It doesn’t get any easier, does it? The 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series continues to have twists and turns, making it increasingly challenging to develop valuable RMFantasySX.com picks. This week, Supercross to Daytona International Speedway, so let’s look at what we’re facing when it comes to 2024 Daytona Supercross Fantasy picks and tips.
- The three podium finishers at Arlington were not on the podium after the previous Main event at Glendale. Two of the Arlington podium riders—Aaron Plessinger and winner Webb—were even in the top five, so they were worth zero points the previous week. That plays havoc with the idea of looking for patterns and momentum. Looking at history isn’t much better—one historic pattern ends up a losing proposition, while another can pan out handsomely. With that in mind, it’s just about going back to basics.
- Eli Tomac is the King of Daytona. Few historical trends beat this one. With seven wins in the last eight races on the infield of Daytona International Speedway, it is tough to go against Tomac. He’s the only rider in the field with a Daytona 450SX win, though Daytona 250SX winners lining up in the 450SX class include Hunter Lawrence (2023), Jett Lawrence (2022), and Justin Barcia (2012). Adam Cianciarulo won the 250SX race there in 2017, but he is still sidelined. Tomac has zero wins in 2024. Tomac had disappointed me twice this year when I picked him to win, so I might as well go for three times.
- Jett Lawrence remains a solid pick for a win anytime the 450SX class lines up for the Main Event. Jett was the fastest rider on track last week, but two late-race crashes dropped him back to P4. So, Jett comes into Daytona with a 3-4 run, compared to 4-2 for Tomac. That doesn’t really matter, of course. You never know when a rider will go down and his night over early or a great ride ruined. Regardless, Jett has lost ground to Tomac over the last two races, so Jett gets the P2 pick.
- There’s one more podium spot available, and six riders are tied at three in the most-podiums competition. Two of those riders are Tomac and Jett, which narrows it down to Cooper Webb, Aaron Plessinger, Chase Sexton, and Ken Roczen—four riders who have looked great at times this year, with all four having a win.
- Cooper Webb is my pick for the final podium spot due to his tenacity and history being on his side. Daytona is a tough race that plays into Webb’s hand as the clock ticks down. Webb is on a 2-1-4-7-1 run, and just three points behind series leader Jett in the standings after seven rounds. The deciding factor—Webb is six podiums in six Daytona rides.
- Picking P4 and P5 is going to be tough. The condition of Sexton’s injured hand is still an unknown, so he is a risky choice—if you picked him in the top five the last two weeks, you came up empty-handed. Replacing him in the mix is a surging Hunter Lawrence, who has gone 5-5 in the previous two rounds. Also, with five top-fives, Jason Anderson is tied for most top-fives with Jett and Plessinger. Roczen is hit-or-miss, but know that all his top-fives were podium rides—no finishes in the P4 to P6 range.
- I’m sold on Hunter Lawrence for P5. He has gotten his sea legs in the 450SX class—it’s his rookie year, after all. Hunter has been a solid P5 rider for two weeks running, though not in the P4 mix. So, P5 it is again for Hunter.
- P4 looks to be between Aaron Plessinger and Jason Anderson. Plessinger has only one top-five ride in the last three rounds, going 6-10-3. Anderson has two top-fives, barely, going 5-2-10. However, 5-2-10 beats 6-10-3, so Anderson it is for P4. If you prefer Roczen or Plessinger, I can’t blame you one bit.
- The Wild Card is P10, and there are a few options—none are slam dunks. Justin Cooper has been running around in that range, and is on an 8-9-11-7 streak. Malcolm Stewart’s 10-11-8-9 run of late also puts him around P10, and he feels like he’s in a holding pattern. Vince Friese is 13-11 in the last two rounds, so P10 isn’t out of the question at Daytona, though tough races aren’t his forte. In his first Main Event of the year, Mitch Oldenburg came in P12, so it’s reasonable to expect him to do better with a race under his belt. Last week’s P10 was Anderson, and he’s not likely to repeat. Mulling it over, I’m picking Stewart for P10, as he has been within one position of P10 in three of the last four rounds.
- Racing starts at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock, and audio-only on SiriusXM. Race Day Live coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET. Always consult our 2024 Supercross Television Schedule to check for late changes.
2024 Daytona Supercross Fantasy Picks
- Eli Tomac
- Jett Lawrence
- Cooper Webb
- Jason Anderson
- Hunter Lawrence
Wild Card P10: Malcolm Stewart
Photography by Align Media, Ryne Swanberg, et al
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series Standings (after 7 of 17 rounds)
- Jett Lawrence, Honda, 135 points (2W, 3P, 5 T5)
- Cooper Webb, Yamaha, 132 (2W, 3P, 4 T5)
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 128 (1W, 3P, 5 T5)
- Chase Sexton, KTM, 127 (1W, 3P, 4 T5)
- Eli Tomac, Yamaha, 122 (3P, 4 T5)
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 118 (2P, 5 T5)
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 116 (1W, 3P, 3 T5)
- Dylan Ferrandis, Honda, 93 (1 T5)
- Hunter Lawrence, 86 (2 T5)
- Justin Cooper, Yamaha, 75
- Justin Barcia, GasGas, 71 (1P, 1 T5)
- Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna, 64
- Shane McElrath, Suzuki, 56 (1 T5)
- Jorge Prado, GasGas, 45
- Dean Wilson, Honda, 44
- Christian Craig, Husqvarna, 39
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 33
- Justin Hill, KTM, 28
- Vince Friese, Honda, 26
- Derek Drake, Suzuki, 25
- Benny Bloss, Beta, 20
- Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki, 18
- Freddie Norén, Kawasaki, 13
- Mitch Oldenburg, Honda, 10
- Cade Clason, Kawasaki, 10
- Austin Politelli, GasGas, 7
- Ryan Breece, Yamaha, 7
- Justin Rodbell, KTM, 5
- Mitchell Harrison, Kawasaki, 4
- Tristan Lane, KTM, 3
- Carson Mumford, Honda, 3
- Jerry Robin, Yamaha, 2
- Robbie Wageman, Yamaha, 1
- Jason Clermont, Kawasaki, 1
