Just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier in the 250 Class, the Tennessee National proved otherwise.

Inexplicable crashes, impactful injuries and improbable winners — Muddy Creek had it all. And that felt like just a microcosm of the season so far, which has showcased both the depth of the field and the fickleness of the sport.

A few stats about the 250 Class:

• 3 different riders have had possession of the red plate (Osborne, Plessinger, J. Martin)
• 4 different overall winners (Plessinger – 2, J. Martin – 1, McElrath – 1, Osborne – 1)
• 5 different moto winners (Plessinger – 4, J. Martin – 2, Osborne – 2, Cooper – 1, Ferrandis – 1)
• 8 different riders have a moto podium (J. Martin – 7, A. Martin – 6, Plessinger – 5, Cooper – 3, Osborne – 3, Ferrandis – 2, Forkner – 2, McElrath – 2)
• 9 different riders have an overall podium (J. Martin – 3, Plessinger – 3, Cooper – 2, A. Martin – 2, Ferrandis – 1, Forkner – 1, McElrath – 1, Osborne – 1, Sexton – 1)

Through five rounds of the season, the 250 Class has produced four different overall winners, but two of those winners are now lost for the season. Zach Osborne was of course lost to a shoulder injury a few weeks ago, and now Jeremy Martin will join him on the sidelines after fracturing his L1 vertebra in a scary crash last weekend at Muddy Creek.

Though the field is deep with young talent, Osborne and Martin were the only riders who had previously won a 250MX title. That means that the series will be guaranteed a first-time champion this year.

By default, Aaron Plessinger is now the favorite to take the championship. The only rider with multiple overall wins this year (both 1-1 sweeps), the Star Yamaha standout is hard to beat when he’s on point. But consistency has been an issue for him — 6-4 finishes at Thunder Valley and 9-5 finishes at Muddy Creek showed that he’s susceptible to some down days. Even so, he’s the only rider yet to finish outside the top 10 in a single moto.

Plessinger will carry a 29-point lead over Alex Martin and a 41-point lead over Justin Cooper into Round 6 at Southwick, a race which will mark the midway point of the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Barring disaster, Plessinger will be expected to retain the red plate at the end of the day, but the battle for the victory and spots on the podium could prove to be unpredictable — especially at a sandy track like Southwick that has a history of producing some surprising results.

For whatever reason, the two rounds at which Aaron Plessinger has run the red plate have produced his two worst results. (Photo: Jeff Kardas)

THE INJURY LIST

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

Cooper Webb (450MX): Will make his return from a fractured tibia at Southwick. Webb, who was injured in April, plans to race his way back into form. “Could keep practicing for a few more weeks to be 100% but I wanna go race,” he wrote on Instagram. “The goal will be to get better each weekend is the plan!”

Justin Bogle (450MX): Has been sidelined since February due to a broken humerus and an L2 vertebra facture but will return to racing at Southwick. Bogle’s return gives Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki three riders in the 450 Class. Last season, Bogle broke through with two moto wins and an overall victory.

Kyle Chisholm (450MX): Will miss the rest of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season due to a knee injury that occurred at High Point. Chisholm underwent surgery this week to repair meniscus damage and a torn ACL.

Jeremy Martin (250MX): Will miss the rest of the season after suffering an L1 vertebra fracture last weekend at Muddy Creek. The injury occurred after Martin collided in the air with Justin Cooper on the opening lap of Moto 2. Martin, who was second in 250MX points at the time of the injury, underwent surgery on Monday, and the team said that he’s expected to need about two months of recovery time but will be able to start therapy right away.

RJ Hampshire (250MX): Last weekend, Hampshire got roughed up because of a hard crash near the end of Moto 2 (which you can see here). He hopes to be able to race Southwick.

Can Barcia or Musquin finally knock Tomac off the top of the overall podium? (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

OTHER STORIES TO WATCH

Tomac goes for 6 in a row
Five rounds, five overall wins for Eli Tomac to start the season. But the sailing hasn’t been quite as smooth lately. After 1-1 sweeps at the first three rounds, Tomac went 2-1 and 1-3 to narrowly win the overall at the next two rounds. Marvin Musquin, Justin Barcia and Ken Roczen have all been riding at high levels lately, so running his streak up to six straight wins might not come easy. At the same time, Tomac will also be trying to extend his 32-point lead over Musquin in the 450MX championship standings.

Barcia building momentum
Barcia has been solid and consistent all season long — his worst moto finish is just sixth place — and is coming off his best result of the summer, a 2-2 finish at Muddy Creek. Barcia was oh so close to an overall victory, but Tomac’s late pass on Roczen shifted fortunes. Can Barcia continue building on that performance and get his first win?

Big names return
The 450 Class has been hit hard by injuries this year, but some of the class’s depth is finally set to return as Cooper Webb and Justin Bogle are both planning to make their season debuts this weekend. Webb (fractured tibia) and Bogle (arm, back injuries) both got hurt during the supercross season and have yet to race outdoors this year. Bogle had something of a breakout season last year (two moto wins, one overall win), while Webb had an up-and-down season in his rookie 450MX campaign. Webb indicated that he’s not 100% healthy yet, but it’s worth noting that one of his best races last year came at Southwick, and with the field as depleted as it is right now, both riders could make an immediate splash.

McElrath’s encore
As discussed above, it’s been a season full of surprises in the 250 Class, but one of the biggest came last week when Shane McElrath captured the first overall victory of his career. It wasn’t particularly close either — thanks to the inconsistency of everyone else, his 3-2 moto finishes put him seven points ahead of Dylan Ferrandis for the day’s overall victory. With another top rider (Jeremy Martin) out of the picture, more podium results and even wins could be attainable. How will he follow up his breakout ride in Southwick?

Shane McElrath is riding high after taking a surprise victory in Tennessee. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

LINKS FOR ROUND 6

How to watch
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(Story and photos from ProMotocross.com)