Racing against Monster Energy Supercross points leader Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb crashed on the first lap of Heat 1 in the Nashville round at Nissan Stadium and suffered an injury that required him to be transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
On Sunday morning, Webb announced on Twitter he will not be able to return during the 2023 Supercross season.
“As many of you saw, I suffered a concussion last night in Nashville,” Webb wrote. “I am thankful that everything else has checked out okay. This will unfortunately put an end to my SX season. It hurts to have it end like this, but I can hold my head high knowing I gave it my all.”
After losing traction with his front wheel, Webb was hit by Adam Cianciarulo, whose Kawasaki ran over Webb’s helmet with hard contact at speed. Webb was helped to the Alpinestars medical cart and was sitting up as they entered the tunnel. He hugged his KTM team members and father before being put on a stretcher that was loaded into an ambulance for the trip to the hospital.
As many of you saw, I suffered a concussion last night in Nashville. I am thankful that everything else has checked out okay. This will unfortunately put an end to my SX season. It hurts to have it end like this, but I can hold my head high knowing I gave it my all. pic.twitter.com/UCSbHFofcn
— Cooper Webb (@cooperwebb_2) April 30, 2023
“We were riding each other pretty aggressively there in Turn 2 and Turn 3,” Tomac told NBC Sports’ Will Christien after winning the heat. “In Turn 2, Cooper came up the inside, and I tried to do the similar thing. We didn’t make contact, but then he washed his front end out, and I happened to be looking back to see if he did fully hit the ground, and I believe Adam clipped him. Obviously, that is unfortunate. It changes a lot of things for us.”
Webb entered the round 11 points behind Tomac and still had a solid opportunity to close the gap with three rounds remaining. While Tomac attained his position with seven wins, Webb was in second with consistency in earning nine podiums in the first 14 rounds.
His streak of top-five finishes in 14 consecutive rounds to start the 2023 season ended as he missed the main event in Nashville, effectively quashing his hopes of winning a third championship. Webb is now third in the standings and 34 points behind.
Drama off the start of 450 heat 1 ?#SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross pic.twitter.com/46gETY8TJ2
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) April 29, 2023
Though he was alert and standing shortly after the crash, Webb was in obvious pain.
The extent of injury was unknown for Webb, who won Supercrosss title in 2019 and 2021.
Team manager Ian Harrison issued a statement on Webb: “The team’s first concern is always for the rider. We are hoping everything will turn out OK, but of course after seeing the crash and Cooper getting transported to the hospital, we are devasted as a team.”
Webb’s crash was one of several during a rough Saturday on a tricky track at Nissan Stadium for star riders in the 450 category. Jason Anderson and Justin Barcia also took hard falls Saturday.
Here is what happened to Barcia over the dragons back ?
450 Main Event LIVE fueled by @Kroger #SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross pic.twitter.com/A2hEsuSdBC
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) April 29, 2023
Thanks, Adam ??. Not your fault. It’s racing and shit happens! https://t.co/DjGZMR7dhB
— Cooper Webb (@cooperwebb_2) April 30, 2023
Other 2023 Injury News
450 riders
Aaron Plessinger, hip
Christian Craig, elbow
Dylan Ferrandis, concussion | Will not return until Motocross
Marvin Musquin, wrist
Malcolm Stewart, knee
250 riders
Stilez Robertson, leg
Cameron McAdoo, shoulder
Jalek Swoll, arm
Seth Hammaker, arm and wrist
Austin Forkner, knee | Injury isn’t the hardest part
Jo Shimoda, collarbone | returned at Atlanta
Four of eight winners, including last year’s champion Brad Sweet, through the first 15 races of the 2023 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series have multiple victories heading into the early May mile-marker known as #LetsRaceTwo at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, but points’ leader Carson Macedo has only one. The irony is that Macedo led the Outlaws in wins last year with 11 to champion Brad Sweet’s five, which ranked fourth in the series.
Macedo climbed his way to the top this season with a combination of strength and consistency, finishing in the top 10 in every race and in the top five two-thirds of the time. Both of Macedo’s marks lead the league, with the drivers second and third in the standings sharing his top-five tally of 10.
But by the time the #LetsRaceTwo doubleheader rolls around on May 5-6, two months will have passed since Macedo’s last victory. That win came in another doubleheader at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida on March 5. Given Sweet’s record from 2022, Macedo likely needs to increase his winning percentage if he wants to maintain his lead. Between now and the World of Outlaws World Finals, 66 races remain, which gives Sweet, who trails by only 12 points, and David Gravel (-48) ample opportunity to close the gap.
MORE: Kyle Larson has 10 wins in seven divisions at Eldora
Each of the top three drivers have a reason to expect success on the half-mile Eldora Speedway. In his last 10 races there, Macedo earned two victories, five podiums and an average finish of 4.4.
Sweet has two wins at Eldora, including Kings Royals in 2013 and 2019. His 2019 victory was the last time Sweet found Victory Lane at Eldora, but he came close last July in the Knight Before the Kings Royal with a third-place finish to David Gravel and Rico Abreau.
For Gravel, that was one of two wins in the four-race stand at Eldora last year. Four of Gravel’s 80 wins have come on this course.
There is also a fair likelihood that the #LetsRaceTwo doubleheader will produce different winners in the doubleheader. No one has won back-to-back in the last 16 Eldora races. Abreu is the most recent winner there with his BeFour The Crowns Showdown victory and will have the first shot at doubling down. Sweet and Macedo also finished in the top five that weekend. Abreu has two wins already this year, at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania and 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas.
Should Abreu win again, it will be the most productive of his Outlaw career. Abreu scored his pair of wins in only eight starts.