deegan was collateral damage in the incident triggered by McAdoo's accident in Detroit. Things happen in professional sports that are outside a rider's control and the ability to rebound is critical. That is precisely what Deegan did in Arlington by winning that race and heading to the venue where he earned his first podium in 2023. It's too soon to know who will emerge victorious as riders jockey for position but after winning the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship title in 2023, Deegan is on a path to rapidly rise to become one of the sports' superstars.
Club MX's Coty Schock landed third among the 250 East riders and while outside observers might think that is a fluke, one should consider how well Garrett Marchbanks is running in the 250 West class in 2024 and in the 450 division last year. It might be a case of the "Mouse that Roared" but that does not diminish the impact of the effort of this non-factory supported team,
Rider (SMX points rank) 1. Levi Kitchen - W (1) | Power Avg. 87.08 | Last Week (gain/loss) * 3 (2) |
* The NBC Power Rankings assign 100 points to a Main event winner in Supercross and overall winner in Motocross. It awards 90 points for each Moto, Heat and Triple Crown win. The points decrement by a percentage equal to the number of starters in the field until the last place rider in each event receives three points, (five in fields of 22 riders). The Power Ranking is the average of these percentage points over the past 45 days.
2024 Power Rankings
POWER RANKINGS AFTER RD 6 AT GLENDALE: Ken Roczen leaps into top five with win
POWER RANKINGS AFTER RD 5 AT DETROIT: Austin Forkner leads 250 East to the top
POWER RANKINGS AFTER RD 4 AT ANAHEIM 2: Eli Tomac is 450’s biggest mover
POWER RANKINGS AFTER RD 3 AT SAN DIEGO: Unique circumstances elevate Aaron Plessinger
POWER RANKINGS AFTER RD 2 AT SAN FRANCISCO: Chase Sexton reclaims red plate
More SuperMotocross News
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Austin Forkner suffers spine and scapula injuries | Provides emotional update
Cooper Webb wins in Arlington after Jett Lawrence crashes
Christian Craig out of Arlington with elbow injury
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Freestyle Motocross rider, Jayo Archer dies
Arlington by the Numbers
Manufacturers contribute more than $10 million in MX contingency
SuperMotocross Power Rankings: Ken Roczen surges with Glendale win
Jett Lawrence on Eli Tomac | Tomac on Lawrence (August 2023)
