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00:00The 94 of Ken Rockson, he's held the red plate earlier on in the season.
00:06Two injuries in his shoulder and in his ankle, unfortunately, ended that championship hunt.
00:11But wow, he does not stop fighting.
00:13Second in his heat again here today, and we know what he's capable of in the main.
00:18Keep an eye on the 94.
00:20The 32 of Justin Cooper grew up in Long Island, New York.
00:24Not a haven for riding dirt bikes.
00:26He'd spend most of his time growing up at a track in New Jersey called Englishtown Raceway Park.
00:32How wild would it be if he got his first ever premier class win in the state that he grew up riding?
00:37And if he does it, he'd be a record 19th different winner this season.
00:41Well, this guy right here, Cooper Webb, two-time Supercross champ.
00:44You lean on those tangibles, racecraft, tenacity, mental strength.
00:48Do not waver from those.
00:50It isn't going to be easy.
00:52Get the job done here tonight.
00:53And while his teammate is grabbing all the headlines and the spotlight, don't discount Aaron Plessinger aboard the seven.
01:02He's had three podiums in the last four races, including a win.
01:07And he thought he might have got another one last weekend before an unfortunate situation.
01:12Lap one, turn one.
01:14He showed great speed in the heat where he finished third behind the Yamaha teammates.
01:19And AP may have something special for us in this 450 main.
01:26A reminder of the points scenario.
01:28Webb, Sexton, Roxson, Stewart and Cooper.
01:31But it's 12 that we're focused on.
01:3312 the difference between first and second with four to go.
01:37My nerves are going right now.
01:39And this is when we get to watch the best SMX racers in the world face off for a championship.
01:46Look at, I like the number four of Chase Sexton on the inside of Cooper Webb.
01:50If he is able to get a good jump out of that gate or ahead of the rest of the competitors, he will control the start.
01:57Can Barsha make a good start?
02:00Can Malcolm Stewart get the jump?
02:04Shane McElrath is an iconic starter.
02:08Watch for Bike 12 to be in the mix.
02:11Supercross back in New Jersey.
02:13450 main time.
02:16Sexton got a good one.
02:17He's on the inside.
02:20The Philadelphia winner gets the whole shot.
02:25Webb's going with him.
02:27Oh, that was a good pass by Cooper Webb.
02:30If he's able to fend off the 12 of McElrath, he'll be in a great spot.
02:36Webb said last week, after he had to watch Sexton beat him across the line,
02:42I'll come back and I'll get the business done next week.
02:45So we've got the top two in the championship in the top two positions.
02:48He did say that.
02:49Like, he got the easy part done.
02:51And that's talking about it.
02:52Now it's go time.
02:53Oh, I love it.
02:57Getting down to the wire for the championship.
03:01And the top two and the points find each other running one and two.
03:05Sexton rock solid through the whoops for the first two passages.
03:10What's the chase going to be like from Cooper Webb as he's distanced himself already from McElrath?
03:25Plessinger runs in fourth.
03:27Justin Cooper, then Joey Savace early on.
03:29I believe if you're the number four, you've got to put in some quick laps here.
03:34Lean on that speed.
03:35You've had a speed advantage over Cooper Webb all season long.
03:39And keep it upright.
03:41And it is yours.
03:42Sexton said last week after winning in Philadelphia, I have to keep winning out.
03:49I've just got to win all the way home to give myself a chance.
03:53If you win a main event, you get 25 points.
03:56Second pays 22.
03:58So if he can nail three more away, it'll be a single digit difference heading to Pittsburgh next week.
04:05But we've got a lot of work and a lot of laps and a lot of jumps to get through yet.
04:11Justin Barsha aboard.
04:13That rock star Gas Gas.
04:15Looking at the timing and scoring and section times.
04:20And Chase Sexton is absolutely crushing the whoops section compared to Cooper Webb.
04:26Coops still able to keep him close despite the loss in the whoops.
04:30Now, I do feel like the whoops will play into Coops' favor later on this race as they get a little bit more beat down and become jumpers.
04:40But right now, you watch just how fast Chase gets through the first section and second section of whoops.
04:46Let's show you how Justin Barsha found his way into third place.
04:50Because he and Plessinger and Cooper have got fired.
04:54Shane McElrath.
04:55Inside move.
