2022 Arlington SX - VERSUS CHALLENGE GAME

Take a traditional sports style "versus" approach to this weekend's racing action and liven up your watch party, group text, or forum rivalry. Play with your buddies, place wagers, and have fun!

Let's take a look at this week's AirWheeliesOnly Versus Challenge matchups. Below you will find a brief explanation why I picked each of these match ups and my predicitions. Feel free to comment on what matchups you look forward to, what matchups you would have created, or why on the of the matchups will be a landslide victory.

Here are the 2022 Arlington Supercross AirWheeliesOnly Versus Challenge Matchups

450 Class

1. Dean Wilson vs. Justin Brayton

2. Eli Tomac vs. Jason Anderson

3. Brandon Hartranft vs. Vince Friese

4. Chase Sexton vs. Ken Roczen

5. Marvin Musquin vs. Cooper Webb

6. Does Vince Friese lead a lap (LCQ does not count)?

250 Class

1. Austin Forkner vs. Cameron McAdoo

2. RJ Hampshire vs. Pierce Brown

3. Does Jett Lawrence win two or more of the Races at the Arlington Triple Crown?

4. Nicoletti vs. Owen vs. Lopes

5. Kyle Peters vs. Jordan Smith

450 Class Picks

1. Dean Wilson vs. Justin Brayton

Dean Wilson has been ultra consistent this season. If you toss out his one odd-ball 14th, he's been 9-12 in every main event. Meanwhile, Justin Brayton has been a bit more erratic with a 21st, 14th, and 13th to go along with his 11th and two 10ths the last two weekends. JB10 is coming off back to back top 10s which were both ahead of Wilson into a Triple Crown format he likes. Throw in 2 whoops sections and a dragons back on the track design and I lean towards Justin Brayton to capture this matchup.

2. Eli Tomac vs. Jason Anderson

As a Jason Anderson fan (hey, I'm not real media, I can be biased) I can't believe I am able to type this. I think we head to the halfway point of the series with dual red plates and one of them being on Jason Anderson's #21 Kawasaki KX450. While both riders excel in the Triple Crown format, I have to give the edge to Anderson for two reasons... 1) He is a better starter. Don't let the Glendale starts where Eli was watching the guy drop the gate fool you, his starts still aren't consistent. And 2) The Texas soil. While softer than it used to be, in-fact I heard it rutted up more than expected on press day, it still will have a dry, hard base due to the region and the fact they had Monster Jam on it last weekend.

2. Brandon Hartranft vs. Vince Friese

It may not get more evenly matched than these two riders. Both on satellite support teams that are pretty good, but not quite factory. Both have two career 250 Class podiums. Both are riders who won't WOW you with crazy speed, but will be there each weekend. Compared to a year ago, Brandon Hartranft has been a pleasant surprise I'd say. In fact, I think this is probably where he was expected to be a year ago, but it was so much worse this is now a shock. I don't think I would've believed you if you would have told me both he and his teammate would be healthy, yet Hartranft (58) would have exactly double his teammate Justin Bogle's (29) points heading into the halfway point of the series. Even with that up-tick in strong riding, I have to go with Friese and his starts in a Triple Crown. Plus, he looked feisty in Minnesota on the 450 really attacking the track. I think riding the 250 again made him better on the 450.

3. Chase Sexton vs. Ken Roczen

Trouble in the Red Kingdom! After 3 races, Honda had logged two wins; however, it seems Roczen lost all of his mojo with his whoops crashes at San Diego. Sexton on the other hand found himself in the title fight, about ready to log the second win of his season when a push of the front wheel sent him flying. Now a potentially banged up Sexton heads into a Triple Crown to try and bring back some points with his new QUAD GOD skills he's been pulling out this year. It seems maybe he learned more than he let on from his ex-coach James Stewart. But James also didn't always keep it together in situations where he tried to make up a ton of points and that is what makes this one interesting. Can Sexton avoid another mistake? Does Roczen find and use his lightning quick opening lap speed he's shown so many times to re-gain some footing as a race-winning contender? I haven't seen any flashes of anything from the 94, so I'll take my chances with the kid Sexton.

