The second round of the SMX Playoffs pays double points, which means a win delivers 50 points instead of 25, second is 44 instead of 22, third is 40 instead of 20, and so on. For guys who had bad races in Columbus, this increased earning potential is a great opportunity to claw back into contention. It’s also a sword that cuts both ways, however, because if you have another bad outing the riders in front of you will pull away at an even faster rate. Either take advantage or lose out, big time. -Aaron Hansel

You can’t take anything away from the riders who excelled last week in Columbus. The guys who put in good rides did so in some extremely challenging conditions and deserve complete credit for it—mud riding is a necessary skillset in racing. But at the same time, the effect the mud had can’t and shouldn’t be ignored. You think Hunter Lawrence goes 21-8 on a dry racetrack? No chance. Let’s see how the guys who had horrible outings in Columbus respond in better conditions in Los Angeles. -Aaron Hansel

Speaking of Lawrence, finishing 15th overall didn’t do him any favors in terms of chasing the SMX championship. It didn’t completely harpoon his situation though, thanks in part to the points he had coming into the series. Right now, he’s sixth in points, ten back of Jorge Prado. It’s not an enviable position, but it’s far from dismal, especially with the double points payout at the second round. A win for Lawrence this weekend, if Prado takes second, moves Lawrence to within four points of the lead. Lawrence is still very much in this, but he needs a great ride on Saturday to keep it that way. -Hansel 

If Ken Roczen was rusty at all coming into Columbus it sure didn’t show. The 2026 supercross champ rode steady in the mud en route to 2-2 finishes for second overall, despite having not raced since May. He’s now fourth in points (remember, riders come into the SMX Playoffs with championship points already, based on their combined supercross and motocross points) and sits eight back of Prado. If he does well again in L.A. it’ll put him in a great spot to compete for his second championship in 2026. -Hansel

Haiden Deegan’s first 450 win was going to come sooner or later, and after working toward it all summer he finally got it done last week by going 1-1. He did it convincingly too, winning both motos by over 17 seconds. The question now isn’t whether or not he’s going to get more wins on a 450, it’s when those wins will come. Will this first win immediately unlock a string of many more, or will Deegan have to wait a bit longer before he starts clicking them off? -Hansel 

Ryder DiFrancesco had a great summer, complete with multiple podiums, and was great in the slop last weekend to, where he went 3-4 for third overall. DiFrancesco has got to be happy with how he’s doing, but you know it’s also got to be frustrating to be this consistently close to P1 without getting there. The good news for DiFrancesco is, he’s second in points, just seven back of Levi Kitchen, so if he does breakthrough in L.A. for what seems like an inevitable, eventual win, it’ll put him in a fantastic spot to battle for the championship. -Hansel

There is no sugar coating the rides Jo Shimoda and Julien Beaumer had in Columbus. Both had multiple crashes and finished way below their level, with Shimoda going 12-13 for 13th overall, and Beaumer recording a dismal 16-18 for 18th overall. As a result, Shimoda is 11th in points, 27 back of Kitchen, and Beaumer is tenth, 26 back of Kitchen. Even with double points in L.A. (and triple points in Missouri), those are numbers that are all but impossible to overcome. They both still have two more chances to win though, and there’s a lot of money up for grabs. If they can rebound this weekend and climb up the standings, it’ll do a lot to help them close out 2026 with a big payday. -Hansel 

Big paydays, and double points this is the exact scenario that can result in some questionable and aggressive riding. And can you blame them? Most riders would take out their best friend for a shot at a half of million dollars (or a million in the 450 class) let alone their competition. Will we see any Levi Kitchen on Haiden Deegan sort of moves like at SMX Playoff 2 in 2025? -Sarah Whitmore

Daxton Bennick rode incredible in the mud in Columbus. And everyone was quick to point out he is a mud guy. That much is true but in 2026 supercross he never finished worse than sixth and had two podium finishes, his best being a second in Philadelphia. So maybe he is just a supercross guy as the track in Ohio was pretty much a supercross track without whoops. What are the chances Dax backs it up with another strong results this weekend? -Whitmore

Jorge Prado now holds the red plate for the very first time in the U.S. Levi Kitchen has the points lead after a very disappointing Pro Motocross season where he had a large points lead and lost it at the second to last round. For Jorge it's proof of his progress in learning AMA racing. For Levi it's a chance at redemption. But will they still hold onto the red plates after Saturday? -Whitmore