04:56Yeah, gives him a little elbow grease.
04:58These guys are battling it out in the heat race.
05:03Just barely touched him.
05:06Put McElrath right off the track.
05:08That's the bread and butter right there for Justin Barsha.
05:12He's got a sniff of that inside line and a move.
05:14He's going to take it.
05:16Yeah, and he's fighting with an injury, too, on that finger.
05:18So, great ride.
05:19That's why he's got those handguards on.
05:21Talked about the handguards with Nate Thrasher in the 250.
05:24Give you a little more protection from the rocks on the track.
05:27Well, we weren't here last year.
05:31Last time out was 2023, and the conditions could not be more drastically different.
05:38It was a mudfest then, and this guy prevailed.
05:41He got the win.
05:42What did he have to say about thoughts on coming back to Jersey?
05:45I love coming back here.
05:49Ten minutes from where I was born.
05:51So, yeah, feels good.
05:52Feels right.
05:53Yeah, last race here was really good.
05:55So, might as well try again.
05:57I think it'll be a little drier this time, so that's even better.
06:00But, yeah, special moments here.
06:02Get a lot of fans here, which is great, and just a really good vibe.
06:05As Justin Barsha said, there are a lot of fans, a lot of support.
06:10That's because he's from this area.
06:11He's from the northeast, from New York, and he has a lot of people here.
06:15He's got friends and family.
06:16His brother's here to watch him.
06:18He told me yesterday at press when I asked him how much he wanted a podium.
06:22He just said, I'm hungry for it.
06:23He said, I'm hungry, and I can't wait, and I don't want to wait anymore.
06:26His best result this year has been fourth.
06:29So, he came so close in Indianapolis.
06:32That podium has been taunting him.
06:34When he won here back in 23, that was his first win in a couple of years.
06:39So, maybe New Jersey and MetLife Stadium is going to deliver something special again.
06:45It's been a while since we've seen Justin on the podium.
06:48When you have a win at certain venues, definitely gives you the good vibes
06:53going back the next season for sure.
06:57Mindset's a little in a better place.
07:00The teammates going here.
07:03These two guys have been putting up some impressive numbers for the Quad Lock Honda team
07:07in recent races with McElrath getting a career-high podium in Massachusetts
07:12at Foxborough, Gillette Stadium, and Joey Savace having a career-high,
07:17pardon me, a season-high last week with FIF, which was just awesome.
07:22So, this is a non-factory team doing really good things.
07:26Yeah, Martin Davalos, the team manager, has just done an incredible job.
07:30They started out in the 250 several years ago, going to the 450 now,
07:36and very tough to do what they do at the elite level.
07:41Meanwhile, up front, Chase Sexton has gapped Cooper Webb by five seconds.
07:52Here is Sexton's teammate, Aaron Plessinger.
07:54Bike seven, that Red Bull KTM has got pace, and the cowboy feels like he's got a shot here at Russia to get back on the podium.
08:05There's his teammate bottom box.
08:06Yeah, the four's in his own zip code right now.
08:12I mean, his lap times, his last lap was a 52.0.
08:16Cooper Webb's was a 53.4.
08:20That's an eternity on a supercross track.
08:23And what's going to happen here is Chase is able to pull out a big lead.
08:26Then he can just go in the conserved mode, not have to ride that edge and just maintain the gap.
08:36Incredible ride, and Coop was in a perfect spot to do something,
08:41and just wasn't able to hold the pace early on to the number four of Chase Sexton.
08:46And Chase Sexton putting the pressure on the number two,
08:50putting the two back in a position where he's got to go find some speed.
08:56Well, talking as Plessinger is relentless on Marsha, top box, that's the fight for third.
09:03Let's go back to last week in Philadelphia,
09:06and have a look at this if you're talking about time differential, Ricky,
09:09because over the course of the 25-lap main event,
09:14the average lap time between Chase Sexton and Cooper Webb
09:17was one-tenth of a second difference.
09:20That is crazy close.
09:22I mean, that's how tight it is, but sometimes that's all that it takes.
09:26And I love that rhythm lane that Chase is doing after the whoops,
09:30going on to the tabletop, over the single, tripling into the corner, making up a lot.
09:36But look at the lead he's got on Cooper Webb.
09:39I mean, he has just absolutely walked away.
