A denouement is the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a novel, play, or film. I didn’t know that until I entered the word, finale, in my thesaurus as I was preparing to write this article about how potential championship scenarios might play out in Utah. I’d say it applies perfectly for the finale this weekend though, as it’s definitely been a season jammed full of unexpected twists and persistent drama.
So what exactly does Webb need to do to ensure a happy denouement for himself and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing? Fifth or better. It’s that simple. If Sexton wins he’ll have 363 points, which means Cooper Webb will have to add 17 points to his current tally of 347, bringing his total up to 364. He can’t afford to tie Sexton because Sexton has six wins to Webb’s five.
What if Sexton takes second? An eighth place or better will still be sufficient for Webb to win the title. If Sexton takes third, all Webb needs is a tenth or better. I know I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I don’t think Webb will have a problem hitting any of these marks. In Denver he was sick, at elevation, and endured lap after lap of intense pressure from Malcolm Stewart, and he still prevailed. Barring disaster, why would Salt Lake City be any different?
The 450SX Takeaway
A fifth or better for Webb wins the championship. A sixth or worse, should Sexton win, hands Sexton the title.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC  | 365 |
| 2 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 363 |
| 3 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 281 |
| 4 |  Malcolm Stewart | Haines City, FL | 277 |
| 5 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 271 |
In the 250SX class, the West Division has already been decided, with Haiden Deegan emerging as champ. It’s a different story in the East, however, where we’re looking at a true, three way, winner-take-all scenario between Tom Vialle, Seth Hammaker, and RJ Hampshire. Seriously, if any of these three competitors wins in Salt Lake City, they win the championship. End of story. A win for Hampshire would result in a tie between himself and Vialle, but Hampshire would then have two wins to Vialle’s one, which would break the tie in Hampshire’s favor.
Of course, there’s no guarantee any of those three will win on Saturday night, especially considering it’s a 250SX East/West Showdown. Here’s what each rider would need to do in the event of none of them winning.
Tom Vialle
Vialle currently leads, but he loses all possible tiebreakers, so he has to finish ahead of Hammaker, and prevent Hampshire from making up three points on him to win the title. So if Vialle takes second and Hampshire takes third, and Hammaker finishes behind them, Vialle still wins the title.
Seth Hammaker
Hammaker would usurp Vialle simply by finishing ahead of him. To also defeat Hampshire, Hammaker just needs to finish anywhere on the podium (provided Hampshire doesn’t win). If he doesn’t land on the podium, he just has to make sure he doesn’t give up more than two points to Hampshire. For example, if Hammaker finishes fourth and Hampshire takes third, and Vialle finishes behind them, Hammaker wins the title. Hammaker wins a tiebreaker with Hampshire, so he can afford to tie with him in points.
RJ Hampshire
Hampshire is three points back of Vialle, and two points back of Hammaker. He wins any possible tie with Vialle, so he at least has to tie him by earning three more points than Vialle. He loses any possible tie with Hammaker so he has to make up, you guessed it, three points on Hammaker to win the title.
If Hampshire finishes second, he’d need both the Frenchman and the Pennsylvanian to finish fourth or worse. If Hampshire finishes third, he’d need them to finish fifth or worse to clinch the championship.
The 250SX East Takeaway
- A win gets it done for any of the three riders in contention.
- If Hammaker finishes anywhere ahead of both Vialle and Hampshire, he wins the title.
- If Vialle finishes anywhere ahead of both Hammaker and Hampshire, he wins the title.
- Hampshire has to make up at least three points on both Vialle and Hammaker to win the title.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tom Vialle | Avignon, France  | 180 |
| 2 |  Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA | 177 |
| 3 |  R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 173 |
| 4 |  Nate Thrasher | Livingston, TN | 137 |
| 5 |  Cullin Park | Clermont, FL | 131 |
