Supercross Statistics | Nashville in Numbers

Another round of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross season is sat in the rear-view mirror and that means that it's time to dive into even more statistics, so settle down and prepare to digest many facts and figures. In this regular feature that has become a hit, uncover points of interest that lurked in the shadows at the Nissan Stadium.

• Chase Sexton topped qualification yet again and upped his total of pole positions to twelve in the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross series (he has had nineteen poles since he jumped onto the big bike). 00.309 was his advantage over the rider in second, Adam Cianciarulo, and that was the sixth biggest advantage that he has had in timed qualification this season. Houston is still on a pedestal, as he was 01.095 quicker than anyone on that day.

• Winning East Rutherford was seemingly quite the boost for Justin Barcia and that momentum was serving him well. '51' was third in timed qualification on Saturday and, astonishingly, that was the first time that he has qualified inside of the top three since the eleventh event of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross season. 774 days had passed since he was last ranked in the top three. It is a shame that the boost was short lived.

• Sexton has won two of the last three rounds and that has done wonders for his career totals. First of all, Nashville marked his fifth supercross victory aboard the 450F and the eleventh of his career. Eight was Sexton's win percentage before Atlanta and now, after his recent success, that figure is at twelve. In addition, his podium percentage in the 450SX class has rocketed up to fifty-two now. It is all positive!

• Sexton started the term with a podium percentage of forty-one percent, so he has made a massive step and passed Webb in that sector. Cooper Webb started the season with a podium percentage of forty-nine and is now on fifty-one. Eli Tomac was at fifty-seven percent and is now at fifty-nine, so that is the current state of play. It is fun to keep track of this stuff, right? We are having fun.

• An additional look at what Sexton has achieved in Monster Energy Supercross. Nashville was his seventieth start, when both classes are considered, and his forty-second in the premier class. The event marked the thirty-second time that he has slotted into the top five as a 450SX star (he has fifty-five top five finishes since he turned professional). '23' has finished in the top five in seventy-six percent of his 450SX starts.

• Sexton was sat on a buffer of 14.513 when the Nashville main concluded and, unsurprisingly, he has never had an advantage as significant as that. When was the last time that a star won a 450SX main by a bigger margin? It was last week. Barcia was 14.742 clear when the mudder ended. '23' was so close to surpassing that figure, but if ifs and buts were candy and nuts then we would all have a Merry Christmas.

• Tomac led eleven of the laps in Tennessee and has led more than his competitors in 2023 Monster Energy Supercross. Tomac has led one hundred and forty laps and, in comparison, Sexton has led one hundred and nineteen. Who will end the season at the very top of this particular column? The tension is unbearable. This regular Vital MX feature will keep track of the situation, so breathe. It will all be okay.

• Tomac did not finish second at all through the first thirteen rounds, yet he has had two in a row now. The trophy that he secured in Nashville was very poignant. Not only was that his ninety-fifth trip onto the 450SX box, but it was also the one hundred and fifteenth podium of his career (once the twenty 250SX podiums that he has to his name are included). If he retires in October then he will fall just short of the centenary in the 450F division.

• Speaking of which, Tomac and Sexton have eleven podiums apiece thus far. '23' has never bagged so many trophies in one season – eight was his previous record. In comparison, the most podiums that Tomac has had in a term is twelve (2017, 2018 and 2020). Eleven was his total en route to the title last year and that, readers, makes it clear just how amazing both Tomac and Sexton have been since January.

• When the first lap of the main was completed, Tomac had an advantage of 03.739. When was the last time that a rider had such an advantage at the end of lap one? Settle in for a story. This scribe analyzed every race since the start of 2013 Monster Energy Supercross – that's one hundred and eighty-five races. There was no one who had a lead that significant and they did not track that data before 2013. Two hours of work and there is no stat to come from it. Pour one out.

• Tomac actually posted his fastest lap of the race on the first official lap, hence his immediate gap. It was on lap five that Sexton recorded his best and started to cut into the deficit that he faced to his rival. It was on lap twelve that he took control, so how did the times look prior to that poignant moment? Dive into that information in the following table. It is astounding and a real reminder of the pace that Sexton can unleash.

• Remember when Sexton was a little inconsistent in the whoops earlier in the season? Those issues have seemingly vanished and no one has given him credit. The fourth sector in Nashville covered the dragon's back and whoops. This is how Sexton's speed there compared to Tomac in that same period as the table above. '23' gained 01.749 in the sector from laps five to twelve, but the below is a little more detailed.

• The Nashville track was ghastly and broke down at a horrendous rate. Do you want proof of that? Sexton did not have the quickest time of the main in any of the sectors, because the fastest times were set in the first four laps when he was stuck behind slower traffic. Tomac was the best in the first and third sectors. Barcia held the top spot in sectors two and five, then Ken Roczen was the quickest in sector four.

• When was the last time that Roczen secured three podiums in a row, as he just has? It was in the February of 2021. '94' actually had a run of five trophies in succession (2-1-1-1-2). That was, of course, the last time that he had the same result on three successive weeks. Nashville was the seventeenth time that he has finished in third in a 450SX main event, by the way. A collection of miscellaneous statistics on Roczen, especially for fans of the kicker.

• Colt Nichols was superb in Nashville – he raced to fourth place and ensured that Honda HRC were well represented near the front. When was the last time that there were two 'red' bikes in the top four? It was at the fourteenth stop of 2021 Monster Energy Supercross, Atlanta 2. Roczen claimed victory on that night and Sexton chased him across the line in second. It may take a while for the team to replicate that.

• It is no secret that Jason Anderson is having a tricky season. '21' has not appeared on the podium since round four in Houston, Texas, which means that he has gone eleven rounds without a trophy. Has he ever dealt with such a drought in the premier division? Yes, in his rookie season. That was also a run of eleven races without success, so if he misses the podium in Denver too then he will surpass that. This has not been good.

• This statistic was run in 'Good, Bad and Ugly' on Vital MX last week. It is likely that Kawasaki will be winless in the premier class this season, but when was the last time that occurred? Monster Energy Kawasaki did not win in 2015, but Chad Reed made sure that there was a Kawasaki victory to speak of. Kawasaki did not win at all in 2004 AMA Supercross so, yeah, this is rare and not a good statistic for the manufacturer.

• Dean Wilson secured his fourth top ten in a row on Saturday. When was the last time that he had a streak similar to that? It was at the final four rounds of 2021 Monster Energy Supercross. When was the last time that he had more than four top ten finishes in succession? Shockingly, that was back in 2018 Monster Energy Supercross. '15' sat in the top ten from round six to thirteen for a streak of eight. 1850 days have passed since that streak ended.

• Unsurprisingly, the injuries that struck some of the contenders in Nashville helped many riders to exit the venue with some season-best rankings. Nichols (fourth), Justin Hill (fifth), Wilson (seventh), Kyle Chisholm (ninth), Justin Starling (eleventh), Tristan Lane (thirteenth), Logan Karnow (fifteenth), Chase Marquier (sixteenth) and Devin Simonson (seventeenth) managed that. Yes, seriously. What a crazy day.