09:44Tell us, JT.
09:45Yeah, you nailed it there, Ricky.
09:47And he is making so much time up in these whoops, and Cooper Webb has tried to respond.
09:52He's blitzed.
09:53He's jumped through.
09:54He's moved around.
09:55But the simple fact is he cannot match the pace of Aaron Plessinger in the whoops.
10:00And that's been a sticking point all season long.
10:02Cooper Webb's been able to mitigate that.
10:04He's been able to find a rhythm and offset that.
10:06And tonight, he simply cannot.
10:08And Sexton is riding off into the distance.
10:09Just to give you a little nugget here, I mean, Sexton's average speed through the whoops is 0.6 faster a lap than Cooper Webb.
10:20And that has afforded him an 8-plus second lead.
10:26Barsha is hanging tough aboard his Gas Gas, fending off the challenge from Aaron Plessinger, and remains in third.
10:33It's been more than a year since Barsha was on the podium.
10:36San Diego last season.
10:39How bad does he want it?
10:40How hard is he going to fight for it?
10:47Behind these guys.
10:50Justin Cooper and Rocks run sixth, then Joey Savace in seventh.
10:57Paul mentioned earlier about Justin Barsha riding with that injured finger.
11:01Tell the folks at home what it's like to race a Supercross main event when you've got some form of ailment.
11:06Well, I mean, it's so hard to race Supercross regardless if you have an ailment.
11:10But when you have that ailment, obviously, it makes it harder.
11:14And sometimes that injury hurts in certain sections of the track, whether it's jump bases, G-outs, corners, or with the bikes accelerating, pulling away, just depending upon what injury you have looming.
11:27Sexton's lead is now blown out to 10 seconds.
11:33That is unreal to be able to come out there and just walk away like that on a track that is only 52 seconds long.
11:43I mean, the last lap, he turned 52-8 to Cooper-Webb's 55-1.
11:51It's a good fight for third, and it's not about to evaporate either.
11:54Plessinger is keeping the pressure on Barsha, but Barsha himself is a distant 10 seconds behind Cooper-Webb.
12:03So there's no pressure on the championship leader per se, but he's just got to hang in there.
12:09He can afford to lose another three points to Chase Sexton in the big picture scheme of things for the championship.
12:15But then going to the last three rounds, the championship difference would be down to single digits and nine points.
12:22Yeah, when it gets single digits, I mean, the pressure is on now, but it really gets scary when it's single digits.
12:34What can Plessinger do here?
12:40Can he get by Justin Barsha for yet another podium?
12:43It would be his fourth on the season.
12:47He knows how tough Barsha is to tangle with in tight situations.
12:52And as we've crossed the halfway mark, just want to remind you to stock up on Monster Energy Drinks, now available at 7-11.
12:58These guys practice together all the time in the Baker factory.
13:02Just wondering if they're thinking this is like a practice day during the week.
13:09Justin Barsha doing a great job.
13:11They're kind of mirroring each other as far as lines go.
13:20And Plessinger knows that he's got a little gap.
13:23He's got a bit of space back to Justin Cooper.
13:26But let's talk more about the second Red Bull KTM ride-up with Jason Thomas.
13:31Yeah, I think that AP can be very patient here.
13:35Because if he looks back, he's got a little gap to Justin Cooper.
13:38And there's really no risk of them catching Cooper Webb in front of them.
13:41So with a practice partner, with a rider that is as notably aggressive as Justin Barsha can be,
13:47I think he's going to take his time.
13:49Try to wear him down.
13:50Try to find a place to make a clean pass.
13:52Because remember, the last time these two really got together in Indianapolis,
13:56it ended up with Aaron Plessinger on the ground trying to make a move there.
14:00She doesn't want to repeat a bash.
14:01Look at Sexton's lead now.
14:1514 and a half seconds as we're enthralled with this battle for third,
14:20which just seems endless.
14:21Yeah, I mean, the track is starting to get really chewed up,
14:27which makes it harder to make passes.
14:29So if you're AP, you just got to keep sticking with it
14:32and hope for a mistake from the 51.
14:35Keep pressuring him.
14:36And when that door opens up, boom, you walk through it.
14:40Well, he's going to have to be mindful because look to the right of the screen.
