SX After-Party

450 Class

Eli Tomac - 1st Overall

"We showed that we could fight and overcome adversity tonight. To be completely honest, I just got a bad start and struggled to find any rhythm in the first main event. Once I got into fifth place, I kind of just got tight and couldn't go forward after that. But I was able to quickly regroup with the team, and in the next two main events, we had a much better gate pick each time and were able to control the races from there. I am just happy to be leaving here healthy. We raced something like 50 laps tonight and as you saw, the track took out a lot of key dudes. I am glad we're through it and looking forward to Atlanta next weekend."

Ken Roczen - 2nd Overall

"The first main was really good. I made some moves early, and while I wouldn't say I checked out, I rode up front the whole race. It was good to get that first win and start with a low number for the night's overall points. I think the second race is the most important, and we wanted to go out there and get a good finish, but it just wasn't our race at all. I didn't get the start I wanted and then couldn't find the same momentum. I'm happy with how we executed the last race, though. I battled hard and went back and forth with Eli [Tomac] a couple times and just rode much better in traffic, having people in front of me and making some passes. All in all, with how many crashes there were throughout the whole day and night, and how I struggled with the track overall, I'm really happy to come away healthy and with second overall."

Jason Anderson - 3rd Overall

"My weekend went pretty good, it's hectic out there with the Triple Crown format," Anderson said. "My riding seemed to be pretty good all night, but I think the most eventful part for me was the whoops. Other than that, I rode good, put myself in good positions and was able to come out with a podium. I'm having a good time, and I'm excited to keep going!"

Justin Barcia - 4th Overall

"It was strong racing tonight in Dallas. We got a little bit better on the starts but still needed something there to get us on the podium. The track was not super technical but took a few guys out of the race. All in all, my race was really good. I made charges and made passes. I felt really strong and stayed in the hunt. My starts are going to keep getting better, I just need to stay consistent and keep trying my hardest. I'm ready for next week for sure."

Zach Osborne - 5th Overall

"It's nice to finally have a good result for the team and also for me, it just makes the workload a lot easier when you have a decent weekend," Osborne said. "To lead some laps in the last Main and finish 7-4-3 with a consistent night, I feel pretty good about it, so we'll just continue to work and keep this momentum rolling in the right direction for the rest of the season."

Justin Hill - 6th Overall

"There is a lot of good to take away from this. I feel like I was the best guy in the whoops most of the day, which is a huge confidence boost, especially from where I was last year, and my struggles in the whoops," Hill shared following the race. "The first moto should have been really good. I was in third place, had the pace, was blitzing the whoops, and Anderson cleaned my clock before the finish line, which just screwed my whole night. I got up from that and worked to sixth place from way back. The second one was good; I had a decent start and ran up front to finish in third. In the last one, I threw it away all on my own. They fluffed some loose dirt over a spot that was hard pack and because you came down that straight so fast, you were never not braking. It's not like I was suddenly on the brakes hard, and it tucked; I was on the brakes the whole time, and it just went without warning. If I didn't get stuck under the bike, I could have gotten up quicker and salvaged more. I got up, and there weren't many people behind me, it was so early in the race. Sixth overall, I can't complain. We are inside the top-10 and are knocking on the door for top-five finishes. Tonight should have been a podium, and I'm using that for motivation."

Malcolm Stewart - 7th Overall

"I struggled in practice, but the race was much better for me. I am happy to walk away from this one, to be honest. A lot of people had big crashes. We have some work to do, and I find myself in a bubble, but that's part of racing. I could have been worse, I could have been better, and I was seventh overall tonight. I have my starts down and that makes it easier for me, I can be in the front right away. I need to work on what I can and go from there."

Aaron Plessinger - 8th Overall

"Dallas was another step in the right direction for me. I felt good in practice, was really flowing and riding well. The dirt was a little slick on top but got rutted and really rough. The whoops broke down quite quickly and we were jumping them by the second or third practice. I liked it though. It had some technical stuff, but overall I'm just happy to be back on soft dirt. I'm looking forward to this week's riding. I ended up eighth overall, and that's my best finish so far this year. Next week we'll go to Atlanta, which is where I got my best finish last year. Hopefully, we can get better starts and run up there and break into the top five."

Dean Wilson - 9th Overall

"I'm not fully satisfied with the result tonight, but unfortunately, I crashed the first two races, which really hindered my overall result," Wilson said. "I feel like I definitely had some positives from today – the speed is coming back, and I'm feeling a little bit better, I'm healthy and ready to move onto next weekend."

