Ryan Dungey wins the 2017 450 Supercross Championship in Las Vegas

Just a word and only one word describes Round 17 of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross series which concluded on Saturday in historical fashion at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

High drama tells the story of the 450 class title fight with Ryan Dungey holding a nine-point edge over Eli Tomac in part thanks to Marvin Musquin letting Dungey by on the last lap the week prior in East Rutherford to allow his teammate and friend grab an extra three points. Despite all the controversy, in the end, the additional points proved futile.

Dungey wins his third 450mx Supercross championship! In a highly tactical race, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey did what he needed to do to wrap up his fourth Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, and his third in a row. Dungey needed a fourth place or better to clinch the title, and he ended up in fourth in a most improbable way.

Indeed, it was the Dungey and Tomac show as the two battled near the front with Tomac executing a perfectly designed plan to - instead of run away for his 10th win of the year - bait Dungey towards the front, block pass him into corners and get the field involved. It worked but ultimately backfired.

After Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM’s Black Baggett grabbed the holeshot in the Main Event, Dungey quickly took the lead, opening a nearly one-second gap after one lap. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac needed a win for a reasonable shot at the championship, and was sitting in third with Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson between them.

One Lap 2, Tomac passed Anderson and took off after Dungey. Catching Dungey in a corner, Tomac parked Dungey, causing Dungey to come to a complete halt with his bike perpendicular to the racing line. Anderson also passed Dungey before Dungey was able to get moving in the right direction. On the next lap, Anderson briefly was a wheel ahead of Tomac, but Tomac was able to retain the lead.

Tomac and Dungey sprinted away then dropped back several times throughout the race allowing the others to fight for podium contention. As the veteran Reed appeared ready to make a statement, Anderson punted him off the track giving Tomac and Dungey some distance. All Dungey needed was a fourth-place finish as Tomac needed a win and Dungey to finish at least fifth, something he hadn't done in three years.