14:43Justin Cooper aboard the Monster Energy Star Yamaha is coming.
14:47There's Barsha.
14:51Plessinger's in the middle.
14:53And Cooper's got some momentum at the moment.
14:57And Cooper has his own fight as far as the championship is concerned
15:01between himself and Malcolm Stewart.
15:03Right, there's only one point separating,
15:06and Malcolm Stewart's 74 points out of the lead.
15:10Justin Cooper, 75.
15:12So a lot on the line here.
15:15Money on the line for fourth place.
15:17I'm assuming pride.
15:23So that's Chase Sexton in the bottom box going past Justin Hill,
15:28who is in 12th.
15:30Look at that.
15:31Chase Sexton now.
15:32He's able to land off that tabletop.
15:34Govindseek triple in.
15:35He is crushing the rest of the field,
15:38especially Cooper Webb in that section.
15:41Weegee.
15:42Yeah, thanks, Ricky.
15:43What's interesting, I mentioned earlier
15:44that Cooper Webb is working on sprint speed.
15:47I talked to Chase Sexton's dad, Kier,
15:49and he said they're doing the opposite.
15:51They're working on long motos.
15:53He said, we've done plenty of sprints.
15:55We have the sprints.
15:56So they're working on long practice sessions during the week.
15:59See if it pays off here in the stretch run.
16:01Yeah, that's right, Weegee.
16:02And that doesn't surprise me just because he's had the, on an average,
16:06he's had the speed advantage over Cooper Webb and a lot of the field.
16:12So that's what you do.
16:13Hone in on where you need to be better.
16:16He's doing a great job of it these last two weeks.
16:19It's been incredible to watch.
16:21And it's rides that we expect from him because he is that good.
16:25So it's not surprising to see what he's able to do.
16:30He's approaching Dean Wilson.
16:32Dino back for his second ride aboard the Honda HRC machine.
16:36And he looks over.
16:37He's going to let Chase go by.
16:38No worries.
16:39So that is Sexton lapping up to 11th.
16:43McElrath will be the next one on his list.
16:46Although anything can happen.
16:51A lot of racing left, JT.
16:54Now thinking about Chase Sexton, what a win like this means.
16:57He's almost up to an 18-second lead now.
17:00And I believe Chase Sexton is a rider that can feed off of momentum, the confidence.
17:05He can really let that work in his favor.
17:06But that can go the other way, too.
17:08He is so affected by the ups and downs of Monster Ninja Supercross.
17:12And with three rounds to go, how much more confidence can you ever gain than putting 20 seconds into the points leader?
17:21It's all coming at the right time of the season.
17:23And you remember last week before we got going in Philadelphia, we showed you some important stats.
17:28That in the last five races of a season is the sweet spot for Chase Sexton.
17:33He won last weekend.
17:34And he boasts nearly a 20-second lead here.
17:37Four and a half minutes plus a lap to go.
17:39I mean, he just absolutely dominated this race so far.
17:45You saw Coop trying his hardest to react to the speed that Chase Sexton had early on.
17:54And he just was losing too much time in the whoops.
17:57And then the rhythm lane after that will.
18:01Something else.
18:02Ricky, you've got to wonder what Cooper Webb's week is going to look like now.
18:07Because after Chase Sexton beating him last week, they went to work.
18:10The whole team went to work there at the farm.
18:13They put in the laps.
18:14And as Jason Wagen had told us, they were doing sprint laps there.
18:17And, you know, he was getting rewarded for not having to stay out there as long.
18:20Well, I was told that they were pulling his riding apart.
18:23The team were putting pressure on him, analyzing every little thing, looking at the way he corners,
18:28everything he was doing, whoops speed, all of it.
18:31And just, they said, the pressure was on.
18:33He wanted that.
18:34He wanted to be better.
18:35So what is this week going to look like?
18:37Yeah, you see that rhythm lane right there where he wasn't able to go over and then triple into the corner.
18:42It's little areas like that.
18:43So he's losing time to the whoops.
18:44And then that section.
18:46Oh, no.
18:47Justin Barsher is down.
18:49From third place.
18:52He had ridden so well up to this point.
18:56Oh, look.
18:57He's got the Alpine Star device on as well.
19:00You can see how it's inflated.
19:01Here it is.
19:07This will tell us a little more.