4. Marvin Musquin vs. Cooper Webb

The spotlight has been on Webb all season as the reigning champion. As a rider known to find the podium or at worst a 4th even on his bad days since joining the Red Bull KTM team, he's only found the podium twice. He has zero wins and sits 25 points out of the championship. I think Webb knew it was "go-time" if he wanted any shot at this thing last weekend at Minneapolis, and he executed an excellent holeshot and second place finish. What you don't see is that he was way off the pace and it would have been a 4th without gifts from Sexton and Malcolm Stewart hitting the dirt. Heck, probably a 5th if Tomac doesn't get collected by his teammate's chaos on lap 1. Yes, he did get 2nd, but I definitely don't think things are fixed over in the champion's camp. Across the truck sits Marvin Musquin. Rumored to be on a SX-only deal for his final season of racing, also struggling in the results column a bit, and also a rider who chose to leave KTM-group's trainer Aldon Baker in the off-season. So why isn't Marvin taking the same heat as Cooper Webb? Besides not having the number 1 plate on his bike and albeit behind Webb in points, Marvin has actually shown some real signs of life to me this season. He looks spicy on the bike, motivated, and charging. That's why I'm taking Musquin in this battle. I don't see signs of a guy who wants to be done, and I think he wants to prove that. No way better tahn beating Webb. As my buddy Denny Stephenson always says, "If you can't be first on the track, you better at least be the best in your truck!"

5. Does Vince Friese lead a lap (LCQ does not count)? NO

The fan in me wants to say YES; however, the dues in the 450 class are gnarly. While Vince could holeshot 2 or even 3 of the races; the fact that two whoops sections and a dragonback stand between the starting gate and the finish line makes it a tall order. Vince looked awesome on the 450 in his 2022 debut in the class at US Bank Stadium a week ago, but as evidenced even by the 250 class; whoops are a still a liability for Friese.

250 Class Picks

1. Austin Forkner vs. Cameron McAdoo

I don't just think Austin Forkner wins this matchup, I think he wins the event. Forkner has shown to be a really good starter which will come to help him at Arlington. He knows this is a massive year for his career, and I can guarantee that brings a ton of pressure along with it. The Minneapolis track was very demanding; especially early in the day with the ruts, so I think he was holding back all day. I expect to see Forkner show some of his lightning speed we've seen in the past and show he's back as a title contender. I see McAdoo on the podium again as well, but I think Arlington will be a coming out party for Forkner.

2. RJ Hampshire vs. Pierce Brown

It may appear this one is a gimmie of sorts; however, it really will come down to which rider crashes less most likely. Pierce Brown came out FIRING in practice at the opener like he had a point to prove. The only one he may have proved was that while he was fastest in free practice, he also was really good about colliding with tuff blocks and coming unglued from his TLD GasGas. Brown had speed, and if he can harness it a bit... well, flash back to Davalos, Jordan Smith (more on him below), Hampshire, and about a million other 250 class kids in the last 10 years...

As mentioned. RJ is fast. He's also aggressive and likely expects to be a title contender. He was 5th best in Minneapolis and that can't sit well. I expect to see RJ try and close that gap, and that is when I'm afraid the crashes may come back as well. He's a bit more a veteran and his dismounts are often the result of a pushed front end versus a massive eject; so I'll take Hampshire for this one.

3. Does Jett Lawrence win two or more of the Races at the Arlington Triple Crown? YES

It looked like Jett Lawrence was easily in control in Minneapolis, so to think he won't continue trucking into Texas would be a bit foolish. He's still young though, and putting 3 races together in one night while keeping emotions in check might be a challenge. I'm banking on a poor start and some struggles in one race to give Forkner the overall edge, but I see Jett grabbing the other two.

4. Nicoletti vs. Owen vs. Lopes

The ClubMX team put in some really nice performances at the opener. I think Lopes getting 8th had to be a surprise. He came from 14th at the end of lap 1 and passed both of his teammates on the way, so it's tough to not pick the youngest member on the squad. You could make a case for Jace Owen with his Arenacross experience to have a shot at capitalizing on the Triple Crown format as well. As for Nicoletti? He will likely be busy screaming at kids instead of resting between races.

5. Kyle Peters vs. Jordan Smith

A nice start and lead in a heat race aboard a #90 non-factory Honda goes Jordan Smith. He was only a bike length or three from winning it even. Have no fear, Jordan Smith dug his roots back in completely at MTF and he's just as fast as ever. He also still can't keep it on two wheels as he went flying across the Minnesota dirt on multiple occassions at the opening race. Team manager Martin Davalos had to have been puzzled about how a guy so fast couldn't get the job done when it counted.

Meanwhile, well into the middle portion of the main; nearly invisible in between all the flashy hyped kids and factory riders was the new Kicker AX champion Kyle Peters just chugging along well inside the top 10. A bump off the track from Pierce Brown sent him endurocrossing between lanes, only to then get stuck in a pile of unpacked dirt acting like the matrix section. Shortly after rejoining a mechanical issue would take Peters out of the race, and he was credited with a 19th place finish. It is an absolute no brainer to me to pick Kyle Peters in this one. No way Jordan Smith can match his consistency across a 3 race format.