The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is in the Southeast this weekend for the Tennessee National, which serves as Round 5 of 12 this season. Although Muddy Creek Raceway joined the circuit just five years ago, it’s a track that’s already produced some indelible memories, and more could be on tap.

We’re starting to see a bit of separation in both title races, but as the last few weeks have proven, everything can change in the blink of an eye. In the 250 Class alone, Zach Osborne suffered a season-ending injury in a first-turn crash, and Jeremy Martin had bike problems while leading a race. Both riders were on top of the championship standings at the time of their respective incidents, but their misfortunes have helped enable Aaron Plessinger to regain the lead.

Meanwhile in the 450 Class, Eli Tomac remains in control. But last week, he had his most difficult challenge of the season in the form of Marvin Musquin, and a renewal of that rivalry is something that many fans will be looking forward to.

STORIES TO WATCH

Tomac’s win streak
Eli Tomac finally lost a moto, but he still earned his fourth straight overall victory after fending off Marvin Musquin in one of the most epic finishes we’ve seen in quite some time. Now he’ll try to continue that streak at a Muddy Creek track where he’s fared well in recent years (2-2 for 2nd overall in 2016, 2-1 for 1st overall in 2017).

Tomac vs. Musquin: The saga continues
If you didn’t see the racing between Tomac and Musquin last weekend, do yourself a favor and watch it now. First Musquin had to pass Tomac in Moto 1 to bring an end to the Kawasaki rider’s streak. Then Moto 2 delivered the aforementioned thrilling finish in which Tomac held off Musquin over the final four laps to take the overall win. Will Muddy Creek deliver another legendary battle between these two?

After a crash in Moto 1, Roczen bounced back to take third place in Moto 2 at High Point. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

Roczen’s turn to break through?
Now that Musquin finally got on the board with his first moto win of the year, who will be next to record their first 450MX moto win of 2018? Ken Roczen had been steadily improving each week, working his way up to 2-2 finishes at Thunder Valley, then made a suspension change before High Point. But before anyone could gauge the effectiveness of that decision, Roczen was quickly taken out of the running after getting involved in a first-turn crash last weekend. Time to try again in Tennessee. The last time Roczen raced at Muddy Creek—in 2016—he had a 1-1 sweep ahead of Tomac.

Hill’s encore
After hyping his ability to ride a 450 for quite a while, Hill finally got a chance to show what he could do on the big bike outdoors at High Point. Finishing 4-6 for fifth overall in his maiden ride was very impressive, regardless of how depleted the 450 field is right now. Remember, Justin Bogle is getting closer to a return, and once that happens, Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki will have to make a decision about whether to keep Hill on a 450 for the rest of the year. If he keeps riding the way he did at High Point, could it force the team to field three 450 riders?

Cody Cooper continues to turn in solid results as a privateer. (Photo: Jeff Kardas)

Cody Cooper leads the privateers
This season remains ripe for having a privateer finish in the top 10 of the 450 Class point standings. Dylan Merriam had the edge after Round 3, but a bout with food poisoning kept his from racing last weekend. That helped enable Cody Cooper, the multi-time New Zealand motocross champion, to crack the top 10 of the overall results (8-10 for 9th overall) and the championship standings (10th place). Cooper is now just four points behind Jason Anderson, who remains sidelined by injury, so he could easily rise up to ninth once the final results from Muddy Creek are in. For more on Cooper, check out the interview he did with Racer X after the last race.

Alex Ray gets another week of the factory life
When Alex Ray got his factory ride (filling in at Yamaha for the injured Cooper Webb), it was initially set to end after High Point. But he was granted the opportunity to race one more round, and it’s a big one for him. That’s because Ray is a Tennessee native. He has yet to crack the top 10 of a moto but has come very, very close (one 11th-place finish and two 12-place finishes). Can he land a top 10 this weekend in front of his home state fans?

A-Ray is coming off 11-15 finishes at High Point. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

Can Plessinger assert himself?
In the 250 Class, the red plate has changed hands after each round of the season thus far. But with Aaron Plessinger now holding a 20-point advantage, this looks like the week that streak could come to an end. This will be the second time that Plessinger runs the red plate. He entered Round 3 with the points lead as well but ended up with disappointing 6-4 moto finishes at Thunder Valley and lost the championship lead to Jeremy Martin. The biggest question mark surrounding Plessinger is his consistency — can he avoid too many days like he had at Thunder Valley and maintain a podium pace throughout the rest of the season? His next challenge is Muddy Creek, where he won the overall just a year ago.

Justin Cooper’s solid rookie season
Through four rounds, only two riders have finished in the top 10 of every single 250 Class moto. One is Plessinger; the other is Justin Cooper. Furthermore, Cooper leads the 250 Class in holeshots (3 total in 8 motos). He’s been a bit overshadowed in the championship discussion thus far, but he’s just 5 points back of Alex Martin for third, 15 points back of Jeremy Martin for second, and 35 points back of Plessinger for first.

Star Yamaha has found a dynamic 1-2 punch in Aaron Plessinger and Justin Cooper early this season. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

THE INJURY LIST

A look at some of the notable riders who have picked up new injuries or are nearing a return to action.

Garrett Marchbanks (250MX): Out for Muddy Creek after suffering an MCL strain in a crash last weekend. Says he hopes to return for Southwick (June 30). Prior to the injury, Marchbanks was having a stellar rookie season with top-10 finishes in four of his first six motos.

Enzo Lopes (250MX): Suffered a broken collarbone in a crash last weekend and will miss Muddy Creek. Says that he hopes to return by RedBud (July 7). Lopes currently sits tied for 17th in 250MX points.

Jimmy Decotis (250MX): Lopes’ teammate is expected to make his season debut after missing the first four rounds while recovering from a back injury.

Colt Nichols (250MX): Has been sidelined since March due to a broken humerus but plans to make his outdoor season debut at Muddy Creek.

Garrett Marchbanks will need to pause his impressive rookie campaign for at least one week. (Photo: Jeff Kardas)

LINKS FOR ROUND 5

How to watch
Historical package
This week in motocross
Track map
NBC Sports Gold

(Story and photos from ProMotocross.com)