Welcome to Round 7 of our HOT or NOT feature from the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross series. We saw lots of new faces with the East Coast Lites starting this week, read below to see who made our HOT list for the weekend and who fell short.

450s

Ryan Villopoto - HOT - Another win for RV and with Reed now injured, this is his title to lose now. All he has to do is keep it on two wheels and he'll wrap this up before Vegas.

Ryan Dungey - HOT - Damage limitations for Dungey but he'll need to step it up if he wants to challenge RV. Getting a good start would be a massive step.

Jake Weimer - HOT - After last week's statement that we'd see a change of attitude, it was good to see him back it up with another podium spot.

Mike Alessi - HOT - Is Mike Alessi becoming good at SX? It might be a little early to suggest that but there is definite improvement from the Suzuki rider.

Josh Hansen - HOT - Before, Hansen was consistently placing top 10s, now he's doing top 5s and quietly going about having a very impressive season.

James Stewart - NOT - While the crash might not have been his fault, the resignation all over his face at the end showed that his title chances are all but over.

Kevin Windham - NOT - Dropping a bunch of positions at the end of the race always leaves a sour taste but we expect KDub to bounce back.

Brett Metcalfe - NOT - Hard to know where to place Metty but he's definitely ridden better than he did here at Dallas.

Justin Brayton - NOT - Another factory rider who needs to be a lot higher in the standings. 9th place isn't what Honda would be looking for, especially with Canard out.

Kyle Chisholm - HOT - A top 10 for Chisholm, and a result that gives him something to build upon as the season settles into the east coast.

250s

Justin Barcia - HOT - He wore the red plate during the race, and he'll be wearing it Atlanta this weekend. He may not be everyone's favorite rider but he gets the job done.

Darryn Durham - HOT - Another genius decision by Mitch Payton, seems to have turned a top 10 rider into a race and championship contender.

Ken Roczen - HOT - Hard to know how well he'd come back from the broken bone in his arm but a third place keeps him well in the hunt for the championship.

Blake Wharton - HOT - This race could've gone so much better but it was good to see Wharton leading a race and looking back to the rider we all knew he was.

Phil Nicoletti - HOT - I don't think anyone in the stadium, or in fact anyone who follows SX would've picked Nicoletti to finish in fifth place but congrats are definitely due.

Malcolm Stewart - NOT - A silly maneuver cost Stewart the chance of an even better finish and it's made him an enemy that he'll run into a lot during the season.

Jake Canada - HOT - Another rider who far exceeded expectations with a top 10. He now needs to repeat it often enough to earn a solid ride.

PJ Larsen - NOT - An 8th place finish is not what Larsen would've been hoping for before the race began but he's not out of the championship by any stretch.

Cole Thompson - HOT - A very solid ride by Thompson who was actually running a lot higher before dropping places near the end. Still, very impressive first race.

Lance Vincent - HOT - Getting a top 10 is a good way to start the series off and certainly gives Vincent something to build upon in the next few rounds.