Vince Friese - 11th Overall

"The day was okay. It started a little tough. I feel like I am riding okay, but then the lap times aren't there in practice," Friese noted at the end of the night. "I didn't have the speed I wanted in the first two races, I was 12th and 11th. But in the last one, my speed was there and I really came alive, I finished 10th, and that put 11th overall. My teammates went by me, and I latched on to them, which upped my pace, and that's something I was happy with. I have either been the slowest fast guy or the fastest slow guy, in that no man's land. In that last race, I had that top-10 pace, which makes me happy. I just have to be better about making that happen earlier."

Ryan Breece - 14th Overall

"I was stoked on getting the jump off the gate on my Suzuki RM-Z450," said Breece. "Getting in the mix and completing my best finish this season made it a great night. Progress was made, and I'm ready to continue these results."

Kyle Cunningham - 15th Overall

"Arlington was a tough one," said Cunningham. "I was really close to qualifying and felt good on the bike, but the results weren't the greatest. Struggles with my starts in all three mains and was having to come from the back into the pack. Unfortunately, in the second main while moving forward, I got cleaned out. It mangled the bike to where it was unrideable and hurt my hand pretty bad. I was on the fence for the final main but I got out there and fought through it the best I could. Luckily nothing was broken, and I'm looking forward to Atlanta."

Justin Brayton - 21st Overall

"Man, what a rough night. I had five crashes in one day—that's more than I've had total in the past few years! I had three in practice and the last one I thought was going to end my night. I caught my foot on the takeoff of the finish-line jump and it sent me down hard. I decided to suit up for the races after being checked out and cleared by the medical staff. In the first race, I got a good start, was running in fifth and feeling good. Unfortunately, with a few minutes to go, I crashed in the whoops. Then in the second race, I crashed again, high-siding in a corner, and that one ended my night. I'm honestly sitting here in disbelief about how it all happened, but I'm also thankful nothing is seriously injured, and I'll be good for Atlanta."

Adam Enticknap - DNQ

"My speed and my riding have been getting better and better each week," said Enticknap. "I missed qualifying straight out of live timing by only a few positions. I had a great start in the LCQ and a small mistake took me out of contention. Ready to fight in Atlanta!"

250 Class

Chase Sexton - 1st Overall

"Last year was nice to win the championship, but not the way I wanted it to happen," said Sexton. "Shane winning that first race [last week in Tampa], where he kind of just checked out, I'm like, "This can't happen again. I have to stop it." It was really important tonight to get a good result and to be up here on the top step. The first race was chaotic, made the best of it. The second race, I was like, 'I've got to go out there and win this thing.' I was really happy with my bike, the whoops were good, and I feel like that was a strong point."

Shane McElrath - 2nd Overall

"I felt awesome all day. I didn't put myself in a good position tonight with the first two starts. It really tough to catch the leaders, but I fought hard all night and at times maybe a little too hard. I'm happy with my last race and motivated to get behind the gate again next weekend!"

RJ Hampshire - 3rd Overall

"In the first race, I got up front and won my first Main Event, and I was stoked on that, I fought hard for it," Hampshire said. "I felt like we got a good start to the year now. Last weekend was a bit rough, but I'm confident that we're just going to keep getting better now."

Jeremy Martin - 4th Overall

"It was a straight struggle for me in Dallas!" said Martin. "I fought it all day long with arm pump and being under the weather with the flu. Wasn't good out of the gate come time for the night show, and with the shorter races in the Triple Crown format, I really had to work hard to make up ground each moto. I was putting in a charge but just didn't feel quite like myself out there. Not stoked on a fourth overall but could have been worse."

Garrett Marchbanks - 5th Overall

"I was hoping to battle more with those guys at the front, but I didn't put down the best starts and had to work my way up," said Marchbanks. "Even coming through traffic I was able to get in some really good lap times, so I need to make it easier on myself and try to get some clear laps at the front. It will be good to get back to a normal schedule and go after another solid finish next week."

Jo Shimoda - 10th Overall

"I was struggling a little bit in practice and timed qualifying," said Shimoda. "The whoops were tough. I actually crashed one time, and in the other one, I didn't get any clear laps. I ended up 13th in lap times, so I didn't get a good gate or starts. In the first main, I got taken out by someone and I could only get back to 14th. After that, in both of the last two main events, I couldn't get a good first lap. I did my best to come back through, I ended up 10th and eighth in those 10th overall for the day. It was a tough race, but I did learn some things doing all of those laps."

Jordon Smith - 13th Overall

"To say I got beat up out there today would be an understatement," said Smith. "There were things that were just accidents, and then there some that seemed to be intentional. If I took away the time on the ground, I was happy with my speed and had two out of three good starts. I can't dwell on the bad, but I can learn from it. We'll be ready for Atlanta."

