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SUPERCROSS MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES, AN FIM WORLD ROUND 15 / APRIL 22, 2017 RICE-ECCLES STADIUM / SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH P102 Oldenberg found his way by Hill for second, but Hill still had 26 points in-hand in order to clinch the 250SX West a round early. Perhaps slowing a bit too much in the late stages, Rockstar En- ergy Husqvarna's Martin Davalos caught Hill on the final lap and forced his way by the points leader only two turns before the finish. However, a mistake on the ensuing straightaway got Davalos off-rhythm and Hill was able to keep it pinned around the outside in the final turn to just nip Davalos at the line for the final podium position—and the championship. "We've worked so hard for this and I know I've encountered bumps along the way, which makes this championships so much sweeter," Hill said. "To get to this place it takes so many people that are behind the scenes, from the team to family to friends that are all pushing me to be at my best. This wouldn't be possible without each and every one of them." McElrath's win was his third of the season. "Honestly, it was just kind of about staying up," McEl- rath said. "It was unfortunate for Aaron, but tonight was definitely one of those tracks where you couldn't ride the line because it was so technical and precise. But I'm pumped for Justin. I know he's been working at this a long time. He went pro the year before I did, so it's cool to see him wrap it up and just the emotion and the family and everything. For us, that's awesome right there. Our truck driver today, it's his birth- day. He cooks for us, he cleans, he does everything. So happy birthday, Jerry." The Monster Energy AMA Super- cross Series hasn't been to Salt Lake City since 2013, so it was tough to know what to expect. In the end, the temperatures were mild, which was a relief to many in the pits considering that Kevin Windham won what is probably the only snow super- cross race in SLC back in 2010. The only thing the teams had to deal with this time was the altitude. Rice-Ec- cles Stadium sits at over 4600 feet of elevation, which steals some power from the bikes. Having slower bikes may have actu- ally been helpful for Geico Honda's Christian Craig, who made his debut filling in for Ken Roczen at the Honda HRC Team on the new 2017 Honda CRF450R. Craig, who has been on a 250 lately, will be on the team for the duration of the MX Nationals this summer, as well. Craig qualified for the main event out of his semi, then got a terrible start in the main event. He was able to recover for 11th place. Christian Craig was the lone ranger in the Honda truck in Salt Lake City, as Honda's Cole Seely continues to recover from his injury he aggravated two weeks prior in Seattle. "I just partially tore a muscle in my leg," Seely said. "I didn't want to risk rac- ing to make it any worse. Hopefully I'm going to try and ride on Tues- day and hopefully be back for New Jersey." Prior to the leg injury, Seely Briefly... 250SX Post-Race Press Conference