As we all know, Ryan Dungey has had a dominant run at this years outdoor season. The old saying continues to ring true; consistency wins championships. Just as Dungey dominated the Supercross season, by taking the fight outdoors, there is still no exception. Dungey is 6 for 8 wins in the last 8 motos, including last weekends 2-1 at a track that isnt one of his best. You would never know he was a rookie to the 450 class judging by his results in such a stacked field. With Chad Reed essentially a mid pack fixture, all eyes are on Dungey. Some have even ventured to say he's the next Carmichael. We definitely wouldnt go that far, just yet, but he's definitely off to a great start.

Speaking of Chad Reed, despite poor showings at the past few rounds, he still maintains a decent footing in the points race. It really still is anyones championship. Between mechanical failures, and less than desirable starts, Reed has some catching up to do. Some of claimed he's a supercross specialist, and has only been winning because of the lack of competition (Stewart), so I'm sure his desire to win is not only on a competitive level, but also a personal one. 

Reeds Teammate, Nick Wey will be another rider to watch. Red Bud is his home track, and he'll be racing in front of his friends and family. His continual improvement could very well be indicative of a successful weekend for the Michigan Native. Sometimes the comfort of being at home is all it takes to put a rider over the edge to win a few motos, and this is indeed a possibility this weekend. 

Josh Grant will be coming off a podium high from last weekends event at Thunder Valley. Grant showed some impressive speed last week in the opening moto, and proved he was capable of beating Dungey if it came down to it. A double win could have been a serious possibility, if he could have remained as comfortable as he did in the first moto, but unfortunately its hard to remain comfortable after crashing in the first turn. A valiant effort helped him work up to the top 10, but at that point there was absolutely no chance of catching any of the front runners, let alone Dungey.  

Another podium fixture this season has been Brett Metcalfe. Currently running 2nd in the championship, he would obviously love nothing more than to knock Dungey out of the top spot. The fellow rookie will definitely be out for blood, after having some excellent starts (and finishes) all season long.

Honda's Andrew Short is another sure championship contender. Short missed an entire round earlier in the season, but still remains painfully close to the runner up spot in the championship. Short has the experience and the knowledge to put in what its going to take to work his way up the championship standings. 

Ben Townley has been having a difficult season overall, lacking consistency in general as he regains his "sea legs" out on the race track. After his strong performance out at Thunder Valley, he may have worked out the bugs in his mind and on his bike, and we may see him on the box this weekend in Michigan. 

The KTM of Mike Alessi is obviously a bike in development, and we've seen it do amazing (and not-so-amazing) things this season. Alessi started out the year leaving everyone scratching their heads wondering how a 350cc machine was doing what it was doing. Whatever the case may have been, it worked back then, but he's since been lacking the consistency he needs to take overall wins. Hopefully for Alessi, he, and his crew can get things squared away and he can put himself back in front this upcoming weekend.