19:10Second set of whoops.
19:13Oh, wow.
19:15Over the handlebars.
19:19I just want to give a little tip of the cap to Ricky Carmichael there because he said,
19:22just be patient.
19:24Wait for a mistake if you can't keep the pressure on.
19:27That's exactly what he got from Justin Barsher.
19:29So AP on his way to a podium now.
19:32Maybe taking the smart route and waiting for the mistake.
19:34I want to go back to, though, like Cooper Webb.
19:36I mean, he's doing and the team's doing.
19:38Oh!
19:39Makes contact.
19:40Getting back on the track.
19:43With AP, Aaron Plessinger.
19:46But, I mean, he's trying everything he can.
19:49You know, and overturning every stone possible.
19:54And you have to give him credit for that.
19:56He's giving it 120%.
19:58Sometimes that just isn't enough.
20:00So I respect the effort that he's putting in and working on things like the sprint laps.
20:08What a shame for Justin Barsher.
20:10Meanwhile, the other Justin, Justin Cooper, is still in attack mode.
20:14Full attack mode.
20:15Because he wants to get back up on the podium, which would just be for the second time this season,
20:19if he can catch and do something about that man right there.
20:23Less than two minutes plus a lap to go here in Jersey.
20:30And this podium not determined yet.
20:34It looked like Barsher was able to sustain the pressure from Plessinger.
20:40That's not the case now.
20:42What can Plessinger do about Justin Cooper?
20:45Yeah, Justin Cooper is able to do that same rhythm as Aaron Plessinger.
20:50Making Aaron Plessinger work for it, Lee.
20:53Oh, this is not done yet.
20:56No.
20:57It's done up front if Chase Sexton just remains calm and he's got an 18-second advantage over the championship leader.
21:04And it's fair to say, this is not the afternoon that we were expecting in New York City.
21:13No, it wasn't, especially as we get down to the end here of the championship.
21:19Never expected to be a 17-second gap from first to second.
21:24But it sets up beautifully for the final three rounds.
21:27Oh, yes, it does.
21:28Pittsburgh, Denver, and Salt Lake City.
21:29This has all the fingerprints over it of being determined at the final opportunity in Salt Lake City.
21:42Plessinger gets by Bader's Benny Bloss.
21:50Dylan Ferrandes, behind Plessinger and Cooper, is headed for one of his best results of the season.
21:55Malcolm Stewart here aboard the Rockstar Husky.
21:59He runs in sixth, the head of Ken Rockson.
22:02And there's Ferrandes at the bottom of the screen.
22:11Nice to see the Phoenix Honda rider back up there in the top five.
22:18And Malcolm Stewart's not done with yet either.
22:21He's got his eyes on that because, remember, he's in that really tense, tight championship fight
22:26with Justin Cooper for fourth place.
22:29Two to go.
22:31Be interesting to see if Malcolm can pick Dylan Ferrandes off.
22:35Look at this guy, man.
22:36He won here in 250 competition back in 2019.
22:45But now in the Premier Class.
22:47He's a Premier Class champion and trying to become a two-time 450 champion.
22:52And today's event here in New Jersey will have a big factor in whether it comes to fruition or not.
23:03Because Chase Sexton has done everything that he said he needed to do.
23:07After winning in Philadelphia last weekend, he said,
23:09I just simply have to go and win out.
23:12That's the best.
23:13That's all I can do.
23:14And wherever Cooper Webb finishes, that'll take care of itself.
23:18Well, Chase Sexton went out and won his heat.
23:21And he has dominated in every sense of the word this main event here in New Jersey.
23:29Back-to-back wins for Chase Sexton.
23:31He keeps his championship hopes alive.
23:37The points leader, Cooper Webb, is a distant second.
23:44But will bring home valuable points.
23:47But loses another three to his rival.
23:52And it's going to be a first, third result for Red Bull KTM.
23:58Aaron Plessinger hung in there.
24:00Pressured Varsha and will stand on the podium for the fourth time this year.
24:06Well done.
24:09That was a hot, hard afternoon's work.
24:14But feeling the best of anybody is Chase Sexton.
24:18He got back-to-back wins en route to his title in 2023.
24:33He gets back-to-back wins.
24:34He gets back-to-back wins.
24:34He gets back-to-back wins.