2024 Glendale Supercross Photo Gallery

2024 Glendale Supercross Recap

Don't ever count Ken Roczen out.

The fan favorite and Supercross veteran looked every bit an up-and-coming young gun with his performance at Round 6 of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

Roczen blitzed off the gate, sneaked away with the Holeshot and that's all he wrote. No one came close. Roczen led the rest of the way grabbing his first win of the season and his first since Round 9 of last year. He also seems to be on a four-year cadence for victories in Arizona having won in 2016, 2020 and now 2024.

"It's really hard to pout into words," he said post-race. "I don't win that much anymore. I haven't won much in recent years. This is an unbelievable moment."

The win marks the fifth different rider to cross the checkers first in the 450 class this year and also keeps Roczen part of Championship talk. He's reached the podium three times this season helping balance out some rough outings and sits sixth in the standings, just 15 points from first. In fact, the Top 7 riders remain very much alive in this year's competition as a win by one and a bad round by another can easily throwing a wrench or hope into title hopes.

Jason Anderson rode just as well as Roczen, securing second after Aaron Plessinger went down, for his second podium of the year while Jett Lawrence got around Eli Tomac with about four and half minutes on the clock to nail down third, his third podium of the year. Some fist bumps and pats on the back after the race perhaps indicates Lawrence and Anderson have moved past their San Diego tift. Tomac held on for fourth as his up-and-down season continues. Tomac has yet to notch a win but has finished second twice in his return from a ruptured Achilles.

Chase Sexton entered the building riding the Red Plate but he injured his left hand in a practice crash last week preventing him from making much of a statement. He fought for ninth but slips to second in the standings, six behind Lawrence. Plessinger fell early while chasing Roczen and dropped to 18th but rebounded for 10th, his worst finish of the season. He retains his grasp on third in the standings but just a point ahead of Cooper Webb and two points ahead of Anderson.

Elsewhere, Hinter Lawrence took a season best Top 5, the crashiest man on the planet Malcolm Stewart rode to eighth-place, a season best and Christian Craig finished a season high in 12th.

The 250 West class resumed after a week off and RJ Hampshire became the first two-time winner in the regional series helping tighten the points race and, so far, making the West a three-man race with five rounds left.

Levi Kitchen and Jordon Smith, both holders of the Red Plate entering the round, were close to a race-long cat and mouse battle as the two burst out front and traded positions a couple of times before Smith took control around the 12 minute mark, then Hampshire efficiently passed Kitchen for second. Three minutes later, Smith washed his front end out handing the lead to Hampshire and dropping to third, then a couple laps later Smith ate it, landing in the tuff blocks while chasing down Kitchen who had slowed-up with a rider down and caution lights blaring. Smith salvaged points and fought back to finish fourth but Kitchen rides the Red Plate alone on March 23 in Seattle.

Elsewhere, don't forget about Joe Shimoda. A quiet third-place, follows three fourth-place finishes and if not for a DNF at a muddy Round 2, Shimoda would be in the thick of things. Hie moves into fifth on the standings. Youngster Billy Laninovich, 40, finished 19th giving him three points in his second-straight Main Event.

Supercross gets a weekend off and resumes Feb. 24 in Arlington, TX at AT&T Stadium where the 250 East class continues their series.