Team Personnel

Ian Harrison - Red Bull KTM Team Manager

(Saturday Night) "Cooper's day started off well, he was good in both qualifying practices, and in the first race he rode exceptionally well, we were happy with him, and we didn't make any bike changes. In the second race, he was riding well and moving through the pack, and then it looks like he lost drive going up the dragon's back, landed on the front wheel, and it flipped him off, and he landed in the cement. As of now, it seems like there are no broken bones, but we are heading to the hospital now to check in with Cooper."

(Monday Update) "Cooper is extremely lucky to have only sustained minor injuries from his crash on Saturday, and he will be taking it easy this week to allow the swelling to subside. As we all know, Cooper is a very tough and determined rider, so we know that he will do everything in his power to line up this Saturday in Atlanta."

Jim Perry – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

"The Monster Factory Yamaha Racing Team had two guys solidly in the top 10 tonight at the second Triple Crown event of the season. The day started out a little rough with the guys not completely comfortable on the tricky, technical track with the longest section whoops this season. However, by the time the night show started both guys, along with the staff, made improvements on the race set up. Justin put in three solid Mains, finishing in the top five in all three to finish fourth overall. Aaron made improvements each race, putting in his best ride of the night in the third main, finishing eighth overall, which was his season-best. We definitely have our work cut out for us to get our starts where they need to be. That definitely hurt us in the three sprint races tonight. We'll go home, do our homework, and come back next week in Atlanta challenging for a podium finish and a win."

Erik Kehoe - Team Honda HRC Manager

"Today was a rollercoaster. It was good for Ken, but a bummer for Justin. Ken struggled a bit with the track early but seemed to find his groove later in the night. We didn't have the consistency we ultimately needed for the win, but he rode strong in the first and third races to still get second. For Justin, it was just an off day. He had multiple crashes throughout the day and it caused him to call it a night early. Luckily, he's relatively okay and just sore, so he should be ready to go for Atlanta."

Jordan Troxell - Ken Roczen's Mechanic

"We're happy to be leaving with another second tonight. These Triple Crown races are all about consistency, and unfortunately, we were off in the second race, which made it tough to get the overall win. Second is still solid though, and we only lost a few points in the championship. We're still right there and in a good position at this point in the season. Bike-wise, we didn't make any big adjustments, just got it dialed for the track conditions. We've got a good base, and Ken's pretty happy, so we're just working on small adjustments from here."

Brent Duffe - Justin Brayton's Mechanic

"There's not much to say about today other than it was really tough for Justin. It was just one of those off days that continues to spiral from the first practice. I give him huge props though, he's a tough guy. We were worried and didn't know if he'd be walking away from his crash in the last qualifying practice, so for him to go out and race at all was impressive. We're happy to put this one behind us and to know that he's not seriously hurt. We'll come back better in Atlanta."

Tony Alessi - SmarTop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda Team Manager

"This was one of our better races. In the final moto, the team had all three riders in the top ten, which is great," shared Team Manager Tony Alessi. "Justin got the ball rolling early on by leading the qualifying times. His speed was around the top-three all day, but he had a crash here and a crash there, so he ended up sixth overall, which is very good. Malcolm is still struggling a little bit with some energy loss, but he was solid with a seventh overall. His starts were very good tonight. Vince posted an 11th place finish and was good in the last moto. Overall, Arlington was a huge success, and we are looking forward to the next race in Atlanta."

Jeremy Albrecht - JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager

 "Broc [Tickle] just had bad luck the first lap of the first main event, when his hand got hit by another rider's wheel," said Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. "He was in too much pain to continue racing and walked straight to the Alpinestars Mobile Medical rig to fix him up the best they could. We will have Tickle evaluated first thing with a hand specialist and see what's required and, at that point, determine a timeline for his return to racing."

"It was a tough night," said Albrecht. "Jimmy [Decotis] had a crash in the free practice and was not able to ride. Jimmy has had a few tough weeks, but I believe he can get on the podium these next few rounds."

Dustin Pipes - H.E.P. Suzuki Team Manager

"Definite positives to take away from the weekend," said Dustin Pipes, Team Manager. "All three racers showed us they have what it takes to keep progressing throughout the season. An unfortunate run-in between Kyle and Ryan in the Main Event two added some tension to the night. But Kyle fought hard in the final main event to salvage the night. X-Rays on his hand came back negative and he will be ready for Atlanta with some rest and recovery. The highlight of the night was Ryan coming away with a career-best 11th place in the final Main Event. He rode and inspiring race and seems to be gelling with the bike the more he rides it."

Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager

"Shane really showed his heart tonight coming through the pack the way he did in Main 1. These Triple Crowns are tough, especially when you don't get the starts. He kept moving forward and came just short of the overall in the end. All in all, it was a good night. We will share the red plate next weekend and look to go get a win in Atlanta."