Eli Tomac Takes 450SX Win in Monster Energy Supercross’ Return to Racing Shane McElrath Earns Second Win of 2020 in Eastern 250SX Class

Salt Lake City In a stadium devoid of fans but fulfilling the promise of the full 17-round 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, Round 11 Presented by Toyota, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac took the 450SX Class victory after some early-race battles at round 11 in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb fought his way up to, then defended the second-place position, and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen held onto the bike during a scary near-crash in the closing laps to grab the final spot on the podium. In the Eastern Regional 250SX Class, Monster Energy / Star Yamaha Racing’s Shane McElrath took the top spot.

In the Eastern Regional 250SX Class it was 2020 opening round division winner Shane McElrath leading from the drop of the gate until the checkered flag. The win closed McElrath to within 7 points of the championship lead with four rounds remaining in the division. Eastern Regional points leader GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton was third at the holeshot line and quickly into second by the second corner. Sexton kept within two seconds of McElrath for most of the race but could never make a pass attempt. Utah-local Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Garrett Marchbanks, winner of the previous round 85 days prior, was fifth off the start; two and a half minutes into the racing he got into third with an aggressive contact-pass on GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin and held the position until the end.

Fresh from the win, McElrath said, “This is what we work to do. We had, I wouldn’t say some struggles, but it was like a big learning curve for me the first four rounds [on my new team]. Our results don’t show the progress we made. And now I’ve gotten to spend another 85 days since our last race on this bike and working with the team and making changes; and man, it’s been a growing time, not only mentally, physically, but also spiritually. The Lord is using this time, whether you believe it or not, I believe that this is for a reason and I want to be a light. I want to honor this team and the Monster Energy Star Racing team. They want to win, they’re competitive, and I feel like I fit right in there.”

The Salt Lake City round kicked off seven races to run over the next three weeks. Races will take place and air live every Sunday and Wednesday, each held at an elevation of 4,637-feet inside the University of Utah’s football stadium, to complete the full 17-round 2020 series on June 21.

Feld Entertainment’s Responsible Return to Racing has enabled the world’s premiere action sport to return for the fans, racers, and teams. The compressed but not truncated schedule allows the completion of the full seventeen-round series. The original Round 11, scheduled for Indianapolis on March 14 was the first race in the sport’s history to be cancelled.

In a sport that traditionally brings racing to stadiums across the continent, Feld Entertainment’s new schedule keeps racers and teams in one city. They will adapt to the high altitude, alternating race-time schedules, more frequent rounds, social distancing guidelines, and the empty stadium seats; the 2020 events averaged 49,953 screaming fans through the previous ten stadium rounds.

The next race takes place on Wednesday, June 3rd, at 10:00 PM ET. Race times will vary; please go to supercrosslive.com for the full schedule and don’t miss the action on NBC, NBCSN, and the NBC Sports Gold app.

450SX Class Results

1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
2. Cooper Webb, Clermont, Fla., KTM
3. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
4. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
5. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna
6. Martin Davalos, Tallahassee, Fla., KTM
7. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM
8. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Yamaha
9. Justin Brayton, Charlotte, N.C., Honda
10. Dean Wilson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna

450SX Class Championship Standings

1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (252)
2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (244)
3. Cooper Webb, Clermont, Fla., KTM (220)
4. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Yamaha (210)
5. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna (189)
6. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda (164)
7. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Honda (148)
8. Justin Brayton, Charlotte, N.C., Honda (143)
9. Dean Wilson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna (142)
10. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (136)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results

1. Shane McElrath, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
2. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
3. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki
4. Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Honda
5. Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, KTM
6. Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda
7. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna
8. Enzo Lopes, Huntersville, N.C., Yamaha
9. Jace Owen, Mattoon, Ill., Honda
10. John Short, Pilot Point, Tex., Honda

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings

1. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (121)
2. Shane McElrath, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (114)
3. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (100)
4. Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Honda (84)
5. RJ Hampshire, Minneola, Fla., Husqvarna (80)
6. Enzo Lopes, Huntersville, N.C., Yamaha (66)
7. Jo Shimoda, Irvine, Calif., Honda (62)
8. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna (58)
9. Jordan Bailey, Orlando, Fla., Honda (53)
10. Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Kawasaki (48)

Assets:
Round 11 Photo Gallery

Round 11 Video Highlights

Round 11 Post Race Press Conference – Audio Only

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